London celebrates the King’s official birthday with an impressive military parade every June known as Trooping the Colour, which has been taking place since 1820.
This year’s Trooping The Colour parade will occur on Saturday 15th June 2025. The parade starts at 10 am at the Horse Guards Parade in St James’s Park, and from there the King is taken in a carriage along the Avenue “The Mall” to Buckingham Palace. The parade will end at approximately 12:25 pm. After the parade, several members of the royal family greet the public from the palace terrace, just before the air show that will take place at 1 pm, and which can be seen from The Mall.
This event is usually attended by diplomatic representatives from different countries as well as thousands of people, and during this ceremony, the King pays tribute to British citizens who deserve to be recognised for some reason.
Numerous grandstands with chairs are set up at the Horse Guards Parade, but these tickets are unfortunately not easy to get, and are sold out several months before the event. Seeing the parade from “The Mall” avenue, which is usually decorated with hundreds of flags for this event several weeks before, is completely free, but you must arrive early to get a good place!
Rehearsals
It’s good to know that rehearsal takes place for this important event, and these are not usually as crowded, making it a great option to watch the King’s birthday parade, even if the King isn’t around on those days. There are usually a couple of rehearsals during the regular changing of the guard.
There are two official rehearsals at Horse Guards Parade, on the 31st of May and on the 7th of June. It is possible to buy tickets for these events through the official website here.
Information about the Trooping The Colour in London
When: June 15, 2025. Starts at 10 am.
Where: Horse Guards Parade – Buckingham Palace
Official website: Trooping the Colour