Have you got your coronation weekend planned?
This Saturday on the 6th May, the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey. Across the weekend, there will be a number of Coronation celebrations taking place in London and most likely in your local area too. On Sunday 7th March, everyone has been encouraged to take part in The Coronation Big Lunch, where local communities are asked to get together and socialise and share food. The government has created an interactive map of coronation events, all you have to do is type in your postcode and a list of events should pop up. To help you get as prepared as possible for the long and hopefully sunny weekend, here are our must-have items, packing tips and different activities you can do to help celebrate this time.
Must have items for the coronation
Whether you’re staying at home, venturing into London or seeing family and friends, a big part of King Charles Coronation weekend will probably evolve around food! Here is our list of must-have items to help you celebrate this weekend.
Get your coffee cups at the ready
The coronation is taking place this Saturday, with ceremonial processions taking place before and after the coronation service in London. The public are welcome to watch the processions in person, or visit the screening sites which are located in Hyde Park, The Green Park and St James’s Park. If you are venturing into London to watch the processions in person, the viewing areas will be open from 6:00am which means a coffee mug will be necessary to keep you wide awake for the whole day. Currently, we have 20% off all of our thermal mugs - so whether you need a cup of tea to warm you up in the early hours of Saturday morning or a cup of coffee to keep you alert, why don’t you have a look through our collection to choose a colour which suits you.
Stay hydrated Kings & Queens
Fingers crossed the sun comes out this weekend, but whether it does or not many of us will be out for long periods of time and we need to make sure we stay hydrated during this time. Adults need 6-8 cups a day and when we are out, we often forget to drink before it’s too late and we have a raging headache. At Citron, we have 4 different sized water bottles ranging from 250ml to 750ml, so everyone in the family can have their own. When you buy a Citron insulated water bottle, you are also helping to save the planet. The plastic water bottles that you buy from a supermarket or any shop will take around 450 years to decompose, whereas our stainless steel bottles are reusable and will keep your drinks cold throughout the day.
Food jars for all of your snacks
Long weekends in the Spring can only mean one thing - it’s time for a picnic! Whether you are visiting some of the screenings of the coronation in Hyde Park or you’re having a gathering with your friends in the park, you will need something to keep your food in. Not everyone is a huge sandwich fan and it's nice to mix things up with the type of food you take on your picnic. One of our favourite dishes to add into our food jars is our creamy cajun tofu pasta which is 100% vegan and delicious. If you prefer a warm pasta dish, simply add boiling water to your food jar for 15 minutes before you add in the pasta and it will keep it warm for up to 6 hours.
Planning a picnic?
Speaking of picnics, have you got a practical and stylish bag to take all your tasty food in? Sometimes we think it's easier to chuck everything into an old supermarket bag, but they aren’t very comfortable to carry and they aren’t insulated so they won’t keep your food at the perfect temperature. If you have browsed through the Citron website, you may have come across our fashionable picnic bags in either navy or lilac or our lunch bags in yellow and black. Our picnic bags are great for larger groups of people and our Lunch Bags are ideal for a 1-2 person picnic. Both our picnic and lunch bags come with 3 external pockets for extra storage, as well as a double zip opening for easy access and a shoulder strap with leather detailing for comfort and style.
Grazing platters
Something that has become very popular in the past few years are grazing platters which have a little bit of everything for people to eat for lunch or nibble on during the day. Bento boxes or a large lunch box with separate compartments, are perfect for on-the-go nibbles because they keep all your different food separate. Citron’s Grand Lunch box has 4 separate compartments including a small food jar and a sauce pot. If you’re looking for filling grazing platter recipes then look no further - from an appetising Mediterranean Mezze platter to a traditional Ploughman’s lunch we have a range of picnic recipes for you to try this year.
Coronation tips and tricks
Essentials to pack:
If you’re planning on spending time outside for an extended amount of time this weekend at garden parties or at a family BBQ, or you’re out for the day with a picnic, there are a few essentials you might forget to bring out so here are just a few things we can think of:
- Sun cream
- Sunglasses
- Picnic bags
- Blankets
- Chairs
- Napkins
- Reusable picnic plates, bowls and cups
- Bin bags
- Layers of clothing
- Reusable water bottle
- Cutlery for your day out
- Snacks for the day
- First-aid kit
Travel advice
If you are travelling into London for the day, everyone has been advised to use public transport instead of travelling by car as there is lots of traffic to be expected and parking in London can be a nightmare at the best of times.
TFL has stated that there are no planned disruptions to public transport over the weekend and public transport will be running as normal. However, as there will be a lot of people in the centre of London, there will likely be some queueing for the tubes and buses.
How to celebrate at home
Some of us might not want to have such a full on coronation weekend and might want to celebrate from the comfort of our own home with friends or family. If you have little ones there are a few different coronation style games that they could take part in.
Coronation ring hoopla
During the coronation ceremony, a ring will be placed on the King’s right hand and in his other he will hold his sceptre. To play this game, you will need to stick 6-7 big wooden sticks, which will act as the sceptre, in the ground and a hoop, which will act as the ring. Every player will have 5 chances to try and get as many hoops onto the wooden sticks as possible - whoever gets the most rings on the sticks will win.
Pin the crown on the King
You may have played this game when you were younger at someone's birthday party - but it might have been called pin the tail on the donkey. The idea is the same, you will blindfold your guests and ask them to pin something onto a board with an image of it. To make it as royal as possible, you can print out a crown and stick it on the King to be - whoever gets it as close as possible to the right position, will win.
Play your cards right
You will need to lay out 4 or more cards in a row, players will have to guess whether the next card will be higher or lower than the last. If the guess is incorrect, the game will be over. Those who reach the last card in the row can win a prize - if you get a king, you will get another turn.
Whether your celebrating at home, in London or in your local area with your friends and family, the Citron Team hope you have a happy coronation weekend!