Guide to 2022 Lord Mayor’s Celebration in Norwich

by Anisa // 0 Comments
snap the dragon in the 2022 lord mayor's procession

The theme for the 2022 Norwich Lord Mayor’s Celebration is ‘kings and queens’ in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. From 1-3 July, Gentleman’s Walk will become Norwich’s ‘Royal Mile’ and there will be live music, food, and fun for everyone in the city.

Let me share more about what is planned for the 2022 Lord Mayor’s Celebration, one of the biggest annual festivals in Norwich.

If you are looking for information about the 2023 Lord Mayor’s Celebration here.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Please see disclosure for more information.

Friday 1 July

Chapelfield Gardens

The celebration starts Friday evening. The traditional funfair along with street food by Junkyard will be in Chapelfield Gardens from 17:00 to 21:00. From 19:00 to 20:00 there will be a paint party (wear white and prepare to get dirty).

Waterloo Park

In Waterloo Park there will be a performance of We Will Stand from 19:30 to 21:00.

Crude Apache Community Theatre presents a tale of female empowerment and seafaring history with humour and song. Learn more about how thousands of women who endured low pay and harsh conditions packing herring in the yards of Great Yarmouth fought the fishing industry for fair wages in 1936.

Bring a blanket and a picnic (optional) and enjoy this free family-friendly show.

Saturday 2 July

Lord Mayor’s Procession

The big highlight of the weekend is the Lord Mayor’s Procession at 15:00 on Saturday.

Note there is a different route this year due to the road works on St. Stephens Street. It will start near the Sainsbury’s on Queens Road, go down All Saints Green to Westlegate, then turn right on Red Lion Street (which becomes Castle Meadow) until it turns left on Upper King Street. The Procession will end close to the Cathedral.

There is accessible viewing on Castle Meadow by Opie St.

Chapelfield Gardens

The Procession is not the only thing happening on Saturday, there are lots of things happening in Chapelfield Gardens. The traditional funfair will be running from 12:00 to 22:30 with street food from Junkyard and a bar from 12:00 to 22:00. There will be crafts, face painting, and more for kids from 12:00 to 17:00. DJs and live bands will provide entertainment from 12:00 to 22:00.

Chantry Car Park

In the Chantry Car Park, there will be a skatepark from 12:00 to 22:00.

Westlegate

From 12:30 to 15:00 and 16:30 to 18:30 head to Westlegate where they will have up and coming bands, musicians, and performers from across the county on the Lost River Stage.

Gentleman’s Walk

Gentleman’s Walk (or what will be Norwich’s Royal Mile for the weekend) will have street performers, artists, and buskers from 12:00 to 22:00.

St. Gregory’s Green

On St. Gregory’s Green there will be a public living room where you can pull up a throne and have a chat with a new friend.

Red Lion Street/Rampant Horse Street

A Pirate Party will take place from 18:30 to 22:00 on Red Lion Street and Rampant Horse Street.

Forum

On the Forum Stage, they will have the Community Showcase from 12:00 to 15:00 where talented local artists will perform. From 16:30 to 17:30 musicians from The Garage’s Unsigned artist development programme will be featured. Artists from the Wild Paths music festival will take the Forum stage from 18:00 to 22:15.

The night will wrap up with a rooftop display of pyrotechnics at 22:30 at Millennium Plain by the Forum. The accessible viewing area will be at the St. Peters Street motorbike park next to St. Peter Mancroft Church.

Sunday 3 July

Chapelfield Gardens

For the last day of the celebration, you can still enjoy the traditional funfair and street food by Junkyard in Chapelfield Gardens from 11:00 to 16:00.

St. Benedicts Street

It’s also the only day for the Lanes Summer Fayre on St. Benedicts Street and the surrounding areas. Expect lots of stalls with all sorts of unique products and food along with musicians playing on the streets. The fayre runs from 11:00 to 16:00.

River Wensum by the Lady Julian Bridge

From 14:00 to 15:00, there will be the Great Norwich Duck Race by the Lady Julian Bridge. You will want to get there early to buy your ducks and secure a spot to watch along the River Wensum. Watch the video of the race here.

Cow Tower

Starting at 14:30 until 16:00, there will be a performance of We Will Stand by Cow Tower.

Crude Apache Community Theatre presents a tale of female empowerment and seafaring history with humour and song. Learn more about how thousands of women who endured low pay and harsh conditions packing herring in the yards of Great Yarmouth fought the fishing industry for fair wages in 1936.

Bring a blanket and a picnic (optional) and enjoy this free family-friendly show.

Traveling To Norwich for the Lord Mayor’s Celebration

If you are coming to Norwich for the Lord Mayor’s Celebration, we recommend taking public transportation. While you can drive and park at one of the many city centre car parks, there will be a lot of traffic. Saturday and Sunday there will be road closures.

The festivities are within walking distance from the train station and the bus station. If you plan on taking the train, be sure to book in advance here to get the best fares. Note that there will be a train strike on Saturday 2 July.

You can also take advantage of the Park & Ride. The services for Thickthorn and the Airport will be extended until 22:45.

Note: Waterloo Park is a bit of a longer walk (i.e. 40 minutes away) if you plan on going to We Will Stand on Friday evening.

Accommodations in Norwich for the Lord Mayor’s Celebration

If you plan on attending the Lord Mayor’s Celebration for more than one day and don’t want to have to worry about travelling back and forth, you could book a place to stay in (or near) the Norwich city centre.

Here are some of our recommendations, just remember you will want to book sooner rather than later as some hotels (like the Assembly House) are already booked up.

Maids Head Hotel

exterior of the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich
You can stay at the oldest hotel in the UK which some say is haunted by harmless ghosts.

Dating back more than 800 years, the Maid’s Head Hotel claims to be the oldest hotel in the UK. It’s a Grade II listed building where it is believed Queen Elizabeth I attended a banquet. The hotel is also thought to be home to two harmless ghosts.

Located in Tombland, it’s a convenient base to attend the Lord Mayor’s Celebration. They offer free parking for their guests. The rooms all have a flat screen TV and free wifi.

Read Tripadvisor reviews here.

Check price and availability here.

Revado Hotel

Relatively new to the Norwich hotel scene, Revado Hotel is a modern 3-star hotel a short walk from the Norwich Train Station. It offers spacious rooms with unlimited Wifi and an onsite restaurant where you can enjoy the best English, Indian, and a fusion of these cuisines along with drinks.

The hotel gets its name because the word Revado in Gujarati (an Indian language) means to enchant someone with a pleasant stay. It’s a fitting choice as the hotel is known for its excellent customer service.

Read Tripadvisor reviews here.

Check price and availability here.

You can find more options on this map.

Booking.com

More Things to Do in Norwich

If you need more ideas for what to do in Norwich, check out these posts:

Best Things to Do in Norwich

Things to Do in Norwich With Kids

Fun Things to Do in Norwich for Adults

Unusual Things to Do in Norwich

Things to Do in Norwich at Night

Things to Do in Norwich when it Rains

Romantic Things to Do in Norwich

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means we will receive a small commission for some purchases made using links in our blog with no additional cost to you.  Please be assured we would not promote any product unless we believe that our readers will also benefit.  The commission does not influence the editorial content of this site.

If you found this article helpful, join our email list to learn more about Norfolk and find out about exciting events.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}