Diamond Jubilee
June 4, 2012
After a short trip to Oxford, we made our way to London to
finish the Diamond Jubilee weekend. The star-studded concert for the Queen was
televised live at St. James Park, so we went to check out the festivities.
We show up at 6:30, a half hour before it starts, and the first
thing I notice is the overwhelming pride for their country with thousands of
British flags waving in the air. Masks of the Queen, Prince William, and the
new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, are selling fast at the souvenir shop. Picnic
blankets are sprawled out over several acres of the park by people who claimed
their space early on. With picnics come booze, and it’s clearly flowing.
In my neck of the woods, public drinking + free concert = inevitable fights/belligerent behavior. So right now I am pleasantly surprised at how peaceful and unified the crowd is, all ages joined together in a wholesome celebration of their Queen’s milestone. I didn’t stick around until the end to see if they kept it wholesome, but I’m glad to keep my thoughts of London pure.
The Queen and I in the park |
As 7PM inches near, the enormous screens throughout the park
flash a shot of Prince Harry in the audience at the concert, and all the girls
in St. James Park go wild. It’s time for us to settle in, so we buy a Diamond
Jubilee edition of the British flag, and wave it proud with the rest of the
crowd. I make my way to a pack of food trucks lined up behind us, and decide
that it’s time for a snack. I go for the most English sounding option, Salt & Vinegar. I got a plate of
chicken and chips, sprinkled with some malt vinegar and salt. Yes, I should’ve
tried the fish, but I still can’t get a taste for fried filet of mystery. Next
time! On that note, the show begins.
Performances by Robbie Williams, Will.I.Am, Elton John,
Grace Jones, and Paul McCartney are amplified through the park. It’s certainly
an unforgettable show. The crowd at St. James Park starts to swell, and we make
our way to Green Man pub on Euston Road for some shepherd’s pie and a beer.
This is our final stop of the night, and we watched the final scenes of the concert
play out on the TV’s around the pub.