The incoming Lord Mayor of the City of London, Bronek Masojada, is to travel along the Thames by ceremonial barge before joining the Lord Mayor’s Show on 14 November, reviving a river journey last made as part of the pageant in 2017.
Masojada is due to leave Westminster at 8.30am aboard the Royal Shallop Jubilant, accompanied by his wife, the City’s Sheriffs and a flotilla of Livery boats. He is expected to disembark at HMS President before taking his place in the procession through the Square Mile. The announcement describes the voyage as a return of the Show’s historic connection with the river, rather than a change to the later land procession.
A river route returns
The journey recalls the route associated with newly appointed Lord Mayors travelling upriver to Westminster to pledge loyalty to the Crown. The annual Show grew around that civic obligation. Although the procession is now chiefly known as a street event, the river was central to its earlier history; the return of a ceremonial voyage offers a visible link between that origin and the modern occasion.
The last flotilla for the Show took place in 2017. On that occasion, incoming Lord Mayor Charles Bowman travelled from Westminster to HMS President aboard Gloriana with 24 traditional rowing boats. This year’s announcement names a different royal shallop and describes a flotilla of Livery boats, but does not specify how many vessels will join it. The details should therefore not be read as a promise to recreate the exact size or format of the earlier flotilla.
The planned start at Westminster and arrival at HMS President establish the river segment before Masojada joins the procession. The voyage is a discrete ceremonial element, not a replacement for the Show’s route through the City. It also places the Lord Mayor’s first public engagement after taking office in a setting tied to the office’s longstanding journey to Westminster.
The Show remains a street procession
Masojada is due to take office at the Silent Ceremony on Friday 13 November. The following day, the procession is scheduled to leave Mansion House at 11am, pass through the City to the Royal Courts of Justice and return to Mansion House. Organisers estimate about 6,500 participants, including 250 horses and more than 50 decorated floats, along a 2.86-mile route. Those are advance estimates for a future event, not a count of participants or spectators already present.
The forecast programme includes schools, community groups, performers, musicians, military bands, charities, financial institutions and Livery Companies. The Royal Navy is scheduled to provide a Guard of Honour and parade the King’s Colour on the King’s 78th birthday. The announced procession is free to attend; extensive road closures are expected across the City, and visitors are encouraged to plan travel using public transport information.
The flotilla adds a short river passage to a day whose principal public spectacle remains the land procession. Its return is notable because the previous edition was nearly a decade ago, while the scale, vessel and mix of boats this year differ in the details announced so far. The precise number of flotilla vessels and any further operational arrangements have not been stated.
For spectators, the announcement offers a reason to consider the Thames as well as the streets when planning for 14 November. The barge journey is scheduled for the morning before the 11am procession, but it is a future plan and may be subject to operational arrangements. The Show itself will follow Masojada’s formal installation the previous day, marking the public start of his year as Lord Mayor.
By bringing the incoming office-holder from Westminster to HMS President before the procession, organisers are restoring a distinct ceremonial episode to the day. The announcement does not claim that the full historic river pageant is returning. It describes a flotilla journey, last held in 2017, ahead of the familiar procession through the Square Mile.
