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Guides Trooping the Colour 2027 Saturday 12 June Updated 25 Sep 2026

Trooping the Colour 2027: the ballot, the free view and the flypast

The King's Birthday Parade, on the second Saturday of June, which points to 12 June 2027. Seats go by ballot; the Mall is free.

Ceremonial guards on parade

Trooping the Colour, properly the King’s Birthday Parade, is held on Horse Guards Parade on the second Saturday of June. The 2027 date is not confirmed yet and the pattern points to Saturday 12 June 2027. The 2026 parade was on Saturday 13 June, which is the shape to expect.

The ballot

Seated tickets on Horse Guards Parade are allocated by public ballot, not sold. It opens early in the year and closes around the end of March: the 2026 ballot shut at midday on 27 March. You apply for between one and four seats and you are drawn or you are not. It is the only way to be inside the parade ground.

The free version, which is most of it

The Mall is free and unticketed, and the procession passes along it twice, out and back. You see the household cavalry, the carriages and the Royal Family at close range without paying anything or entering any ballot. Get there by nine for a front position and take something to stand on if you are short.

St James’s Park along the edge of the Mall is the comfortable option: less crush, a decent view through the trees, and somewhere to sit before it starts.

The flypast

The RAF flypast comes over Buckingham Palace at around one o’clock, and it is the part most people remember. You do not need to be on the Mall for it: anywhere with sky between Green Park and Trafalgar Square works, and the crowds thin dramatically half a mile from the Palace.

Before you plan a day around it

The date is the usual pattern rather than an announcement. The Household Division confirms it and opens the ballot early in the year, so check before booking travel.

Dates and events for 2027 go in as venues confirm them. The guide above is what we know so far; it is rewritten as the list fills.

What is coming up

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What is on right now

All 2207 listings

This guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.

Next up

  1. Theatre £45 to £110, under 30s and students from £10

    Main Stage: Kimberly Akimbo

    Times vary Main Stage, Hampstead

    Until 7 Nov

  2. Theatre £15 to £35

    Bush Theatre: Darkling, by Titas Halder

    19:30 Bush Theatre, Shepherd's Bush

    Until 24 Oct

  3. Theatre From £31

    Young Vic: Thelma and Louise

    19:30 Young Vic, Main House, Waterloo

    Until 24 Oct

Or pick a part of town

Soho Covent Garden Islington Bloomsbury Camden Shoreditch Dalston Battersea Fitzrovia Crouch End

Questions people ask

When is Trooping the Colour 2027?

Not confirmed yet. It is held on the second Saturday of June, which points to 12 June 2027. The 2026 parade was on Saturday 13 June.

How do I get tickets?

Seats on Horse Guards Parade are allocated by a public ballot that opens early in the year and closes around the end of March. You apply for one to four seats.

Can I watch it for free?

Yes. The Mall is free and unticketed and the procession passes along it twice. St James's Park beside it is the less crowded option.

What time is the flypast?

Around one o'clock over Buckingham Palace. You can see it from anywhere with open sky between Green Park and Trafalgar Square, and the crowds are far thinner away from the Palace.

What time should I arrive?

By nine for a front row spot on the Mall. Later than that and you are behind several rows.

Every listing on this page is checked against the venue's own page and the page is rewritten each year, usually six to eight weeks before the dates. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.