The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is a celebration of her 60 years on the throne, and for those in the U.K., it’s a chance to take an extended bank holiday and have some fun.
The festivities planned are quite extensive and involve blocking off or closing many streets; according to DirectGov.com, visitors to London should find a means to get there this weekend other than a car and should expect delays. Some of the events included are a pageant on the River Thames, which includes a thousand boats led by the Queen and is the largest flotilla ever seen on the body of water; a concert at Buckingham Palace; and the Epsom Derby, which the Queen will attend.
The Diamond Jubilee is a big deal for the country, as the Queen is only the third royal to celebrate one. Her Majesty was honored for her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee in 2002, which marked 25 and 50 years on the throne, respectively. The celebration will extend throughout the weekend and into Tuesday, and ends with the Queen acknowledging thousands of people from the Palace balcony.
Google celebrates along with the U.K. with a new Doodle, which shows a blue silhouette of the Queen trailing a long robe behind her and features two of her corgi pups. While many are giving good reviews to the Doodle, some say Google missed out on an opportunity to make it interactive, the way they’ve done with recent homepage images.