4 June 2002: The Mall is filled with colour, music and dance as 20,000 performers take part in the Golden Jubilee Festival

The Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations reached a theatrical finale with an enormous pageant down the length of the Mall, London's main ceremonial thoroughfare.

Watched by the Royal Family and a crowd of a million people, the Jubilee Festival brought together processions involving giant food plates, 50 Hell's Angels, five decades of London taxis, scantily-dressed butterflies, and a dancing Taj Mahal. 

Following the morning's Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral, members of the Royal Family returned to the Mall after lunch to enjoy the Jubilee Festival.

The Royal cars stopped short of the dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial to allow members of the Royal Family to walk down the Mall, shaking hands and exchanging a few words with the crowds.

By quarter to two, the Golden Jubilee Festival was underway. Organised to involve as many people from around the UK and the Commonwealth as possible, it was made up of a number of separate processions, flowing one after another in a rainbow of colour down the Mall.

They embodied all six themes of the Jubilee - Service, Community, Thanksgiving, Celebration, Past and future, and Commonwealth.

With lavish costumes, performers from the Notting Hill Carnival, the world-famous Afro-Caribbean festival which takes place in London each year, got the festivities off to an eye-catching start.

The Carnival's masquerade bands featured over 2,500 participants dressed in stunning costumes, dancing and singing down the Mall. Also providing music on the stages was a 100-piece steel orchestra playing classical, religious and ceremonial tunes.

Next down the Mall were 1,000 children from the Chicken Shed Children's and Youth Theatre. Aged 7-18, the young performers sang a new piece written for the Jubilee called 'Together talking', celebrating the joy of communication.

Following on their heels was one of the largest Gospel choirs ever put together. Around 5,000 people, drawn from over 25 different groups, marched down the Mall singing without microphones, led by singer Patti Boulaye. Among the songs they performed was 'Celebrate Good News', written by musician Patti Boulaye for the Golden Jubilee.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arrived back in the Mall from a lunch at Guildhall. Travelling in an open-top State Range Rover, they were accompanied by hundreds of children from the Stage Coach theatre company.

Waving streamers and wearing yellow t-shirts, they brought The Queen and Prince Philip down to the dais to watch the Festival.

Next along the Mall were participants in the Services Parade. Air Cadets, British Red Cross workers, members of the Fire Brigade, Chelsea Pensioners and members of the Armed Services were among the many groups represented. Veterans, current members and young recruits marched alongside each other.

A float from the Prison Service represented the changing methods of treating prison inmates over the years. The parade also included winners of Gallantry and Bravery Awards made during The Queen's reign.

The next parade brought to life the events, people and culture of the past 50 years with floats showing typical living rooms of each decade, giant food plates reflecting changing eating habits and stiltwalking characters including 'yuppies', miners and 1970's feminists.

An escort was provided by vehicles from the 50-year period, including five decades of London taxis, prams, and telephone boxes. Bands on the two main stages performed music associated with the periods, from '50's rock 'n' roll to modern dance music.

A leather-clad biker called Snob led 50 Hell's Angels on their motorbikes at high speed down the Mall, tearing round the Queen Victoria memorial.

At the end of the Festival came the Commonwealth procession. The 30-minute parade involved 4,000 people, many of them children, from 54 Commonwealth countries.

Dressed in traditional costumes, they included practitioners of Asian martial arts, sports groups, tattooed Kapa Haka performers from New Zealand and African tribal drummers.

The procession halted in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, bringing with them four 30-foot high arches forming a rainbow of wishes. The multi-coloured arches contained 4,000 hand drawn messages to The Queen from thousands of school children across the Commonwealth. 

At that point The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the rest of the Royal Family left the dais and came entered the throng in the forecourt. In the forecourt, they watched as children tugged away a curtain to unveil the first ever hanging suspended from the Palace balcony to the ground.

Produced by the Royal School of Needlework, it featured thousands of flags created by children across the Commonwealth using embroidery, knitting, sewing, and materials including bottle tops.

The Royal Family went inside the building, as crowds in the Mall made their way down to the Palace. Minutes later, the doors of the Palace's Centre Room opened and The Queen and Prince Philip appeared on the balcony.

They waved to the enormous crowds gathered in the Mall, around the Queen Victoria Memorial and in the forecourt of the Palace. They were joined by the rest of the Royal Family, including Prince William and Prince Harry, and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

All eyes were turned skywards as a total of 26 RAF aircraft flew directly over the Palace.

They included every type of RAF aircraft in service, including fast jet aircraft and fighter, striker, tanker and transport planes. Among them was the Eurofighter - a new aircraft due to enter service later in 2002.

Bringing up the rear was Concorde flanked by the Red Arrows, flying in formation and streaming flares of red, white and blue behind them.

After two more balcony appearances, the doors of the Centre Room closed. Seconds later the first few drops of rain began to fall - having been remarkable by its absence for the whole of the Jubilee Weekend.

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