5 Celebration Ideas For The Coronation Of King Charles

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place on June 2nd 1953. There were street parties and celebrations up and down the UK. On May 6th 2023, the Coronation of King Charles III will see similar scenes as a nation comes together for the first Coronation ceremony in 70 years. It’s an exciting time for all of us, marked by an extra bank holiday on May 8th 2023. Whether you’re planning a big Coronation party or perhaps a more understated event, here are a few ways to get the celebrations started.

1. Make Coronation Decorations

Ahead of the big day itself, you could make some homemade Coronation decorations to use at your Coronation party or celebration. Some fun and easy decorations include:

Bunting

If you’re a dab hand with a sewing machine, then some simple red, white, and blue bunting would set the tone perfectly and be inexpensive to make with a few metres of plain fabric. If sewing isn’t your thing, then you could cut out some flag shapes from red, white, and blue paper and make some fun paper bunting instead.

Cardboard Crowns

As far as Coronation decorations go, you can’t go wrong with a cardboard crown. Grab the craft scissors to cut crown shapes into some gold card and then glue at either end to make your crown shape. You could leave some decorations out for the party, like jewels, feathers and glitter, and let guests create their own Coronation crowns, with a prize for the best one.

Homemade Paper Plates

For another fun party activity, ask guests to draw or paint their own commemorative picture on a paper plate, just like the real commemorative plates we used to see. Once done, hang them around your party venue so everyone can admire them. Not only are these fun and personal Coronation decorations, but they’ll get people talking about what is on the plates and the memories people have of the Royal Family. There may be some party guests with recollections of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II or even of King George VI in 1937.

2. Wear Coronation Costumes

There will no doubt be plenty of beautiful Coronation Day outfits worn to the event itself. So why not get involved and pick a dress-up theme for your Coronation party? Some ideas are:

Red, White & Blue Outfits

Ask everyone to come to your Coronation party wearing red, white, or blue, or even all three. It could be something as simple as a tie. Other guests might like to really make an effort with a ballgown or sequins. Keep it as subtle or as grand as you like.

Royal Family Fancy Dress

If you really want to take the Royal Family theme up a notch, then a Royal Family fancy dress party might be for you. Ask guests to come dressed as a Royal from any generation. Even children can get involved, like little Isla did for the Queen’s Jubilee in 2022. You’ll have a good laugh seeing all the costumes and might even run into Henry VIII or Queen Victoria.

1950s Outfits

As a nod to the Coronation in 1953, you might like to dress how they did then. Tea dresses with soft curls in your hair, or slacks and smart jackets were popular in the early 1950s. You could pull out all the stops with a full circle skirt – perfect if there’ll be some dancing at your Coronation party.

3. Eat Coronation Food

When most people think of Coronation food, they’ll likely think of Coronation chicken and this traditional dish could definitely make an appearance at your Coronation party. To add a 2023 twist on it, you could turn it into a delicious salad with cucumber, spring onions, Greek yoghurt and lemon juice. Some other options you might fancy for your Coronation food are:

Afternoon Tea

There aren’t many things more quintessentially British than an afternoon tea. Think cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches with home-baked scones and loads of jam and cream. Make sure there’s a lovely pot of tea on the go too. Afternoon tea is a wonderful idea for Coronation food at a smaller gathering or if you’re planning to watch the ceremony on your own in peace and quiet.

Coronation Cake

For a Coronation cake, it just has to be a Victoria Sponge. You could make some mini versions if there are only a few of you or a tiered cake if the guestlist is a little bit bigger. Choose simple jam and cream with icing sugar sprinkled over or fill with strawberries and raspberries for a fruitier and more luxurious version. Experts with icing might want to decorate their cake to match the theme too, so stock up on red, white, and blue fondant.

Coronation Quiche

Coronation food doesn’t have to be a buffet of pizza and sausage rolls, there are plenty of healthy or low salt recipes you can include too. The official Coronation dish for the 2023 Coronation of King Charles III is a Coronation quiche. The British staple has been given a twist with spinach, broad beans, and tarragon. This might be a nod to King Charles and his passion for organic farming as he is known to grow his own vegetables at Highgrove. The Coronation quiche is a great vegetarian dish and an alternative to Coronation chicken so that all guests are catered for.

4. Play Coronation Games

It wouldn’t be a Coronation party without some games. Choose games that all generations can enjoy so that everyone can join in together. For example:

Pin The Crown On The King

Everyone has played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, so this one is an easy crowd pleaser. Print out a picture of King Charles III and make some paper crowns. Write the name of each guest on the crowns and then see who can stick the crown closest to the King’s head while blindfolded. The winner can be King for the day.

Coronation Bingo

There’s bound to be some things that happen during the Coronation that we can all predict, like seeing a Prince or a horse drawn carriage. Draw some simple bingo style grids with some classic things for guests to look out for. The first person to fill in their Coronation bingo card gets a prize. You can also download and print them off the internet if you have a printer and want to save a little bit of time, but making your own is usually more fun.

Who Am I?

The Coronation of King Charles will see the great and the good travel to Westminster Abbey in London. There will be plenty of Royals of course, and probably a few celebrities. So why not have a game of Who I Am?, themed around the Monarchy or the guests at the King’s Coronation? All you need is some post-it notes and a marker pen. Everyone writes a name on the post-it and, without looking, guests stick a post-it on their head and then ask a series of questions to determine who they are. To make it even sillier, you could then have to act like that person for the next hour of the Coronation party.

5. Create A Coronation Time Capsule

The Coronation of King Charles III is a momentous event, and one that everyone will likely remember for many many years. Along with your Coronation party or a small celebration, you could create a time capsule of your day and of items from this time in history. Things like newspaper cuttings or a list of the songs in the charts. You could include some pictures of the day and maybe put in some of the decorations you used. 

As well as creating a time capsule for this Coronation, you might even reminisce about the last Coronation, or even the one before that, if you were lucky enough to be a part of it or have memories of the day. It’s a great time to talk about all the changes and pass on important bits of history to the younger generation, whilst inspiring them to remember this new and exciting event.

Celebrating The King’s Coronation With Loved Ones In A Care Home

There will be many residents in care homes who have wonderful memories of the Coronation of Elizabeth II, and maybe even of King George VI – some may even have been very small children at the time of the Coronation of King George V in 1911. The Coronation of King Charles will, therefore, be a nostalgic time and a great chance to make new memories. 

New Care Homes enjoy celebrating with residents in all of our care home locations. We have activities and events planned, and loved ones can join in too. Our fine dining restaurants are available to book for family and friends, so you could enjoy a Coronation Day afternoon tea or three course meal.  

There are many events near to our care homes too, such as a big screen showing of the Coronation in Piccadilly Gardens near Ashlands Manor Care Home in Manchester or an indoor street party in Lytham St Anne’s near to The Hamptons Care Centre. 

If you would like to arrange a visit to one of our care homes, or ask us any questions at all, please contact us here.