Tickets to attend Trooping the Colour and Garter Day 2023

Early each year is the time to plan ahead to attend some of the UK’s grand pomp and ceremony events for the summer ahead.

Two events are available by random ballot, and one that you can book tickets to attend — good luck, they’re “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunities to attend.

This year is more special than usual as it’s the Coronation year and the first time in 70 years that a King has led the events.

Trooping the Colour 2023

This huge military event in Horseguards normally takes place on The Queen’s official birthday, but this year will be on the King’s official birthday, which remarkably is the same weekend as the late Queen — 17th June 2023.

While most of the seats are reserved for the great, the good, and the relatives of participants, a decent quantity are made available to the public in a ballot. There is a strict dress code of smart wear if you attend.

There are also a couple of options for the rehearsals that take place a few weeks before the main event which are usually free to attend — and are basically the same ceremony, but with a senior military officer standing in for The King.

If you’re not sure if it sounds like your sort of thing, go anyway as it’s a lifetime of envious looks from friends. I went in 2018 and it was marvellous – review here.

Tickets will go on sale by ballot from here on a date to be confirmed in March 2023 — I will doubtless flag it up when the date is announced.

UPDATE – The ballot is open, and you can apply for up to four tickets, and you will be asked to pay £30 per ticket if selected in the ballot. You will be notified on the 19th April 2023 if you have been successful.

There are also tickets for sale to the previews, with Major General C J Ghika for one week, followed by HRH The Prince of Wales the following week.

The Garter Ceremony 2023

Not in London, but inside Windsor Castle, this is a rather glorious procession by most of the Royal Family and a lot of people in fancy clothes through the Castle to an ancient church service.

It’s also very relaxed, with people sitting on the lawns with picnics and enjoying the usually summery weather that we get in June. It’s also one of the rare events where the Royals dress up a bit in fancy clothing rather than their usual day wear.

Garter Day is expected to take place on Monday 19th June 2023.

To request tickets, send an email in Jan or Feb ONLY to GarterDay@royal.uk  with your name and address. You can request up to four tickets. They are free.

I attended in 2011 – review here.

Ceremony of the Keys

This is a regular one – a private ceremony that takes place inside the Tower of London every night and is not visible to the general public. You can however apply for tickets to stand to one side and watch the Beefeaters and soldiers stomping around, shouting at each other and ceremonially locking the fortress.

Note that unlike the other two events, this is one that takes place in private, so photography is NOT permitted. This is also why it’s so much more special to attend, as there are hardly any photos of the event to look at. It’s only ever been filmed once in its history.

At the moment they are releasing tickets typically up to a month in advance on the first working day of each month, so if you’re looking to book for a specific date (birthday!), put a note in your diary a couple of months before to check for tickets.

Tickets to attend the late-night ceremony cost £5 per person and can be booked here.

I attended in 2017 and more recently because the Keys changed last year.