Did you know there's a museum dedicated to all things cockney, including plenty of pearly razzle-dazzle?
Dust off your best button-smothered jacket — the London Pearly Kings and Queens Costermongers Harvest Festival is back.
Pearly kings and queens have been a fixture of London since road sweeper Henry Croft decided to pimp up his threads in the 1870s for a charitable cause. The fundraising annual harvest festival — held on a Sunday in late September — is the most famous pearly fixture on the calendar, and 2025 is a particularly special year; the 150th anniversary of the event.
From 1.15pm on Sunday 21 September 2025, pearly kings and queens from across London and beyond — wearing their iconic hand-sewn pearl-embroidered costumes — will assemble in Guildhall Yard, in the City of London. This year they will include Nicola, Pearly Queen of Welwyn Garden City; Daisy and Maudie, Pearly Princesses of Fulham and Pearly Consort Jasmine; and Clive and Kim, Pearly King and Queen of Woolwich.
Frivolities such as maypole and morris dancing will unfold, and hopefully a few hearty renditions of cockney standards like The Lambeth Walk and Knees Up Mother Brown.
At 2.30pm, the pearlies — accompanied by various mayors/Scouts/Chelsea Pensioners/an 80-strong rock choir — process to St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside, home of the famous Bow Bells. Here, a special harvest festival service takes place from 3pm, in which the pearlies present a large harvest plait of seasoned bread. Members of the public can attend the service, although it gets packed.
There's another chance to catch the pearlies when they file out of the church around 4pm. Pearly kings and queens are renowned for their charitable work, so while the entire event is free, have some cash handy to drop into a pearly cap or two.
Says Clive Bennett, Pearly King of Woolwich, "This event is a testament to the enduring spirit of our city and the diverse communities that make London so vibrant. We invite everyone to join us for a day of entertainment, cultural heritage, and unity."
Here's a lovely write up of 2019's event by the Gentle Author.
London Pearly Kings and Queens Costermongers Harvest Festival, starts 1.15pm in Guildhall Yard on Sunday 21 September 2025. It's free to attend.
