Ballater to tuck in to Coronation Big Lunch

Hundreds are expected to attend to mark the crowning of the new King

Author: Kieran BrandPublished 7th May 2023

Several Coronation Big Lunch celebrations are taking place on Sunday, including in the Royal Deeside village of Ballater, where hundreds of people are expected at the Church Green.

Ballater, which neighbours the Balmoral estate, was the Aberdeenshire village where the King made one of his first visits after the death of his mother to thank residents for their support of the late Queen on her final journey.

Ballater businesswoman Wendy Cobban, who has helped organise the event, said: "Ballater holds a special affection for the King and Queen, as the village has had strong ties with the royal family since the time of Queen Victoria.

"I think that the local residents feel a more personal relationship with the King and Queen, they are looked upon as friends and neighbours.

"Locals and tourists will come together and enjoy the events of the weekend in an atmosphere of fun and celebration in Ballater, a place that holds a special place in the King and Queen's hearts."

Other towns and cities, from Gretna to Shetland and Dunoon to Dundee, are also set to hold their own event.

The Coronation Big Lunch initiative, from the Eden Project, forms part of the celebrations for the coronation weekend.

The Queen has been Patron of The Big Lunch initiative since 2013 – it was set up four years previously to encourage neighbours and communities to share food.

On Saturday, both celebrations and protests took place in Scotland as the coronation was marked.

Gun salutes were also fired from Edinburgh and Stirling Castle.

Thousands attended an independence march and rally in Glasgow while in Edinburgh hundreds of people gathered on Calton Hill for an anti-monarchy rally organised by Our Republic.

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