Platinum Jubilee Beacons: Where are the Jubilee Beacons and how to find Jubilee Beacons near me in Scotland?

The beacon tradition is one that stretches back for centuries in the UK.

A network of flaming tributes to the Queen will be lit across the nation and the Commonwealth on Thursday in honour of the Platinum Jubilee.

Beacons marking the Platinum Jubilee will be lit at 9.45pm at iconic sites, including the Tower of London, Windsor Great Park, Hillsborough Castle, the Queen’s estates of Sandringham and Balmoral, and on the summits of the UK’s four highest peaks.

The first beacons will be lit in Tonga and Samoa in the South Pacific, and the final one in the central American country of Belize. The principal beacon can be found outside the Palace – a 21-metre-tall Tree of Trees sculpture for the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative – will be illuminated by a senior member of the royal family, and images will be projected on to the Palace.

Here’s what you need to know about the tradition of lighting beacons, as well as where they will be lit in Scotland.

Why are we lighting beacons for the Queen’s Jubilee?

Lighting beacons have been used to celebrate Royal Jubilees, Weddings and Coronations for centuries. The beacons have previously been placed on top of mountains, church and cathedral towers, castle battlements, in the middle of village greens, in pride of place in country estates, or along beaches and cliff tops.

Jubilee beacons will be lit across the UK and the Commonwealth in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.

The idea is for them to be a unifying sight for the local people to enjoy, tied together by the principal beacon, which is usually lit outside of Buckingham Palace or an equally significant site.

One famous example of the beacons in use is from 1897, when beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. In 1977, 2002 and 2012, beacons commemorated the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of The Queen, and again for her Her Majesty’s 90th birthday in 2016.

On Thursday June 2nd, there are three types of beacons being lit:

- A free-standing beacon fuelled by bottle gas

- A beacon brazier with a metal shield

- A bonfire beacon

Platinum Jubilee Beacons near me in Scotland

At 2pm on June 2nd, town criers are invited to undertake the 'Proclamation', which announces the lighting of beacons later that day. Then at 9.35pm, communities with pipers or bands are encouraged to perform Diu Regnare before the beacons are lit at 9.45pm. If you’re keen to see a beacon being lit in Scotland, here are a few locations where beacons are being lit:

- Ben Nevis

- Balmoral Estates

- Edinburgh Castle

Many smaller towns, cities, and villages throughout Scotland are organising their own event. Check your local government website for more details and confirmation of whether it’s taking place in your area.