In just under two weeks, Queen Anne will make her debut in Liverpool, Cunard’s spiritual home. Here, she will officially be named at a spectacular event taking place during her inaugural sailing around Britain, The British Isles Festival Voyage.
A timeline of events
7 am: Queen Anne to arrive in Liverpool
From early morning on Monday the 3rd of June, as the world’s media awaits Queen Anne’s arrival into the River Mersey, all eyes will be on Liverpool Pier Head.
Cunard’s new ship is scheduled to arrive at around 7 am. Then, the waterfront will be alive with activity in the lead-up to a dazzling ceremony set to start at 4 pm.
4 pm: Queen Anne to be officially named
This truly special event will be taking place during The British Isles Festival Voyage on Queen Anne, and guests sailing on this voyage are invited to watch the ceremony from a dedicated viewing area ashore, right in the heart of the action.
The celebrations will also be broadcast live throughout the ship, should they prefer to stay onboard.
During the ceremony, the world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will be performing. The maestro will be joined by an impressive line-up of Liverpool’s finest talent.
Those in attendance will enjoy one-of-a-kind performances from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, The Liverpool Institue of Performing Arts, local DJ Lauren Lo Sung and, of course, the official naming by Queen Anne’s Godparent, which will include the iconic smashing of a bottle of champagne against the ship.
The ceremony will be hosted by musician Matt Willis and TV presenter Emma Willis.
8.30 pm: Evening celebrations to begin
From around 8.30 pm, evening celebrations will begin.
Viewers will be treated to a further performance from the esteemed Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra before legendary Liverpudlian TV personality and DJ Craig Charles joins the orchestra on stage for a unique collaboration.
Craig will keep the party going until the grand finale when Queen Anne sails away to a backdrop of dazzling fireworks as light falls. It’s sure to be a sailaway party that’ll long live in guests' memory, both along the waterfront and onboard Queen Anne.
