If there’s one occasion during which British expatriates may wish they were back home it’s got to be during the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Whether you’re interested in the royal proceedings and pomp and ceremony or not, there’s bound to be a few great parties on the go—and who would want to miss out on those?
Well fear not, we’ve taken up the gauntlet and scoured the earth for places to watch the Royal Wedding in major expat destinations throughout the world—all in the name of a good party of course!
Australia
Sydney
The British Chamber of Commerce and the BBC are offering a gala event to mark the Royal Wedding. This black-tie event will feature a whole host of entertainment, including comedy acts, tribute bands and dancing. A donation from the proceeds of the evening will be made to Prince William’s Charitable Foundation. The cost of the event is $200pp, $2000 per corporate table.
When: Friday 29 April, 6.30pm till late
Where: The Ivy Ballroom, 330 George St, Sydney
Bookings: 02 9247 6271 or http://www.britishchamber.com
Asia
Shanghai
The Langham Xintiandi, Shanghai, is celebrating the Royal Wedding with a gala charity dinner in aid of the International Red Cross. Guests will enjoy a four course dinner followed by a chocolate wedding biscuit cake that is expected to be a variation of the one that William and Kate themselves will be enjoying at their own wedding reception. A number of items will be auctioned for charity, including Wedgwood pottery, a made-to-measure suit and a wine tasting course. Prices are RMB8,888 for a table of ten or RMB988 per person, including premium wines.
Where: The Langham Xintiandi, 99 Madang Road
When: Friday, April 29, 2011. From 5:00 pm.
Singapore
The British Club of Singapore are never ones to let an excuse for a good party go to waste and their Royal Wedding celebrations promise to be quite an affair. The group’s mammoth celebrations will last 10 days including afternoon tea, race night, celebratory dinner and, of course, a great big party. Talking to UK newspaper The Telegraph, managing director of the British Club, Sean Boyle, explained why they were going to such an effort: “We are taking it very seriously but we see ourselves as flying the flag for Britain.
“This club has always had a connection with the royal family – Princess Anne opened it in 1987, and we’ve had a lot of royal visitors – so it seemed a good opportunity to reflect that. And there’s thousands of Brits in Singapore, who are all very excited about the event”.
Where: The British Club, 73 Bukit Tinggi Road
When: Various events run from Thursday 21st April through to Sunday 1st May.
Registration: activities@britishclub.org.sg
Thailand
Bangkok’s British Club are holding a Royal Wedding garden party to mark the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The family-orientated event will include a live screening of the wedding followed by a buffet. There will be plenty of entertainment on offer, including a bouncy castle for the children. The cost of the event is 450 Baht for buffet per person or 950 Baht per person for buffet with a bottle of the wine of the month.
Where: The British Club, 189 Suriwongse Road
When: Friday 29th April 2011, 5pm till late
Registration: http://www.britishclubbangkok.org/
New Zealand
Auckland
Monarchy New Zealand is hosting a public celebration of the Royal Wedding in Auckland. The event is open to the public and is free of charge and will consist of a screening of the ceremony.
When: Friday, 29th April 2011, 7:00pm onwards
Where: Mercure Hotel, 8 Customs Street
Registatration: enquiries@monarchy.org.nz
United Arab Emirates
Bahrain
The British Club of Bahrain will be marking the occasion of the Royal Wedding with champagne screening of the wedding accompanied by British food. After the wedding expatriates can celebrate the momentous occasion with a street-style party complete with fairground, live music and dancing.
Where: British Club of Bahrain, Building 41, Ahmed Ali Kanoo Avenue
When: Friday 29 April. Start time to be confirmed,
Registration: http://www.britishclubbahrain.com/whats.htm
Dubai
The Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club will be hosting their Very British Royal Wedding Party at 12:00pm on April 29th 2011. Attendees to the event will enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet while they watch the nuptials on a big screen before attending a street-themed garden party and polo competition. The entertainment will go on into the night with a disco featuring the best of British music.
Where: Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club
When: April 29th 2011, 12:00pm -12:00am.
Registration: http://www.poloclubdubai.com
United States of America
New York
New York’s Big Apple Brits are hosting a marathon session to mark the Royal Wedding with an event that will commence at 5:00am on April 29th and run all the way through until 9:00am the following morning. A whole host of entertainment will be on offer including comedy acts, DJs and theatre performances including. There will, of course, be a screening of the wedding itself. Those looking for the street-style party that they will find back in Blighty will not be disappointed: “We’re planning to make it street party-style, so childhood memories of the Queen’s Jubilee will be flooding back for many of us!” said Louise Gale, one of the party planners, “There’s already chatter of hats, dressing up and generally making a great day of it.”
We knew the Big Apple Brits wouldn’t let us down! Tickets are available from $40-$60 USD.
Where: Dumbo Loft (155 Water Street, Brooklyn)
When: 5:00am April 29th 2011- 09:00am April 30th 2011
Registration: http://royalweddingnyc.com
Orlando
The British American Chamber of Commerce is hosting afternoon tea on the 29th April at 15:00 for expats who are looking to mark the occasion of the Royal Wedding in a refined manner. An afternoon screening of the Royal Wedding will take place followed by a traditional English afternoon tea with a fine selection of teas, cakes and sandwiches.
Where: Citrus Club, 255 South Orange Ave Orlando.
When: Friday, April 29, 2011. 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Registration: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e3ga13s94f8db2e7&llr=hmsmyscab
Do you know of any expat events that are being held to celebrate the Royal Wedding? Please let us know and we will share details of the event with our expat community.
