In the 2008 Lord Mayor’s Show Ian Luder, the 681st Lord Mayor of London travelled to the Royal Courts of Justice to swear loyalty to the Crown. It was a very wet day indeed, but the Show was carried off with great aplomb by its:

• 6,100 participants
• 220 vehicles – including a Sherman tank from WW2, vintage buses, taxis, two steamrollers, a fleet of Morris Minors and a horse-drawn Santa sleigh!
• 21 carriages – including the 251-year-old gold, Lord Mayor’s State Coach
• 71 floats – including four sponsored by the City of London Corporation
• 200 horses – 115 of which are military horses
• 13 marching bands
• 120 marshals

The charitable beneficiaries were St John Ambulance and the Lords Taverners, and the City of London sponsored floats from UINCAP, In Toto Theatre, East London Food Access and the City’s Family and Young People’s Service. The media materials are all archived here:

2008 Introduction

The 2008 Show was one of the longest ever, with a procession length of 3.1 miles. Full details are in the introduction and more facts and figures can be found among the press releases.

2008 Press releases

There were relatively few releases this year. All are archived here.

2008 Press photos

Pictures of the 2008 Show and its preparations can be found in this archive, which will (soon!) also take you into the larger photo library.