Changing of the Guard Tours London
Changing the Guard takes place at Buckingham Palace at 11:00am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The ceremony actually begins at St James’s Palace at around 10:40am and finishes around 11:45am. On most Sundays there is the separate Sunday Parade, from around 10am.
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| Date | Time | Ceremony | Band | New Guard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Scots Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Fri 2 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Scots Guards | Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards |
| Sat 3 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Grenadier Guards | Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards |
| Mon 5 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Grenadier Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Tue 6 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Grenadier Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Wed 7 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Irish Guards | Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards |
| Thu 8 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Grenadier Guards | Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards |
| Fri 9 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Grenadier Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Sat 10 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Household Cavalry | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Mon 12 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Welsh Guards | Number 9 Company Irish Guards |
| Tue 13 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Welsh Guards | Number 9 Company Irish Guards |
| Wed 14 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Welsh Guards | F Company Scots Guards |
| Thu 15 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Welsh Guards | F Company Scots Guards |
| Fri 16 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Welsh Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Sat 17 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Welsh Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Sun 18 Oct | 10:00am | Sunday Parade | Band of the Coldstream Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Mon 19 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Grenadier Guards | 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards |
| Tue 20 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Irish Guards | 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards |
| Wed 21 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Grenadier Guards | Number 12 Company Irish Guards |
| Thu 22 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Scots Guards | Number 12 Company Irish Guards |
| Fri 23 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Grenadier Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Sat 24 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Grenadier Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Sun 25 Oct | 10:00am | Sunday Parade | Band of the Irish Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Mon 26 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Irish Guards | 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards |
| Tue 27 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Grenadier Guards | 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards |
| Wed 28 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Coldstream Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Thu 29 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Coldstream Guards | 26 Engineer Regiment |
| Fri 30 Oct | 11:00am | Changing the Guard | Band of the Grenadier Guards | Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards |
| Sat 31 Oct | 3:00pm | Captain’s Inspection | Band of the Irish Guards | Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards |
Scheduled dates from the Household Division calendar, checked Wednesday 7 October at 1:32am. Ceremonies are occasionally changed or cancelled at short notice, for example for State Visits or bad weather, so it is worth checking on the morning you go.
| Location | Days | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Buckingham Palace | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 11:00am |
| St James’s Palace (where it begins) | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | from around 10:40am |
| Horse Guards Parade | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 11:00am |
| The Sunday Parade | Most Sundays | 10am to 10.40am, various locations |
No. At Buckingham Palace the full ceremony normally takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11am, with the Sunday Parade on most Sundays. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday there is usually only a Captain’s Inspection at 3pm, a much smaller event with no New Guard marching in. The dates do move around, which is why the schedule above is worth checking before you plan your morning.
On a Changing the Guard morning the ceremony moves between three places. These are the usual timings, although the guards do not always run to the minute.
| Time | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 10.30 to 10.40am | St James’s Palace | The Old Guard forms up and is inspected |
| Shortly after | The Mall | The Old Guard marches down to Buckingham Palace |
| By 10.57am | Wellington Barracks | The New Guard marches out behind its band |
| 11.00am | Buckingham Palace | The New Guard arrives and the handover begins |
| About 11.10am | Clarence House and St James’s Palace | The First Relief leaves to replace the sentries |
| 11.30am | Wellington Barracks | The Old Guard marches back and goes off duty |
| 11.35am | Buckingham Palace | The New Guard splits, and half march to St James’s |
| 11.40 to 11.45am | St James’s Palace | The Colour is carried in and the ceremony ends |
What happens at each stage, minute by minute.
Yes. It is free to watch and there are no tickets to buy. All you need is a place with a clear view, and in summer the best spots around the Palace fill well before 11am. A guided tour is the paid way to see it: it does not reserve you a place at the railings, but it takes you between the stages of the ceremony so you see far more of it.
The section most people mean by “Changing the Guard”. The New Guard arrives at the forecourt and the handover takes place at 11:00am. In summer, tens of thousands of people watch it, so the positions with a clear view fill well before the hour.
Where to stand, and how early to arrive.
The Change of the Lifeguard occurs at the same time as the Change of the Guard. Both are at 11am, but the Change of the Lifeguard occurs at Horse Guards Parade, the other end of the Mall from Buckingham Palace. It’s a splendid ceremony with 360 years of tradition, with one regiment of Cavalry replacing each other much like the Foot Guards.
Arrive at least 10 minutes before the ceremony starts to see the Old Guard and New Guard arrive. Once the First Relief peels away to go on duty, there is 30 minutes of guards facing each other before the Old Guard head back to their barracks and the New Guard enter their stables. Worth seeing if you love horses or can’t face the crowds of the main event.
On Sundays there is a separate event called the Sunday Parade, introduced in April 2025. Like Changing the Guard it involves foot guards, marching and music in the same part of London. The difference is that it celebrates the role of the Colour, the regimental flag, and involves one regiment of guards rather than the usual two.
The Sunday Parade takes around 45 minutes. The Ceremonial Band leaves Wellington Barracks by 10am and marches to Buckingham Palace. After a short inspection and a couple of pieces of music, the Band leads the Guards along the Mall to St James’s Palace, arriving by 10.25. After the Regimental Colour is left at the Palace, the Guards march back to Buckingham Palace while the Band heads to Wellington Barracks. It concludes by around 10.40am, although there is no fixed start time and the guards do not always run to the minute.
More on the Sunday Parade, and how to watch it.
The weekday ceremony takes about an hour from start to finish. The Old Guard emerge from St James’s Palace at around 10:40am and the New Guard complete the ceremony at around 11:45am. Arrive 20 minutes early in the summer, 10 minutes early in the winter.
If the rain is heavy, or the forecast is for rain, the British Army may curtail the ceremony. There will then be a ‘Wet Change’, with the soldiers in light overcoats marching without the ceremonial band. Sometimes the full ceremony goes ahead in the rain regardless. The decision is usually made at the very last moment, minutes before the ceremony is due to start.
On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons you will sometimes catch a Captain’s Inspection instead. It is a smaller, quieter ceremony on the courtyard of Buckingham Palace. It carries less history or importance, and none of the spectacular marching along the Mall, so it is worth knowing the difference before you plan your day around it.
Each month of the schedule is only confirmed about six weeks ahead, and although it generally follows the same Monday, Wednesday, Friday pattern, it shifts for state occasions, ceremonial duties, operational reasons and bad weather. A date that runs one year may not run the next. Times change with the season and with state occasions. The Household Division publishes the official schedule and is the authority. We check it too, but they set it. Changing-Guard.com also tracks the confirmed dates and is often quicker to update.
Changing of the Guard tours · where to watch · the Sunday Parade · see it with a guide
