It’s been nearly a week since the news of Queen Elisabeth II’s death. Her coffin is being transported to Westminster Hall today (September 14) where visitors can pay their respects. A large queue has already formed along the river at South Bank as people prepare to say goodbye to the only monarch many have ever known.
Buckingham Palace announced that the funeral will be held on Monday, September 19 and that it will be a bank holiday. Businesses aren’t forced to close that day, but many will, including cinemas.
Odeon, Cineworld, Picturehouse and the BFI’s site have already announced they would close for the day out of respect.
As a mark of respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX will be closed on Mon 19 Sep.
Our Box Office team will contact all ticket holders regarding exchange or refund options.
— BFI (@BFI) September 13, 2022
Meanwhile, Vue and Curzon among a few smaller, local sites will remain open and will screen the funeral. Tickets are completely free and Vue has announced they won’t be selling any food or beverages during the day, but there will be complimentary bottled water.
ITV and BBC have also announced their programming for the day of the funeral. All their respective channels will air the funeral and special reports from 8am until 5pm. BBC One will then show Paddington 2, which will hopefully bring some comfort after what will be a tough day for many.
BBC will also be screening the Queen’s lying-in-state. This can be watched on the BBC website by those who can’t attend the event themselves, but perhaps wish to say goodbye or just to catch a glimpse of the historic occasion.
The BFI has also announced that their Southbank venue will be open 24 hours as visitors queue along the Thames for their chance to say goodbye to the Queen. There will also be portable toilets along the queue as people are warned of extremely long queuing times.
