Nutkhut is honoured to be taking part in The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant, featuring the tallest wedding cake you’ll have ever seen in front of Buckingham Palace.
The Pageant takes place on 5th June 2022 to honour Her Majesty The Queen as the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee with 70 years of service.
Nutkhut is the only South Asian led company with Commonwealth connections, creating a section of the procession for the pageant in London.
The Wedding Party by Nutkhut, takes its inspiration from the Royal Wedding of The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with a six-metre-high, four-tiered wedding cake as the visual centrepiece. Each tier represents the Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees of Her Majesty.
Created by Nutkhut’s Joint Artistic Director’s Ajay Chhabra and Simmy Gupta, The Wedding Party celebrates the universal joy of families and communities uniting through the coming together of two people.
“Born in Wolverhampton and from a working class background, I am honoured to be invited to curate a section of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, to celebrate The Queen’s 70 years on the throne, it is such a unique and rare opportunity – a decade ago I was invited by the Royal Household to create a piece for the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace – to now bring this celebration to the streets of London along with a diverse group of people, from all walks of life, this is a special moment in time. My grandmother would be proud.”
– Simmy Gupta, co-Artistic Director
Drawing on the collective talent of Mela, it will be performed in an elaborate Bollywood style, by two hundred and fifty performers of all ages, from London, Birmingham, Leicester, Manchester, Southampton and Newcastle.
The spirit of the Commonwealth will flow through a specially designed Platinum Jubilee Sari that is composed of sustainable organic fabric and is being made especially for the celebrations. It’ll be a key feature of the performance. Read more about the Sari here >>
Simmy Gupta and Ajay Chhabra will work with Pageant Master Adrian Evans LVO to create the spectacle.
“I am delighted to be working with Simmy & Ajay from Nutkhut. Their connection with community and their artistic vision captures the essence of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on the world’s stage.”
– Adrian Evans LVO, Pageant Master
Nutkhut’s other projects include Bollywood Steps National tour, the UK’s first large scale South Asian dance touring production (from stately homes to public squares, from cathedrals to palaces including Buckingham Palace), Dr Blighty (Centenary of the Great War, video mapping, heritage) and Girmit (360 VR tech focus, Fiji, international collaborators).
“Seventy years ago, my mother, nine years old at the time, welcomed The Queen to Fiji; a 10,000 mile journey resulted in her and three generations of women in my family making London their home – Seventy years on, my daughter, now nine years old, will celebrate and participate in our section of the Pageant for Her Royal Highness. This intergenerational family story lives on.”
– Ajay Chhabra, co-Artistic Director
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant, as part of the extended Bank Holiday Weekend, will take place on Sunday 5th June 2022, providing an opportunity for communities and people to celebrate this historic milestone of Her Majesty The Queen as the first British Monarch to celebrate 70 years of service. These four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s reign of seven decades.
The Wedding Party by Nutkhut will be a key feature in the Pageant. It will meander through the streets of Westminster and along The Mall, past Buckingham Palace telling the story of Her Majesty’s record reign and the transformation of our society over this unprecedented period.