Hundreds of people across the county are celebrating the King’s coronation.
From street parties to extravagant décor to big live screening events and picnics in the park – there has been no shortage of festivities so far.
Whitehaven kicked off its celebrations late on Friday night with the lighting up of its Wave sculpture in red, white and blue for the King.
Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners CEO John Baker said: “We’re thrilled to announce the relighting of the iconic Wave installation on Whitehaven Harbour. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re grateful for the hard work and collaboration of everyone involved in making this happen.
“We know this will bring immense joy to the people of Whitehaven who have been requesting its return for years.
Forth, the firm behind the Wave, have also come up with an environmentally-friendly, resilient and cost-effective solution to light it up brighter and better than ever before.
The restoration of the sculpture is the latest revamp of Whitehaven Harbour’s landmark structures, including the renovation of its famous lighthouses.
Alongside the Wave’s switch on, a four-day long international market also arrived as part of the celebrations, complete with plenty of bunting.
Dozens of event goers were busy browsing stalls and buying food well into the evening and throughout Saturday.
Traders are representing tastes from across the world with Greek gyros, French crepes, paella, churros, coconut macaroons, German salami, Ecuadorean food, baklava, Turkish delight, exotic burgers and more on offer.
The market stalls will be open from 10am to 7pm until Monday.
On Saturday morning, residents of The Lake District Wildlife Park near Bassenthwaite also got into the coronation spirit.
Animals including monkeys, lemurs and guinea pigs struck a pose on social media with bunting and plastic crowns keeping them entertained.
The wildlife sanctuary remained open as normal for the day and also put on coronation specials in its café including, of course, coronation chicken and Victoria sponge cake.
Towns, cities and villages also came together in public spaces to watch the crowning of the King at 12 o’clock on Saturday.
Workington’s Town Council set up two outdoor events including one giant live screening of the coronation on the side of Workington Leisure Centre and a larger event featuring food and drink stands in Vulcan Park.
The event at the leisure centre had a very small turnout with only a few children, one man and a few parked cars watching the main ceremony.
The Vulcan Park event however, drew in hundreds of event goers. A small selection of fair ground rides alongside a number of food and drink stalls, glitter tattoos and Pet Encounter Cumbria were in attendance.
Despite the poor weather the Met Office had predicted for the weekend it stayed warm, dry and overcast for the main ceremony, with temperatures reaching up to 14 degrees.
The coronation itself was televised on a large screen in the corner of the event space and a stage was erected for live music. The event also featured a Crown parade and ran from 11am to 5pm in the evening.
Many families brought picnics and youngsters and adults alike dressed up to get into the royal spirit, donning flag shirts, flag headbands, crowns and face paint.
Dozens of Cumbria have also been doing some impressive decorating of their homes for the special weekend.
Annie Horn sent us a picture of a house on Petteril Street in Carlisle that features a life sized artwork of King Charles III in its front window.
Residents of Bellingham Road in Kendal also threw a large street party to celebrate the occasion.
Complete with a fire pit, games for youngsters and a party spread of food and cakes – it was smiles all around for attendees.
The street also made sure to plan ahead for poor weather with its decorated marquees proving a great idea.
Despite the overcast weather, spirits stayed high all around.
While the main coronation event coverage ended at 3pm, celebrations are set to continue throughout the weekend and kick back off during the day for more street parties on Sunday and at around 8pm when a celebratory pop concert will be televised live for people across the UK.
