The City of Aberdeen will welcome more than 1,000 serving, veteran and cadet force personnel when they parade through the city centre to mark Armed Forces Day on Saturday June 24. Crowds are expected to line the length of Union Street to show their appreciation of the work of the Armed Forces.
A large crowd is expected to watch the march, which will include massed pipes and drums and vintage military vehicles, as it gets under way at 11am at Albyn Place and then heads down Union Street to the Castlegate.
Local group the 2nd Hilton Rainbows will give out 2000 free hand held flags for the public to wave. One side of the flag was designed by competition winner Tanish Kirodian (8), a primary four pupil from Robert Gordon’s College Junior School in Aberdeen.
As the parade passes the Town House the Vice Lord-Lieutenant Andrew Lawtie will represent the Lord Provost of Aberdeen by taking the salute along with Lt Col Phil Fox, Commanding Officer of the Aberdeen Universities Officers Training Corps (AUOTC), Lieutenant Malcolm Garrington, representing the Royal Navy and Squadron Leader Paul Whitford representing the Royal Air Force.
The Vice Lord-Lieutenant Andrew Lawtie said: “Aberdeen always embraces this opportunity to say thank you to personnel for their service to the country by turning out in large numbers to watch the parade. It’s heart-warming to see spectators’ young and old pay tribute to the British Armed Forces community for their hard work, dedication and efforts to and keep us safe in the UK and across the globe. The pipe bands, marching personnel and military vehicles fill the length of Union Street creating quite a moving spectacle.”
The parade will be led by a pipe band formed from members of the AUOTC, Robert Gordons College, Lonach, Ballater and District, Kintore and the Gordon Highlanders Association pipe bands.
The following traffic restrictions will be place to allow the parade to pass safely:
Friday June 23
No Parking from 6.00pm on June 23 until 12.00 on June 24 on:
- the north side of Albyn Place between its junctions with Albyn Grove and Rubislaw Place. Parade vehicles will be exempt.
Saturday June 24
Roads closed from 9.00am to 11.30am:
- Albyn Place between its junctions with Albyn Grove and Victoria Street
- Alford Place, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Victoria Street and Union Street
Roads closed from 10.45am to 12.30pm:
- Union Street between its junctions with Holburn Street and Castle Street
- Back Wynd between its junctions with Schoolhill and Union Street
- Castle Street between its junctions with Union Street and King Street
- King Street between its junctions with Castle Street and West North Street.
- Chapel Street between its junctions with Union Street and Thistle Street
No right turns from 10.45 to 12.30pm:
- from King Street on to West North Street
- from Rosemount Viaduct on to Skene Street
- from Holburn Street on to Willowbank Road
No left turns from 10.45am to 12.30pm there will be prohibitions of left turns
- from Hadden Street on to Market Street
The one way restriction will be suspended from 10.45am to 12.30pm:
- on Exchequer Row and Shiprow.
No waiting from 10.00am to 1.00pm with the exception of any waiting taxi, on the west side of Chapel Street, Aberdeen, north of the junction with Thistle Street for 53 Metres or thereby. This is to provide a temporary taxi rank for this period.
Later car park opening time for car park:
Due to the road closures nearby, the Marischal College car park which is accessed from Queen Street, will open later than usual at 12.30pm.