King’s coronation concert: 10,000 free tickets on offer in national ballot

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A national ballot is being held for 10,000 free tickets for the coronation concert at Windsor Castle, the BBC has announced.

The live televised concert will be held on 7 May, the day after the coronation of King Charles III, as part of a weekend of celebrations to mark the event.

Members of the public can apply for the 5,000 pairs of tickets on offer from Friday at 7am by visiting www.bbc.co.uk, with the ballot closing just before midnight on 28 February.

Staged on the castle’s east lawn, the concert will feature global “music icons and contemporary stars” and will be the first time such an event has been held at the castle, according to the BBC.

It will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, with the line-up due to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Winners will be allocated based on the geographical spread of the UK’s population and not on a first-come, first-served basis, in the ballot run by Ticketmaster.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “The coronation concert on the BBC will bring the nation together to mark this momentous occasion and we are thrilled to be able to offer the public the opportunity to be part of the event at Windsor Castle through a national ballot, as well as providing audiences with exclusive coverage across TV and radio.”

One of the highlights will be “Lighting up the Nation”, in which famous locations across the UK will be lit up with projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.

Stars from screen and stage will also deliver a selection of spoken-word sequences and a world-class orchestra will play interpretations of musical favourites fronted by famous entertainers.

The Coronation Choir, a diverse group that will be created from the nation’s keenest community choirs and amateur singers from across the UK, such as refugee choirs, NHS choirs, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf signing choirs, will also make an appearance.

It will appear alongside the Virtual Choir, made up of singers from across the Commonwealth. Also in the audience will be volunteers from the king and queen consort’s charity affiliations.

The remaining tickets will be made available to charities that work in support of young people, the military, the environment, their local communities and the wider Commonwealth. Winning ticket-holders will be selected after 28 February.