Videos from Abingdon Bun Throwing for the Coronation of King Charles III

Videos from King Charles III's royal bun throwing event in Abingdon.

King Charles III's royal bun throwing event in Abingdon

To mark the royal occasion of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames held a bun throwing event in the Market Place on Sunday 7th May.

Abingdon holds bun throwing events to mark, mostly, special royal occasions.

The events see local dignitaries ascend the steps of the old County Hall where they launch currant buns to the hoi polloi below.

The event began as a bread dole and evolved into a rooftop throwing event and its current incarnation. On this occasion a total of 5,000 buns were thrown to the crowd in the market place.

You can read more and see photos of this bun throw here.

Abingdon Bun Throwing - Coronation of King Charles III

A report from King Charles III's royal bun throwing event in Abingdon.

There was more than one bun at the BUN THROW

To mark the royal occasion of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames held a bun throwing event in the Market Place on Sunday 7th May.

The people want buns! What a crowd at the bun throwing in Abingdon. This photo location was near 'Stroll In'

Abingdon holds bun throwing events to mark, mostly, special royal occasions.

Only buns and people were allowed in Abingdon between 4pm and 7pm

The events see local dignitaries ascend the steps of the old County Hall where they launch currant buns to the hoi polloi below.

I was lucky enough to see the arrival of the buns on the morning of the event!

The event began as a bread dole and evolved into a rooftop throwing event and its current incarnation. On this occasion a total of 5,000 buns were thrown to the crowd in the market place.

One bun and done

The bun throw for the Coronation of King Charles III was the 37th bun throwing in Abingdon since 1761. It was the 17th bun throwing held in my lifetime - I've attended all of them since 1981.

The calm before the storm

This time we mixed things up a bit and positioned ourselves in front of St Nicolas Church rather than our more usual position in the thick of the action in the middle of the market place.

The scene a few hours later as the buns rained down

My brother Jon was in the centre and manged to catch three buns.

I had one - scrambled off the ground.

My mum and dad were even further back than us and still managed to net a bun - possibly the furthest one flung on our side of the crowd.

Christopher managed to snag one too.

Emily came close to catching some.

One bun that had no takers after the event

We were discussing when the next bun throwing will take place, and what the occasion will be. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the future holds...

Here's the full list of Abingdon Bun Throwing events between 1761-2023:

1761 Coronation of King George III

1810 Golden Jubilee of King George III

1821 Coronation of King George IV

1831 Coronation of King William IV

1837 Coronation of Queen Victoria

1856 Declaration of Peace at the end of the Crimean War

1863 Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra

1887 Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria

1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria

1902 Coronation of King Edward VII

1911 Coronation of King George V

1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V

1937 Coronation of King George VI

1946 VE Day

1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

1956 Visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Abingdon

1966 Abingdon International Week

1974 End of the Borough of Abingdon

1977 Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

1980 The Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday

1981 Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer

1986 Marriage of the Duke of York to Sarah Ferguson

1987 40th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II

1990 The Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday

1995 50th Anniversary of VE Day

1997 50th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II

2000 Millennium

2000 The Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday

2002 Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

2006 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Queen Elizabeth II’s Official Birthday

2006 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Visit by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal

2011 Marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton

2012 The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

2016 The Queen's 90th Birthday

2018 100 year anniversary of the Armistice

2022 The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

2023 Coronation of His Majesty The King, Charles III, and Her Majesty The Queen Consort

Abingdon County Hall Museum kindly provided details of the Recorded Bun Throwings to 1997.

There have also been three unofficial Bun Throwing events in the town:

2012 World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower

2014 Bun Throwing at Abingdon Fire Station to celebrate its 50th anniversary

2016 World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower

Take a look at this post on the excellent Abingdon Blog for more photos and action from the event.

Abingdon Bun Throwing - Sunday 7th May

Information about Abingdon's next Bun Throwing.

You can find full details of the Bun Throwing on Sunday 7th May on the Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council website.

The festivities begin with the band playing at 4pm, with the first bun due to be thrown to the crowd at 5.15pm.

Platinum Jubilee Bun Throwing in Abingdon, 2022

Abingdon Bun Throwing for the Coronation of King Charles III

Details of the bun throwing to mark the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.

The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May 2023.

To mark the royal occasion my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames will be holding a bun throwing event in the Market Place at 4pm on Sunday 7th May.

The last bun throwing event was held to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Sunday 5th June 2022. 5,000 currant buns were thrown to the crowd in the Market Place and High Street below as part of the tradition that dates back to 1761.

Platinum Jubilee Bun Throwing in Abingdon, 2022

The bun throw for the Coronation of King Charles III will be the 37th Bun Throwing in Abingdon since 1761. The town holds the event to mark, mostly, special royal occasions.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion

It'll be the 17th bun throwing held in my lifetime.

Abingdon Bun Throwing events - 1761-2022:

1761 Coronation of King George III

1810 Golden Jubilee of King George III

1821 Coronation of King George IV

1831 Coronation of King William IV

1837 Coronation of Queen Victoria

1856 Declaration of Peace at the end of the Crimean War

1863 Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra

1887 Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria

1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria

1902 Coronation of King Edward VII

1911 Coronation of King George V

1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V

1937 Coronation of King George VI

1946 VE Day

1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

1956 Visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Abingdon

1966 Abingdon International Week

1974 End of the Borough of Abingdon

1977 Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

1980 The Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday

1981 Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer

1986 Marriage of the Duke of York to Sarah Ferguson

1987 40th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II

1990 The Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday

1995 50th Anniversary of VE Day

1997 50th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II

2000 Millennium

2000 The Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday

2002 Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

2006 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Queen Elizabeth II’s Official Birthday

2006 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Visit by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal

2011 Marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton

2012 The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

2016 The Queen's 90th Birthday

2018 100 year anniversary of the Armistice

2022 The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Abingdon County Hall Museum kindly provided details of the Recorded Bun Throwings to 1997.

There have also been three unofficial Bun Throwing events in the town:

2012 World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower

2014 Bun Throwing at Abingdon Fire Station to celebrate its 50th anniversary

2016 World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower

Platinum Jubilee Bun Throwing in Abingdon

There was a Bun Throwing in Abingdon-on-Thames to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

A special bun throwing event to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee took place in Abingdon-on-Thames at 5pm on Sunday 5th June 2022.

A call to action!

5,000 currant buns were thrown to the crowd in the Market Place and High Street below as part of the tradition that dates back to 1761.

Watch the window on the right hand side of this video for a superb bun throwing moment!

This was the 36th Bun Throwing in Abingdon since 1761. The town holds the event to mark, mostly, special royal occasions. It was the 16th bun throwing held in my lifetime and it's an event I've never missed.

Photos from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Bun Throwing in Abingdon.

The buns in flight

One of the main rules of bun throwing

The calm before the storm

A view of the Market Place in the early afternoon

Bun info

The crowd beginning to form at around 4.15pm

The Morris Dancers entertaining the crowd

The rules were adhered to

A view of the crowd and the dignitaries before the bun throwing commenced

Buns in flight

I moved in for a closer view. I didn't catch any this time. Except for one I got caught bouncing off the top of my head!

Puddle buns

After the action. We were lucky to have dry weather for the event

A post-bun throwing view of the old County Hall

One of the clean-up crew

You'd never really know that the event had taken place just a few hours before

Except there were still some unclaimed buns under a car parked on East St Helen Street

And there was still a bun stuck on the spikes above the charity shop (aka Bragg's bike shop) on the High Street 

And the puddle buns were still there!

Abingdon Bun Throwing events - 1761-2022:

• 1761 Coronation of King George III
• 1810 Golden Jubilee of King George III
• 1821 Coronation of King George IV
• 1831 Coronation of King William IV
• 1837 Coronation of Queen Victoria
• 1856 Declaration of Peace at the end of the Crimean War
• 1863 Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra
• 1887 Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
• 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria
• 1902 Coronation of King Edward VII
• 1911 Coronation of King George V
• 1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V
• 1937 Coronation of King George VI
• 1946 VE Day
• 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
• 1956 Visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Abingdon
• 1966 Abingdon International Week
• 1974 End of the Borough of Abingdon
• 1977 Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
• 1980 The Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday
• 1981 Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer
• 1986 Marriage of the Duke of York to Sarah Ferguson
• 1987 40th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II
• 1990 The Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday
• 1995 50th Anniversary of VE Day
• 1997 50th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II
• 2000 Millennium
• 2000 The Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday
• 2002 Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
• 2006 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Queen Elizabeth II’s Official Birthday
• 2006 450th Anniversary of Abingdon Charter/Visit by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal
• 2011 Marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton
• 2012 The Queen's Diamond Jubilee
• 2016 The Queen's 90th Birthday
• 2018 100 year anniversary of the Armistice
• 2022 The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Abingdon County Hall Museum kindly provided details of the Recorded Bun Throwings to 1997.

There have also been three unofficial Bun Throwing events in the town:

• 2012 World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower
• 2014 Bun Throwing at Abingdon Fire Station to celebrate its 50th anniversary
• 2016 World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower

Abingdon Bun Throwing - Sunday 5th June 2022

The next Bun Throwing event will be held in Abingdon to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The first bun is due to be thrown from the top of the old county hall at 5pm.

There will be entertainment from a band and the town's Morris Dancers from 4pm.

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

This will be the 16th Bun Throwing event in my lifetime. I've been to them all so far.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

Abingdon Bun Throwing 2022

One week to go until the Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The next Bun Throwing event will be held in Abingdon to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The tradition sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

This will be the 16th Bun Throwing event in my lifetime. I've been to them all so far.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

Abingdon Bun Throwing - Sunday 5th June 2022

There will be a Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Abingdon Town Council has announced that a Bun Throwing event will be held in the town to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The tradition sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

This will be the 16th Bun Throwing event in my lifetime. I've been to them all so far.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

Abingdon Bun Throwing in 2022

There are plans for The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Abingdon-on-Thames to include a bun throwing event.

To celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's 70 year reign there will be a number of events taking place in Abingdon-on-Thames between Thursday 2nd June and Sunday 5th June.

Taking into account that many previous bun throwings in Abingdon have taken place on Saturday afternoons or early evenings it's likely that Saturday 4th June will be the bun throwing event day.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The tradition sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

I'll be keeping an eye on the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events and a possible bun throwing next year.

Buns at the Museum - a history of throwing buns

Abingdon Museum has a special bun throwing exhibition this month.

Abingdon Museum has created a special exhibition titled "Buns at the Museum - a history of throwing buns" as part of the upcoming Heritage Open Days at the museum between the 11th and 19th September.

Check out the Abingdon County Hall Museum website for more information.

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The tradition of bun throwing sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

Bun throwing in the news

It was nice to hear that bun throwing was featured in the Abingdon Herald and Oxford Mail this week with a look at the town's bizarre and ancient tradition.

It was fun that a photo of me throwing a bun at the Royal Bun Throwing Championships in 2012 was included in the piece too!

Throwing a currant bun at the World Bun Throwing Championships at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club

Check out the article on the Abingdon Herald and Oxford Mail websites.

The last bun throwing held in Abingdon-on-Thames was in November 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

That bun throwing was the 35th event to take place since 1761.

I wonder when it will be possible to hold another bun throwing?

Bun Throwing in the Oxford Mail

Bun throwing featured in the Oxford Mail.

My mum let me know that a photo of me appeared in yesterday's Oxford Mail (Monday 22nd February) in a photo feature about bun throwing events from years gone by.

You can see the article online too.

The paper had a photo of me throwing a currant bun at the World Bun Throwing Championships at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club on the 14th April 2012. That's the photographer who took the snap in this photo that Emily took!

Looking on the Oxford Mail website there was another mention of bun throwing last week in a piece titled "5 unique traditions only people in Oxfordshire understand".

Abingdon Bun Throwing 1995

The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers recently posted a video of the Abingdon Bun Throwing in 1995 that commemorated the 50th anniversary of VE day.

You can watch it on the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers Facebook Page.

It's nice to see the old shops in the background too. My first job was at the Tandy shop in the Market Place.

Social distancing in Abingdon Market Place

A look at the social distancing markers in Abingdon's Market Place.

I've been documenting the Covid-19 social distancing signs I've seen during the coronavirus pandemic on my blog at the Ham & Egger Files as well as my Instagram.

The ones in Abingdon's Market Place are nice and clear. They also include the town crest which I think is a nice touch.

The Market Place is famous as the location for Bun Throwing and the starting point for the Michaelmas Fair. Both events normally see thousands of people pack in or pass through to be a part of the occasions.

The last time I was in the Market Place it was being used as a Christmas tree drop off and chipping point. This time I saw the star being put on the top of the tree.

My first Bun Throwing

There was a Bun Throwing in Abingon on this day in 1981.

The team at Abingdon Museum posted about the Bun Throwing that took place in Abingdon to celebrate the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on this day in 1981.

It was the first Bun Throwing I attended. Although at less than a year old I can't imagine I knew what was going on, nor caught any buns! I probably did scoff some my mum and dad had caught though.

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

There have been 15 Bun Throwing events in my lifetime.

Currant buns from the Bun Throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

The curious tradition sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

Abingdon County Hall Museum has a collection of buns preserved from bun throwings dating back many years.

Foxes Afloat - Bun Throwing in Abingdon

The team from the Foxes Afloat narrowboat vlog recently stopped off in my home town of Abingdon where they looked at the tradition of Bun Throwing.

Picture Postcard Magic - Abingdon-on-Thames

Check out my latest guest post on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age. It's about my home town of Abingdon.

Bun throwing activities at Abingdon Museum

Details of museum fun and games during lockdown.

Buns on display at Abingdon County Hall Museum

My parents let me know that Abingdon County Hall Museum has a number of indoor activities to pass the time and keep you entertained during lockdown.

Among the lockdown fun and games are a bun throwing jigsaw puzzle and a bun throwing quiz.

The quiz is nicely tricky.

Throwing buns

We revisited the museum the last time I was back home. It's always nice to pop in and see the exhibits and have a look out from the roof when it's open.

The last bun throwing held in Abingdon-on-Thames was in November 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

I wonder when it will be possible to hold another bun throwing?

As a mass gathering and celebration event it's something that won't be taking place for quite some time.

It'd be nice to think a bun throwing could be held to mark the safe end of the coronavirus pandemic.

No Umbrellas

One of the fun things about the mass scramble of a bun throwing event is seeing the different tactics people employ in an effort to catch or retrieve a bun.

As a traditionalist I opt for the open handed catch. However, quite a few people use the upturned umbrella approach. Something that was outlawed at the last event!

A new rule

The last Abingdon bun throwing took place in November 2018 to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War. The weather wasn't too great at all and the umbrellas people brought along were actually used to keep the rain off them rather than to catch buns in.

I've never gone in for the umbrella catching tactic as I've seen more buns bounce, slip and slide out of upturned brollies than stay in

Social distancing from a Bun Throwing sign in 2018. Yellow and black warning signs have become commonplace in 2020

VE Day Bun Throwing in Abingdon

Two of the town's bun throwing events have marked VE Day.

In 1946 there was a Victory Day bun throwing where 2,500 buns were thrown.

In 1995 there was a bun throwing held to mark the 50th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Some of those currant buns had a special 'V for victory' marking on them. The excellent Abingdon Blog has a post about 1995's event.

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War.

That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761. The last bun throwing held before the 2018 event was to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016.

At the present time it's hard to know when the town will be once again able to hold a bun throwing.