After months of patiently waiting, the time has finally arrived: the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle takes place next weekend on Saturday, May 19th! The couple will have the world’s attention as they host the spectacle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Don’t worry if your invitation somehow mysteriously got lost in the mail. Celebrate the Royal Wedding right here in New York City, where a host of events will be taking place in the following weeks in honor of the occasion. Here’s a list of 10 alternative events to check out, beginning with a royally dressed court of Corgis (!!):
1. The Royal Corgi Court
Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Lifetime
On May 8th, Lifetime is inviting the public to celebrate its upcoming film, “Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance.” In honor of the royal couple, it will be hosting Corgi Court at the Herald Square Plaza between 12-4pm.
Corgi Court will feature a group of Corgis dressed as the Royal Family. These special pups will walk a regal red carpet and frolic in front of a replica Windsor Castle in honor of the upcoming film and nuptials.
2. Downton Abbey Exhibition Celebration
In anticipation of the big day, the Downton Abbey exhibition (218 West 57th Street between Broadway & 7th) will be celebrating the Royal Wedding with special programming all month long.
Scheduled activities include talks by guest speakers, giveaways, and competitions. Learn about proper etiquette and attire for a Royal Wedding, enjoy tea and British scones, and participate in a mixology class! Those interested in participating should view the events calendar on the exhibit’s website.
3. Enjoy the Plaza’s Royal Tea Party at the Palm Court
Throughout the entire month of May, the Plaza Hotel is inviting guests to enjoy a series of special dishes in honor of the Royal Wedding inside its restaurant, the Palm Court. Some items on the menu include Tuna Niçoise Canapé (Meghan’s favorite salad), Roasted Chicken “BLT” (celebrating Prince Harry’s proposal over a chicken dinner), and Lemon and Elderflower Cake Pop (the flavor of the couple’s wedding cake). This special Royal Tea menu can be reserved for $105 a person.
Or if you’re feeling fancy on the royal day, the Plaza will also host a Royal Wedding Breakfast on May 19th, which will feature a special toast and a wide range of cold and hot breakfast items and pastries for $150 a person. Those interested in attending either one of these meals can view the menus on the Plaza’s website.
4. Go to Vulture Festival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QucytLPzy6I&t=13s
Vulture Festival happens one weekend a year in New York City, and it just so happens to be taking place on the 19th and 20th of May. The “pop culture extravaganza” hosted by the entertainment site, Vulture, features a lineup of celebrity panels, DJs throughout the weekend, as well as sponsor activities, a bar, games, a photo booth, and access to the Vulture Lounge.
One of the experiences taking place at the festival is a live-watch of the Royal Wedding hosted by the hosts of the popular podcast Who? Weekly, Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger. The live-watch will also feature special guests, a discussion on the English elite and their fancy hats, and English treats. For more, check out the event page.
5. Breakfast Gala and Live Viewing
Two of New York City’s best British restaurants, Jones Wood Foundry on the Upper East Side and Midtown Manhattan’s The Shakespeare, will be hosting special breakfast galas on the day of the wedding. Doors open at 6am for a live viewing of the wedding, and the breakfast gala concludes at the end of the live broadcast.
Upon arrival, attendees will be treated to a mimosa and a house-made sausage roll — a meal inspired by the British savory staple that will be given to those who are invited onto the grounds of Windsor Castle for the wedding. Tickets are priced at $70 and include the welcome mimosa and sausage roll, a regal breakfast from the select menu, and a “British Fizz” (the term for English sparkling wines) toast with Chapel Down Reserve Brut 2010. For more information, read about the gala here.
6. Lillie’s Royal Wedding Celebration
Photo courtesy Lillie’s Victorian Establishment (Union Square location)
Lillie’s Times Square, a pub inspired by 19th century British socialite Lillie Langtry, will be hosting a wedding bash on May 19th. Head to the Times Square outpost for a day-long celebration, where guests who show up dressed in proper royal wedding attire, will be treated to a complimentary cocktail!
Also take fake pictures with Harry and Meghan in the selfie station, and enjoy U.K. favorite cuisines such as Beef Wellington, Pimm’s cup cocktails, and lemon elderflower wedding cake.
7. “Kate and Will” Look-A-Like Contest
Image courtesy Big Screen Plaza
If you were more invested in the Royal Wedding of 2011 between Prince William and Catherine Middleton, you can attend the Kate and Will Look-A-Like Contest at the Eventi Hotel. After a Royal Wedding breakfast — which will include scones, English muffins and a complimentary Bloody Mary or Mimosa — at which the wedding will be screened, the winners of a special lookalike competition will be announced.
The contest will take place at the hotel’s Bar Basque restaurant, located in Chelsea. The couple that looks the most like Prince William or Kate Middleton will receive a complimentary weekend stay at Eventi and a romantic dinner for two.
8. Long to Reign Over Us: Reflections on An Extraordinary Reign
On May 16th, Saint George’s Society will be hosting a conversation inspired by the Royal Wedding at the
The conversation will be moderated by Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE, best selling novelist and Dr. Amanda Foreman, renowned biographer and historian. Attendees of the conversation will be treated to cocktails and a toast to the royal couple. For more information, visit the Saint George Society’s page.
9. Tour Inside Federal Hall National Memorial
If you’d rather celebrate the weekend in a way that honors American culture instead of English culture, check out our members-only tour of the Federal Hall National Memorial. On this tour, you can go inside New York’s Federal Hall, located on the site where George Washington took his oath of office as America’s first President on Wall Street.
The site was also home to the country’s first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch offices, where major moments in the foundation of the country took place, including the Stamp Act Congress and where the Bill of Rights was written. The Federal Hall National Memorial now serves as a museum and memorial to George Washington and the beginnings of the United States of America. The tour takes place on Friday, May 18th, and is available exclusively to our insiders.
10. Join an Urbex Tour With Untapped Cities
In search of a really offbeat celebration? Join us for an urban exploration tour! The abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex—once the standard for United States medical care (and later transformed to the FBI headquarters when the island served as a detention center)—has been left to decay for nearly 60 years. Now, Untapped Cities is bringing you behind-the-scenes for a unique exploration of the abandoned facility; on this experience, you’ll visit the contagious disease wards, the autopsy rooms and have exclusive access to places usually closed to the public.
While Ellis Island has become one of New York City’s top tourist attractions, drawing over two million visitors per year, the 22-building South Side hospital complex is hidden in plain sight, just to the left of disembarking passengers headed towards the Great Hall. Looking at its desolate, skeletal frame now, it’s difficult to imagine its backstory as one of the largest public health undertakings in American history. Join us for our upcoming hard hat tour, guided by a Save Ellis Island docent, where we’ll uncover its many, buried secrets.
Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital
Next, visit the World of Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice and The Most Famous Estates in British Period Drama History.