Pearly Kings and Queens bring London’s Cockney tradition to life
Updated: 21/09/2026 - 22:15 GMT+2 London’s Pearly Kings and Queens gathered for their annual Harvest Festival, showcasing a 150-year-old Cockney tradition...
Updated: 21/09/2026 - 22:15 GMT+2
London’s Pearly Kings and Queens gathered for their annual Harvest Festival, showcasing a 150-year-old Cockney tradition of music, elaborate costumes and charity.
London’s Pearly Kings and Queens gathered at Guildhall Yard for their annual Harvest Festival, celebrating a street tradition that dates back around 150 years.
The Pearlies wore elaborate outfits covered with thousands of hand-sewn buttons and pearls, while singing traditional songs and raising money for charity. Some outfits feature between 2,000 and 3,000 buttons.
The event also showcased Cockney backslang and rhyming slang, including a performance by 13-year-old Conor Cranston-Scott, the Pearly Prince of Highgate.
