UK celebrates Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee 1:04
London (CNN) --
Put on your party hat and get your bunting ready: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations are upon us.
No other monarch in British history has completed 70 years of service.
The queen, who was then 25 years old, acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI.
In 2015 she became the longest-reigning British monarch, surpassing the time spent on the throne by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years and seven months.
In recognition of this milestone, Buckingham Palace is going big.
Here's what you need to know about the celebration.
They decorate Stonehenge with portraits of Queen Elizabeth II 0:47
What are the plans?
To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, a series of events have been organized across the UK this year.
It all culminates with a four-day national holiday weekend, from Thursday June 2 to Sunday June 5, known as Platinum Jubilee Weekend.
In the UK, royal celebrations are often planned in the summer for better weather.
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The weekend will feature various public events and community activities, as well as "national moments of reflection" on the queen's seven decades as sovereign, according to the palace.
The upcoming celebrations will be the queen's first jubilee without her husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021.
Various jubilees have emphasized his reign since his accession to the throne in 1952: the Silver Jubilee, which marked 25 years in 1977;
the Golden Jubilee celebrations for 50 years in 2002;
and the Diamond Jubilee commemorations a decade ago for its 60th anniversary.
The monarch has chosen to celebrate other anniversaries, such as the Ruby Jubilee (40 years in 1992) and the Sapphire Jubilee (65 years in 2017), with less fanfare and no public events.
The Queen's private estates, such as Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, have also joined the anniversary-themed events.
UK celebrates Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee 1:04
What events are planned?
Thursday June 2
The festivities kick off at 10am BST (5am ET) with the Queen's Birthday Parade, known as Trooping the Colour, or Banner Parade.
The annual ceremony returns to central London after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an impressive display of military pageantry, more than 1,200 officers from the Queen's personal troops, the Home Division, will be accompanied by several hundred Army musicians and 240 horses.
The "colour", or regimental flag, will be carried by the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
The procession will start at Buckingham Palace and move down The Mall to Horse Guard's Parade, accompanied by members of the royal family on horseback and in carriages.
Trooping the Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England.
Returning from the parade, the queen and members of the royal family will make their usual appearance on the balcony.
The event will close with an aerial parade over the palace.
Later, 1,500 lighthouses will be lit across the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the British Overseas Territories.
The main lighthouse will be switched on in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
The lighting of lighthouses is a long-standing royal tradition used to celebrate jubilees, weddings and coronations.
Headlights will also be lit in the capitals of the Commonwealth countries.
Friday, June 3
A service of thanksgiving will be held at St Paul's Cathedral to pay tribute to the queen's long reign, with her relatives in attendance.
Saturday, June 4
Several members of the royal family are expected to head to Epsom Downs Racecourse in the afternoon to attend the 243rd running of its famous horse race, the Derby.
The queen, who is fond of horse breeding, has been a regular spectator of the event and has even presented the famous trophy in previous years.
In the evening, the two-and-a-half-hour "Platinum Party At The Palace" concert will feature an all-star cast on three stages built in front of Buckingham Palace and the famous Queen Victoria Memorial.
Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys and Diana Ross are among the artists who will perform their biggest hits in the show, which will be broadcast live on the BBC.
Some 22,000 people will be able to see the concert in person, of which 10,000 have won tickets through a public vote;
5,000 tickets have been set aside for essential workers.
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Sunday, June 5
To top off the celebrations, on Sunday people are encouraged to organize street parties as part of the "Big Jubilee Lunch" initiative.
Community gatherings will be held across Britain, including flagship events in London and at the Eden Project in Cornwall, where the idea for the luncheons originated.
"Jubilee Luncheons" are also planned around the world, from Canada to Brazil to South Africa to Japan.
The life of Queen Elizabeth II in data
The grand finale of the weekend's event is the Platinum Jubilee Parade, where artists, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers will come together to bring iconic moments from the reign to life in a festival of creativity.
Starting at 2:30pm (9:30am ET), the parade will include the presentation of the "River of Hope" which will comprise 200 silk banners parading down The Mall. UK students were invited to create a image of their hopes and aspirations for the planet over the next 70 years, a selection of which will be displayed on the silk banners.
When will we see the queen?
It is still not very clear when we will see the queen during the weekend.
The 96-year-old monarch has recently had mobility problems and has been forced to withdraw from several public appearances, including the State Opening of Parliament in May.
The queen will remain cautious during the jubilee and has not confirmed whether she will be present for the various festivities.
This is how Queen Elizabeth II surprised attendees of a flower exhibition in Chelsea
A royal source recently told CNN that the monarch is "looking forward" to the festivities and plans to take part in the celebrations, but "her presence will not be confirmed until well before or on the same day."
What other royals will be taking part in the celebrations?
Most royals are expected to attend some of the jubilee weekend events in central London.
Some will also travel to the four nations of the UK during the four-day extravaganza, with the Queen sending the Cambridges to Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex to Northern Ireland and Princess Anne to Scotland.
And after much speculation, it has also been confirmed that Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and their children will be flying back to the UK for the celebrations.
The British royal family waves to the crowd from Buckingham Palace during the Diamond Jubilee commemorations in 2012.
The queen has decided that only royals performing official duties will make an appearance on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony during Thursday's Trooping the Color parade.
So it is expected to see the queen along with three of her children, Carlos, Eduardo and Ana, as well as princes William and Kate and her children, and other relatives of the monarch.
This does not mean that Harry, Meghan or Andrew are not going to participate in the celebrations.
Traditionally, the general family is invited to religious services, such as the one to be held on Friday at St. Paul's Cathedral.
-- CNN's Hannah Ryan contributed to this report.
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