Described variously as “the world’s biggest outdoor party” and “the most spectacular river pageant ever seen”, final details of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant were released by organisers at a briefing at the Guildhall in the City of London.

Headlines from the day’s briefing attended by media from around the world::

1,000 boats will take to the Thames watched by upwards of a million people on riverbanks on Sunday June 3, the culmination of 18 months’ planning.

105 vessels too large to sail under some of London’s bridges will line both sides of the river from London Bridge to Wapping in an Avenue of Sail. Most will be berthed by Friday evening before the event.

They include Amazon a boat which was present at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

265 manpowered boats will take part and a campsite established for crew at Chiswick.

42 Dunkirk Little Ships will be taking part.

The Queen will board the Royal Barge at Cadogan Pier and disembark at HMS President to take the salute as the flotilla passes.

10 floating music barges will carry musicians ranging from a Commonwealth Choir to the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

A belfry barge will carry eight specially cast bells weighting 12 tons. As the barge progresses down the river bells will ring from Thames-side churches.

55 safety boats will patrol the seven-mile route of the pageant. With mustering and dispersing areas the ‘footprint’ of the pageant will stretch from Barnes to the Thames Barrier.

30 Port of London Authority boats and 15 RNLI lifeboats will patrol the route. An ‘escape lane’ described as a hard shoulder for the river will be established along the southern side.

The Thames Barrier will close from 09.30 until 23.30.

Around 5,500 police will be on duty. Some 30,000 people aboard boats and watching from London’s Bridges have been vetted by Scotland Yard and the security services. In addition the pageant will have 7,000 stewards.

Organisers have urged spectators to plan their journeys ahead  - and not to drive into London.

The eventual cost will be over £10 million, raised by private donations and chairman Lord Salisbury said the money was “almost there” with the possibility there might be a small surplus.