Grand Day

Commemorate Our Heritage and Tradition

Grand Day is the highlight of our year at the Duke of York's Royal Military School, a day when we commemorate our heritage and tradition with the colourful and unique Trooping the Colour ceremony. We are privileged to hold Colours, and on Grand Day we honour those Colours. The ceremony is a symbol of the unity of the school and a mark of respect to our foundation and forefathers.

A Very Special Parade

Preparation for this very special Parade is deceptively low key – it takes place quietly all year round, on most Sundays in term time when a simple Parade precedes the main Chapel Service. But as the big day draws near, the increasing excitement in the atmosphere becomes almost tangible. Every pupil has a role to play and practices hard to make the event perfect, not just for their own sake but for their peers, their House, their school, and their families, many of whom attend Grand Day.

Grand Day Ceremony

All aspects of the Parades and the Grand Day ceremony are conducted by the pupils themselve: they fill the Parade appointments; they form the Escort to the Colour and the Guards; and they comprise the membership of the School Band.

The level of skill and commitment they display on and off the Parade ground sets an outstandingly high benchmark - one which they aspire to raise every year when the next Grand Day comes around.

Please click here to see the Britsh Forces News footage of our Grand Day parade.