Set your alarms and secure your fascinators. The royal wedding is less than 48 hours away, and as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get set to tie the knot, royal fans from coast to coast will be gathering at the break of dawn (or earlier) to watch it all happen.
If you don’t feel like leaving the comfort of your living room, Global News will have full coverage starting bright and early at 4:30 a.m. ET/ 1:30 a.m. PT, with our special, Harry & Meghan: Their Love Story, hosted by Cheryl Hickey and Dawna Friesen.
WATCH: Rehearsal for Harry and Meghan’s carriage procession winds through Windsor
Coverage continues live at 5:30 a.m. ET/2:30 a.m. PT with Harry & Meghan: The Royal Wedding, broadcasting live from Windsor.
COMMENTARY: The world could use a royal love story right now
If you’re feeling slightly more social, there are plenty of parties and gatherings being planned in cities across Canada. Some require fancy dress, others are more casual, but you’re almost guaranteed a hefty dose of tea and scones.
Here are just a few options (all times local):
British Columbia
If slipping on your best dress or suit and eating breakfast at 3 a.m. sounds like it’s right up your alley, then the Union Club of British Columbia’s Centennial Ballroom is the place to be. Tickets to the posh overnight event were priced at $55, and it quickly sold out.
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Alberta
Upscale Edmonton bakery The Art of Cake will be a hive of royal activity as of 5 a.m., with a formal dress code (fascinators mandatory), a silent auction and high tea served for breakfast. Tickets are $75, with fundraiser and silent auction proceeds going to the Edmonton food bank and a local children’s hospital.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle’s father not attending royal wedding due to health issues
If you’re feeling even fancier, a ticket into Calgary’s Royale restaurant viewing party will set you back up to $125. But that includes plenty of traditional British food and drink, a photographed “red carpet” arrival, a showroom of local British brands, a silent auction and even “Oscar-style gift bags” to take home.
Ontario
Toronto’s vintage Fox Theatre is the opposite of stuffy, and promising a more laid-back celebration with a cup of tea and one baked treat to celebrate. The theatre will project the wedding live starting at 7 a.m., and tickets are a steal at $7 per person. Hats optional!
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It’s the only venue in the world named after Harry’s mother, Diana, and on Saturday at 5:30 a.m., it will open its doors for a free viewing party (sorry, but all the seats are taken!). Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre will also provide a free breakfast featuring baked goods and coffee/tea, trivia contests, a costume contest and unnamed “celebrity surprise guests.”
Quebec
Even in the province with the frostiest attitude toward the monarchy, there’s room for a little celebration on Saturday, if you look hard enough. Montreal’s Bar George is promising a “bloody good time” as of 6:30 a.m., with a British-inspired breakfast or a special high-tea platter featuring, scones, cookies, brownies and tea sandwiches. And of course, Pimm’s Cup.
Nova Scotia
Like many hotels across the nation (including a number of Fairmont properties), the Delta in Halifax will be hosting a special viewing party, at the comparably civilized start time of 7:30 a.m. For $30, guests will have access to a huge breakfast spread and a mimosa along with the live broadcast of the wedding.
The anti-royals
They may not be throwing a “F*** The Royals” party like one particular pub in Liverpool, England, but there are lots of Canadians who will happily skip this particular event. If Harry and Meghan aren’t your (ahem) cup of tea, you’re not alone. An unofficial survey in downtown Vancouver this week saw people describing the wedding as “over the top” and “nothing spectacular.” So go right ahead and sleep in!
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