The Queen Mary Turns 80! Come Join the Festivities | @TheQueenMary #LongBeach

CELEBRATE THE QUEEN MARY'S 80TH ANNIVERSARY

Everyone is Invited to Join the Sept. 26 Celebration

The world's most beloved ocean liner turns 80 on September 26 and the public is invited to join a ship-wide celebration. The Queen Mary will open her gangways and ballrooms, decks and salons, attractions and eateries to a daylong celebration highlighted by a very special event. 

• There will be no charge for admission to the ship (10:00 AM - 7:00 PM)
• Discounted parking 
• Discounted ship tours and attractions. 

The general public — especially Long Beach residents and families — are encouraged to join the festivities.

Commemorations will include the reading of letters by King George V at the ship's launch on Sept. 26, 1934, and a recent congratulatory message from Queen Elizabeth II on the ship's 80th anniversary. The Queen Mary will use the anniversary event to announce a groundbreaking initiative, a forward-looking plan inspired by the ship's eight-decades of public life and overall influence on maritime commerce.

"Celebrating 80 years of global prominence is reason enough to invite the community to share in this special moment, but there is more news,” said Queen Mary General Manager, John Jenkins. “I will make an important announcement during the ceremony; an announcement that goes to the very heart of why this great ship continues to attract so much attention all across the globe. In the meantime, we invite every Queen Mary visitor past, present and those yet to voyage with us - to come to Long Beach, Friday - September 26 to salute the ocean liner that set new maritime standards and won hearts when launched, and does so still.”

A BIRTHDAY CAKE LIKE NO OTHER: 

To celebrate the ship's 80th 'birthday', the Queen Mary has commissioned TV celebrity baker, Jose Barajas to create a grand cake that's worthy of a grand ship. Weighing almost a quarter ton and measuring over 15 feet long the anniversary cake will be as exact a replica of the Queen Mary as flour and frosting allows.

Following remarks by attending dignitaries, Commodore Everette Hoard will read the Royal Letters. He then will then officiate the ceremonial cutting of the Queen Mary's 80th Anniversary Cake.

EVENT SCHEDULE:
• 4:00 PM - Grand Ballroom Opens to Public
• 4:15 PM - Welcome Remarks by Commodore Everette Hoard
• Remarks by Mayor of Long Beach, Robert Garcia
• Presentation of Queen Mary Video by Chris Wilmoth, Director of Marketing
• Remarks by John Jenkins, Queen Mary General Manager
• Commemoration of 80th Anniversary / Announcement of Queen Mary Initiative
• Presentation of Queen Mary Cake by Baker, Jose Barajas
• Cutting of First Slice by Mayor Garcia, Jenkins and Hoard
• Concluding Remarks by John Jenkins
• Invitation to attending public to share a slice of history.