Horse Guards Parade

Large gravel parade ground between Whitehall and St. James's Park, used since the 17th century as the drill square of the Household Cavalry. The site previously held the Whitehall Palace tiltyard where Henry VIII staged his tournaments until 1698. Each June it hosts Trooping the Colour, the official birthday parade of the British monarch with over a thousand soldiers and several hundred horses. During the 2012 Olympics the parade ground was converted into the beach volleyball venue, with the Horse Guards battlements as a backdrop. The daily changing of the guard happens at eleven, an hour earlier on Sundays. Access is free year-round.