Swan Upping
13 July 2026 · movable holiday — The Thames swans have been counted – may they all be healthy and well fed!
Swan Upping is a centuries-old tradition on the River Thames in England. It dates back to the Middle Ages, when swans were prized as property of the Crown and served at grand feasts. Today, during the third week of July each year, rowing boats travel upstream over several days. The rowers wear traditional uniforms, and the King's Swan Marker leads the work. When a swan family is spotted, the boats gather around it, and the birds are counted, examined and measured. The modern purpose is conservation: checking the swans' health and watching for dangers such as pollution and discarded fishing line. The event is also a chance to teach local schoolchildren about the river and its wildlife. July is midsummer in the northern hemisphere, and the constellation Cygnus, the Swan, rides high in the summer night sky, seeming to sail along the Milky Way.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver swan made of luminous dots and fine lines, like a constellation, gliding across the sky with a few tiny star-point cygnets behind it
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