Britain poised for gala Jubilee weekend Union Jack flags decorate Covent Garden Market ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in London, May 30, 2012. LONDON, June 1 (UPI) -- Britain is set for four days of partying to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne. While the celebrations are focused on London, almost 10,000 street and neighborhood parties are scheduled around the country, the Daily Mirror reported. The queen's schedule begins with the Epsom Derby in Surrey Saturday. Sunday, she will travel down the Thames in a royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, accompanied by her husband, her son Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and her grandsons, William and Harry and William's wife. The royal barge is to be escorted by 1,000 vessels. Monday, Buckingham Palace will host a gala concert featuring British icons like Paul McCartney and Elton John, and Tuesday comes the royal procession from Westminster Hall to the palace. The weekend may be festive but it means a lot of work for some people. The Metropolitan Police canceled leave for 8,000 officers, the Mirror said. About 2,000 soldiers rose before dawn Friday for a dress rehearsal of Tuesday's procession. The Woodland Trust announced this week it was celebrating the occasion by creating 60 new forests, all of them at least 60 acres in size, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the BBC reported. And backers of a plan to rename Big Ben, the Westminster clock tower, the Elizabeth Tower say they have support from more than half of members of Parliament, The Guardian said.