Jubilee weekend tech tips: four ways to enjoy the festivities

This jubilee weekend we’ll all be witness to an event that’s never happened in any of our lifetimes - and may never be repeated.

It’s a great reason for communities and families to come together and celebrate. Plus, most of us will also be getting an extra day off work!

Now, we’re not here to talk about the formal events that will be taking place, or what you may or may not want to do with your time over the long weekend. But if you’re planning on enjoying the festivities – or just making use of four days off work – here are some ways you can use your connected technology to help.

1) Go Big

A 70^th anniversary celebration deserves to be watched in style, and what better way than on the big screen.

If the weather’s fair, and you’re entertaining a group of friends and family at home, why not watch the unfolding events al fresco?

It’ll take a little planning, and you’ll probably need to splash out on a projector (see this article for some options) and an accompanying screen (like this one). Then all you’ll need to do is hook up your laptop and stream the live events using a service like BBC iPlayer.

The good thing about an outdoor setup like this is it’s also great for enjoying live summer sporting events and movies.

Just remember that – depending on whether your projector has decent inbuilt audio – you might also need to hook up a good pair of speakers.

This certainly isn’t the cheapest option, but it’s a great way for larger groups to enjoy the celebrations while making the most of the outdoors.

2) Get the party started

Even if you’re not glued to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a double bank holiday is still a good excuse for a party.

When you’re celebrating with grandparents to grandchildren and all ages in between though, that old CD collection might not cut it.

But with any of the seemingly ubiquitous music streaming services, it’s easier than ever to load up everyone’s favourite tunes as well as unearth some undiscovered gems. So whether it’s Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon or Google, why not make the most of your broadband connection this summer and start some serious streaming!

3) Cook smart

If you’re looking forward to firing up the flames and enjoying a good barbecue, it’s now easier than ever to cook those burgers and steaks to perfection with a smart barbecue (like these ones here).

If that’s a little extravagant for your taste, for a lot less expense you could always invest in a smart barbecue thermometer to help keep tabs on your culinary concoctions.

4) Stream on your terms

Services like EveryRoom help you to stream in various rooms around the house. So if the kids are more interested in playing on their games consoles in the living room, you can still stream the events (or your favourite movie) in the kitchen or upstairs.

Then again, you might have little interest in the celebrations and would rather use the long weekend for bingeing your favourite shows or that series you haven’t got round to yet. With award-winning broadband throughout the house, we think Zen is the best choice for fast, reliable broadband, but don’t forget to sign up for your favourite video streaming service too (and, hot tip, make sure to unsubscribe when you’re done!).

To find award-winning broadband from Zen, visit zen.co.uk/broadband