LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Britain 's Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 82nd birthday Saturday with a parade and military ceremony known as `` Trooping the Color . '' Britain 's Queen Elizabeth attends the Derby Festival at Epson Downs horse race course on June 7 . The queen 's birthday is actually April 21 , but she officially celebrates it every year on a Saturday in June when good weather is more likely , according to Buckingham Palace . During the ceremony , which is open to the public , the queen inspects the troops . They then march past the queen , who rides in a carriage back to the palace . The Royal Air Force then conducts a colorful fly-past over Buckingham Palace while the queen and her family watch from the balcony . The queen has attended Trooping the Color every year of her reign except for one -- 1955 , when a national rail strike canceled the event , the palace says . The ceremony gets its name from a tradition where colors of the battalion were carried , or `` trooped , '' down the ranks so they could be seen and recognized by the soldiers , Buckingham Palace says .
Queen 's April birthday is celebrated in June to enjoy good weather . Parade , military ceremony will mark royal birthday . Troop inspection , flyover by Royal Air Force , part of ceremonies .