Niagara-on-the-Lake is gearing up for the coronation of King Charles III. 

Both the Scottish Loft and the Prince of Wales hotel are among those celebrating the royal occasion on Saturday. 

“Being the first capital of Upper Canada here I think it’s very, very important,” said Simon Bentall, owner of the Scottish Loft on Queen Street. 

His store has teamed up with VR Pro on Saturday for a 1K walk to Simcoe Park starting at 2 p.m. from the post office.

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa and members of the Royal Canadian Legion will be joining in, Bentall said.

A coronation flag will be hung at the old Court House for the occasion. 

VR Pro, a race and event management company, will be providing free tea, snacks and a stuffed Paddington bear to participants. 

The Scottish Loft will also be giving out free goodie bags at the end of the walk. 

Bentall said the coronation is usually a “once in a lifetime” occurrence, “so it’s something that we should all come together for.” 

The Prince of Wales will celebrate Charles’ ascension to the throne with high tea throughout the day and an extravagant scotch-paired dinner at 7 p.m.

“Our afternoon tea is very unique to British culture,” said Jeremy Harb, food and beverage manager at the hotel.

The demand for high tea this weekend has doubled due to the coronation because everybody wants to “experience a little bit of the tradition that goes around with the coronation experience,” he said. 

The five-course dinner in the evening is being planned by executive chef Chris Smythe. 

“He was tasked with putting together a menu for the coronation dinner that would pair well with different scotches,” said Harb. 

Throughout the evening guests will taste four different types of scotch. 

“The scotch component is very interesting because scotch is synonymous with British culture,” said Harb. 

A type of scotch offered will be the Laphroaig 10-year single malt Islay scotch whisky, a favourite of King Charles, he said.  

Smythe chose dishes that are popular in British culture, like a hot smoked Irish organic salmon and a Stilton cheese tart. 

He also tried to incorporate some local ingredients into dishes, such as a baked bartlett pear. 

Tickets are $200 per person.

The coronation of King Charles III will be broadcast on major news platforms starting at 4 a.m Saturday.