There's nothing like a good old-fashioned street party to bring a community together. Around the UK, there are plenty of streets that have well-established annual summer street parties – and often new ones pop up to commemorate big events like the Queen's Jubilee or the King's Coronation - and this year it is the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
But organising a street party does require a little planning. From getting permission (if you need it) to sorting out food, music, decorations and wet-weather plans, here's your complete guide to making it a day to remember.
How to organise a street party
1. Float the idea with neighbours
Are your neighbours in favour of a street party? Is there any initial opposition or queries raised? If so, these will need addressing before you go any further.
Worth also checking at this point whether people are ok with dogs and pets being involved in the fun.
2. Decide where to hold the street party
This will also determine whether you need to ask permission from your local council! Would you like to have the street party in the middle of the road, on a shared grass verge, or in someone's driveway? All are great options, and will determine the size and scale of your event.
3. Find out if you need permission from your local council
Do you need permission to hold a street party? The million-dollar question! If you don't need to close the road in order to host the street party, you don't need to contact your local council – you can just crack on. But it's worth checking anyway, because different councils have different rules. Some councils, for example, waive the need for formal road closure if you live in a cul-de-sac.
So if you're having a street party on a driveway, parking area or front garden, it's classed as private land, so there's no need to let the council know. The same applies to get-togethers at the end of a cul-de-sac, wide pavement or grass verges – as long as all the residents effected are happy with the arrangement with the area being used in this way.
If you want to close the street, however, you do have to let your council know about your event four to 12 weeks before it happens. You will need to tell them the date and time of the planned event, which section of road or entire road you'd like to close, whether it's part of a bus route or used by traffic, a list of any properties or businesses affected, and whether you've consulted neighbours.
You can do this all through the website gov.uk/organise-street-party, which then sends you through to the local council you need to contact directly.
4. Plan the theme (and decorations)
Street parties in the UK are so often tied to Royal events – coronations, jubilees and Royal weddings. In this case, the theme is usually pretty simple. Lots of Union Jacks, maybe a few photos of the King, and a couple of Victoria sponges or Coronation chicken sandwiches!
If you're just wanting to have a big summer bonanza, that's a perfectly good theme in itself – think up some activities that can suit the summer vibe (while also remembering that we live in the UK and the weather might not be the glorious sunshine you're manifesting).
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5. Don't forget the weather
This leads us nicely on from the last point. Like any good wedding planner, we need a get-out clause if the heavens open. Let's be real here, it's the UK. Be realistic. Perhaps we are prepared to cancel the event and move it to a back-up weekend if the weather's rubbish, or we plough on ahead with the big gazebo from Jeff's shed over the tables.
People will enjoy a street party whatever the weather, but they'll have a much nicer time if they aren't having to sit grimly in a thunderstorm in a t-shirt and shorts while their sandwiches go soggy and their Pimm's gets gradually watered down.
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5. Divvy up the jobs
Here's the fun bit! Assign everyone a category of organisation – music, seating, tables, food, drinks (alcoholic, non-alcoholic, teas and coffees), games and entertainment (for both adults and children!), decorations, and anything else you can think of.
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But those people aren't in charge of providing everything – they just make sure it all happens, and gather together their own groups if need be. Those who are in charge of food need not slave over the stove for three weeks in advance. They just have to arrange that Sandra from No. 10 is in charge of crisps and crudités, Ben at No. 43 is a dab hand at cookies and cakes, and Millie from the flatshare at No. 2 has got a sandwich production line going with her flatmates.
As part of this, you'll need to work out how you want to finance the street party. Do your street want to donate towards the day, or simply bring along a dish as their offering? Anything works, so just decide ahead of time!
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6. Make a list of everything you need – and hire any equipment you may be missing
This will be part of the job divvying, but it's important to make sure you're thinking about all the boring admin of the day. How will you set up, and where can you crowdsource things like chairs and tables from? Work out specific numbers, and if there's anything extra you might need, ask friends to loan equipment or hire it if need be.
It's worth thinking about the pack-down and clear-up at the end of the day. Perhaps those in charge of organising food are responsible for composting any waste and redistributing any leftovers, while those in charge of music return the stereo system to Kate the sound engineer, who lives two streets down.
Are you allowed to play music at a street party? Yes! You are allowed to play music and don't need a special licence, unless you're hosting a specific music event, which this most likely doesn't fall under.
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6. Agree timings for the start and finish
This might determine what kind of day you're going to have – will it creep into the evening or will everyone be home in time for The Apprentice? Up to you!
7. Send out the official invites!
Now you can start looking forward to the whole thing...
Top image: Residents of the Cornish fishing village of Flushing in Falmouth enjoy a street party the day after the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023 (credit: Getty Images)
