lifestyle

5 Tips For Hosting The Perfect Street Party This Summer

As the Platinum Jubilee approaches, many people will be planning how to celebrate this exciting occasion, and there are lots of ways you can get involved, as shown on the Jubilee's official website. Street parties have been a great way to hold celebrations for national events for many years, and 2022 is no different. If you want to spend some time with your neighbours, family and friends, and enjoy the sunshine on the Queen's special day, then look no further than a street party.

Alliance Online are here to offer you some tips on how to host the perfect street party, including how to organise the logistics of the event, what you might need to do, how to plan the food preparation, and how to keep it fun for all ages.

Decide who is attending

The first thing you'll need to do is ascertain who your street party is going to be for. While it is possible to organise a street party for a wider area, the events are usually confined to one or two streets and only organised between the residents. So, decide who will be coming to the event and try to contact everyone ahead of time.

Getting in touch with people two months or so in advance will allow plenty of time for them to get back to you. Many methods of communication work for this purpose — leaflets, social media, the Nextdoor app, and local community groups are all great choices for starting to put the guest list together. Once you have worked out who is attending and which streets the party will be held on, you can proceed with your planning.

Apply for a road closure

It's important to contact the local council prior to having your street party, as they will need to facilitate the road closures for the duration of the event. You'll need to apply for a road closure through your local council's process, and then you're good to go.

Depending on where you live, your local council's rules might vary. You can look at this page of the government website and type in your postcode to find what information your council requires from you. If you have more questions about road closures, you can head to this webpage for more details on this part of your planning. When applying for a road closure, you should also check whether your council will need you to have insurance — usually this is not the case.

Decorate the space

Once you've decided on the streets you will be using, it's time to get them looking the part! Try making your own bunting out of coloured or recycled paper — this can be a fun activity for people to do with their neighbours ahead of the event too.

Then, try ribbons, flags, and tablecloths in the colours of the union jack to really get into the Jubilee spirit. You might also want to combine this décor with some fresh flowers to set everything off with a colourful, seasonal flare.

Choose the food

The food is an important part of the street party experience — after all, sitting down to a meal with your neighbours outside your houses is a unique pastime. So, make sure that the food is planned beforehand to avoid stress on the day. If you are letting everyone bring whatever they want to buy or make, it's still good to take an expected inventory before the event to ensure you are not getting five of one thing and zero of another.

You might also choose to have a theme for your dining. This could be an era, such as the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s, or you could go for a British food theme, asking everyone to make their twist on a classic recipe. Whatever you decide on, make sure everyone is onboard and involved, then have good communication about what everyone can bring.

Plan some games

It's easy to get caught up in the logistical planning of a street party and forget that you'll need some entertainment too. Games are a great way to break the ice, encourage people to spend time together, and make sure people of all ages are having fun. There are many choices for entertaining people, such as tug of war, skittles, and bowls, all of which can be easily set up in the street. You could also design a quiz about your street, testing the locals' knowledge on their area and its history.

Kids might also enjoy drawing on the tarmac with chalk, which can be washed off after the event. Lastly, you might want to combine food and entertainment by holding a cake or cookie baking competition. Whatever you choose, get everyone involved and having a good time together.

Rachael Kiss, Marketing Manager at Alliance Online said:
"Having a street party is a great way to celebrate an occasion like the Platinum Jubilee with your neighbours, and you should enjoy it to the fullest. As well as deciding on which favourite foods you're going to cook, you should also make sure you have all the necessary utensils to hand to avoid any stress on the day.

"Sturdy bowls, food storage and cutlery are ideal items for using outside where they might be more likely to be dropped than in the home. Avoid glass, if possible, and replace it with items made from plastic and steel so that they won't shatter if dropped.

"If you are making any big communal dishes, you should check that you have large enough dishes for them prior to the occasion — even better if you can count out the number of portions they will make. With a bit of prior planning, your street party can go off without a hitch and you can enjoy the Platinum Jubilee with excellent food, company, and entertainment in your neighbourhood."

https://www.allianceonline.co.uk/

Further reading:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-hold-street-party
https://www.streetparty.org.uk/road-closures/