It has been 70 years since her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II came into power in 1952. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, street parties are springing up all over the country to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
If you're one of those lucky people who live in a town where a street party is being organised (or you're thinking about organising your own), you may be wondering what to wear, food to bring, and how to make your own party stand out.
In this article, we offer some practical tips on how you too can plan your own street party. We'll give you etiquette advice and also give some idea of what to expect from the street party itself.
Food
Food is an essential part of any street party. Plan to have a variety of hot and cold dishes for your friends and neighbours to have a taste of what you can offer, or perhaps arrange for some extra food like pizzas, curries or burgers to be delivered. If you're not confident in your cooking skills, ask people around you if they would like to help. Alternatively, organise a potluck dinner where everyone brings their own dish to contribute to the party.
If you want people to stay later in the day and make use of your street party, set up a barbeque on your driveway. Get some music playing and invite people to bring their own drinks.
Decorations
To make an impression and ensure that your street party stands out from the rest, start with the decorations. There are so many options for this. For example, you can have banners with messages shouted out on the street, paper lanterns triumphantly flying in the breeze, or even a couple of extra streetlights (which come with their own little LED lights) decorated to show your party is as bright as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Try your hand at creating bunting made from various colours of paper. If you have no drawing skills, you can also purchase ready-made bunting by Amazon, Zazzle or Etsy - and you can even get the LED lights for free. By the way, if you're intending to make your own bunting, please make sure that it's made from non-flammable material.
Party Games
For games, there are a few fun ones you can play with your friends. Why not try competitive games like the egg and spoon race, three-legged race, or sack races? These are a lot of fun and might put a competitive edge on the party.
Another idea is to create a giant scavenger hunt. Have the leader give out clues on a clipboard and have the partygoers follow them. Alternatively, you can organise a round of charades, where all the partygoers hide behind their own paper sheets. Set a timer and have the other partygoers guess who is behind the sheets. They will enjoy the rest of the party as everyone gets to know each other better through the games.
Outside of the fun and games, set up a photo booth for those who want to hang out and take pictures with their friends and neighbours. You can rent a professional photo booth from a professional events company, or buy one from a specialist online shop - or you can even create your own by constructing a small box of cardboard and attaching some lights inside.
Inviting your Neighbours
If you want everyone in the community to know about your street party, why not invite them over to help you set up? Not only will this help you decide what types of decorations and games are appropriate, but it will also allow people to bond and feel a sense of belonging.
If you don't have the budget for food, or even party supplies like bunting, you can always make a list of items that people would like to contribute and ask them to bring along their own materials.
You can also invite your neighbours over the night before the street party for a small get-together so that everyone feels comfortable and well-acquainted with one another. This will make your street party much more fun as everyone gets to know each other in a friendly environment. If there are any children who are not yet at school age, make sure there is an adult chaperone present at all times.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure your guests know about it beforehand and have time to prepare for the event.
Entertainment
There's no need to hire a band or DJ to provide the music. Just get some friends together with their own instruments and play fun songs everybody knows. If you have any talented people in your group, why not ask them to perform a short act?
Or throw on the radio - over the bank holiday weekend, there's bound to be ongoing party playlists all day, every day! You can even make an impromptu karaoke session if your street party is larger.
The important thing is to enjoy yourself - and make sure every decision you make reflects this!
We hope this article has given you some idea of what you can do to set up your own street party. We're sure your neighbours will appreciate the effort you've put in to make the Queen's Platinum Jubilee an even more memorable event.
