How to plan the perfect street party

The more people talk, the better communities prosper. That’s why the Eden Project and Streets Alive are campaigning to encourage neighbours to get to know one another by holding street parties.

The Eden project estimate that just over half of Brits go out of their way to chat to the neighbours, but surely we can do better? Over 7 million people took part in Eden’s Big Lunch last year – let’s make this year’s knees up even bigger. Here’s your guide to organising a street party.

Street Party basics

We’re busier than ever, and because we seldom work or shop close to home, we’re less likely to bump into our neighbours say the experts at Streets Alive. We can’t leave getting to know people in our communities to chance; street parties are a great way to bring people together.

First things first: Will you need to close the road? Head over to gov.uk where you’ll find the relevant advice and an application form.

If you don’t want to arrange a formal road closure, a ‘street meet’ could be the way to go. Pavements, parking spaces and front gardens are ideal for a get-together as long as you leave room for pedestrians to pass.

Alternatively, plan a summer picnic in the park. The residents of one road in West Ealing organised live music and a magic show for the kids in their local gardens. They say while the preparations were a bit last minute, hey, who cares as long as everyone’s having fun.

Plan your party

To drum up support for her street party idea, home-owner Jenny Woods knocked on the door of every one of the sixty-six houses in her road. Involve your neighbours in your plans right from the start – the more volunteers the better. As Monica, who blogs at London Mums, says:

‘Get everyone involved and not only will it mean less work for you, but you'll have better friends by the end of the experience!’

Once you’ve gathered a working group, pick a date and theme, and split the task of finding out about local resources between you.

Create a buzz around your event by getting out and about to let people know about it. Handing out invitations in person is far more effective than slipping them through letterboxes. Share your enthusiasm through face-to-face contact with your neighbours and you’ll also receive valuable offers of help.

Party furniture

You need chairs, chairs and more chairs. Sturdy tables are also essential for your street party spread. The Big Lunch recommend approaching local business before you buy or hire equipment because:

‘Local cafes, shops and businesses may be able to lend you things like tables and chairs, donate food and drink and even donate prizes for a raffle.’

Disposable plates, cups and napkins will save on the tidying up. The new Tulip Bloom design at Rex London is perfect for warm weather al fresco dining. And do bear the British weather in mind – a few sturdy gazebos could save the day!

Bring out the bunting

Create that all important party atmosphere by hanging traditional British bunting. Michelle Ordever at The Purple Pumpkin Blog, offers a detailed guide for how to make your own.

To finish off your party’s festival feel, encourage your neighbours to decorate their gardens with colourful party lights. According to Alexandra of The middle sized garden:

‘Lighting is at the top of the garden party ideas list. If you don’t have electricity in the garden, you need solar lights, battery lanterns, candles in lanterns or tea lights.’

Food and Drink

If you’re asking neighbours to bring food to the party, use a spreadsheet to keep a record of contributions. Go for simple dishes that lots of people will like and, says blogger QWERTY Mum, don’t leave your cake baking to the last minute like she did – plan ahead.

Even simple food looks fabulous if well presented. Mayfair Mum’s street party was a traditional British affair with bunting and a picnic ‘made up of everyone’s contributions from my mum’s coronation chicken to cupcakes, sausage rolls and one lady’s jubilee cake depicting the street itself!’

Colourful party tableware adds to the party atmosphere, and when it comes to drinks, a homemade lemonade is a real treat. Serve from a traditional dispenser for a nice vintage touch guests will appreciate. Serving alcohol? Do so from a separate table.

Fun and games

You’ll need active games for energetic children, and gentler alternatives for the less agile. Quizzes and competitions go down well, as do old fashioned favourites like quoits, hoopla and pin the tail on the donkey.

Blogger Mediocre Mum has some great ideas garnered from putting on her own street party, which included:

‘A cake baking competition, a hat decorating contest for the kids, a giant ‘flip-flop’ piñata, pin the tail on the Corgi and a burly ex navy officer who painted the children’s faces!’

No party is complete without music. Eden, organisers of The Big Lunch, have the perfect no cost solution: ‘A simple way to get some background music going is to get a few households to tune in to the same radio station and open the windows to get surround sound.’

Ready to get your community together? The Big Lunch offers a free planning pack to help you plan a successful street party.

We’d love to hear about your street party tips and memories. Share your thoughts with us using #RexLondon.