How to plan a Platinum Jubilee street party: Legal requirements, food, drinks and decorations

13 May 2022, 17:05

By Alice Dear

How do I plan and throw a street party for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, do I need permission from the council and how do I decorate?

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated up and down the United Kingdom over the June Bank Holiday, from Thursday June 2 to Sunday June 5.

On Sunday, people are being encouraged to get involved with The Big Jubilee Lunch and throw their own street parties to mark the Monarch's historical milestone.

While many people are keen to throw their own street parties, some people are confused over where to start.

• The Queen beams at Windsor Horse Show days after missing State Opening of Parliament
• How the Platinum Pudding trifle hides a subtle nod to the Queen and Prince Philip
• William and Kate send heartfelt message to Deborah James as she moves to hospice care

Here, we break down everything you need to know about throwing a street party for the Platinum Jubilee from legal permits to food and drink ideas and decorations.

Do I need permission from the council to throw a street party for the Platinum Jubilee?

Between June 2 to June 5, anyone across the United Kingdom can throw a street party, however, you will need to notify your council of your plans.

People wanting to organise a street party must fill out a Government Application Form which will go through their local council.

There is no risk assessment needed for the street party, making the application process pretty simple.

During the application you will have to tell your council the following:

• the date and time of the party or event
• whether or not you want to close a road or section of road, and its name
• if the road is part of a bus route or used by through traffic
• a list of any properties or businesses affected
• if you’ve consulted neighbours

If you plan to sell alcohol or play loud music at your street party, you are required to apply for a Temporary Events Notice, which you can do here.

The Government do advise people complete the applications four to 12 weeks in advance to allow the council time to put a Temporary Traffic Regulation in place, if they need to.

If you're out of time to apply for these permits, you can always move the 'street party' to your garden or drive – because this is private land, you won't need permission from the council to throw a party.

You can find more details and advice on the Government website.

Food and drink ideas for a Platinum Jubilee street party

If you're throwing a full-blown street party with your neighbours, the best thing to do in order to make sure everyone is contributing to the preparations of food and drinks is share out different dishes and beverages.

Get the whole street together to decide on who will bring what, that way you know you'll have a mixture of sweet and savoury dishes as well as a range of drinks.

While some people will want to whip up their own meals, supermarkets such as M&S, ASDA, Morrisons and Sainsbury's have created their own Platinum Jubilee dishes that can either be served cold or heated up.

You can find the supermarket collections here:

• Morrisons
• Sainsbury's
• ASDA
• Marks & Spencer
• Iceland

Platinum Jubilee street party invitation templates

What party is complete without an invitation? Try replacing a boring mass email or text by instead creating your own Platinum Jubilee invitations!

Popping a festive invitation through your neighbours' homes is a great way to let them know what is happening and that they are welcome to attend.

If you're not the most talented when it comes to art and design, you can simply download and print a template from The Street Party Site who have a load of free resources.

What Platinum Jubilee decorations do I need?

No street party is complete without great decorations, and thankfully for everyone organising a gathering the supermarkets and high street shops have provided a great selection.

We suggest you look into buying the following:

• Table cloths
• Festive cups
• Plates
• Table confetti
• Cake stand
• Bunting
• Flags
• Balloons
• Party horns
• Pictures of the Queen
• Festive napkins
• Cake toppers
• Party poppers
• Silly string
• Paper hats/ crowns

Read more Platinum Jubilee news:

• Where to buy the best Platinum Jubilee decorations for your street party
• First look at the Queen's stunning Platinum Jubilee merchandise from chinaware to tea towels
• The Queen's Platinum Jubilee dates: Full diary of events including concert and Bank Holiday