Pick a date and venue
The first thing to do is decide when and where you’re going to hold your street party. While the coronation itself is on the Saturday, that is just the first day of a Bank Holiday weekend (see above), so you have the option of holding the party on the Sunday or Monday instead – especially if the weather forecast is better on those days! With this in mind, you can then look at potential venues: this could be in your street itself, in somebody’s back garden or in a private venue, depending on costs and likely attendance levels.
Get the right permissions
If holding the party on public land (i.e. in the street), then you’ll need to get permission from local authorities to hold the event and secure the necessary road closures.
For the Platinum Jubilee last year, many councils had online application processes in place, and the same is likely to be the case for the Coronation. They will need detailed information of what you have planned, when and where, and you will also be expected to demonstrate how health and safety will be taken care of. You may also need licenses if selling food or alcohol, or holding raffles and tombolas, and it’s likely that they will want to see proof that you have public liability insurance in place.
Dealing with all this admin may take some time, especially if councils have a high volume of applications to take care of, so there is no time to lose in getting your applications underway.
Take out insurance
It isn’t a legal requirement for all King’s Coronation street parties to have insurance cover in place. However, as mentioned above, many local authorities will require proof of public liability insurance at the very least before they grant any licences, permissions and road closures.
But even if your party isn’t taking place on the street itself, putting insurance cover in place is a good idea in any case. Without it, you could be liable for a compensation claim if somebody is accidentally injured during the event, or if equipment is lost, stolen or damaged.
Get your neighbours involved
Communicating with your neighbours and expected attendees at an early stage is important for two reasons. The first is that you want them to come, and the earlier they know what is going on and when, the more likely they will be to attend. The second is that many of them may well want to volunteer their services and help you make the party a success. It could be something large-scale like providing tables and chairs, or a TV on which everyone can watch the Coronation, or something as little as baking a cake: either way, remember that you don’t have to do everything on your own!
Plan your decorations, catering and activities
Now you can start to get creative and plan out all the things that everyone will do while they’re there. Firstly, you’ll need suitable decorations for the occasion (Union Flag bunting is a must!), along with other party kit like balloons. You’ll also need to work out the catering arrangements, too: will you be cooking for everyone yourself? Will you ask everyone to contribute some food and drinks? Or will you bring in some professional catering support?
And don’t forget the activities: not everyone will want to spend the entire afternoon glued to the TV coverage, so make sure there are lots of games and fun things to do for people of all ages.
Promote your event to your community
Last but by no means least, you’ll need to build up the excitement and ensure everyone who you want to be there knows about your event. If it’s strictly a street party for the neighbours, then going door-to-door with eye-catching invitations is relatively easy. But if you’re reaching out to a wider community, then information in local newsletters and on notice boards is vital alongside any outreach you might do on social media. And if there’s something in particular you’d like guests to bring – food, drinks, raffle prizes, etc. – this is your big opportunity to ask them!
