Top tips for throwing a street party for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

How to throw a Jubilee street party

If you’re thinking about throwing a street party, the first step is to speak to your neighbours to gauge interest. If everyone is keen, then set up an organising committee with your own what’s app or private Facebook group to help with party planning and divvying up tasks.

Next, you’ll need to apply to the council if you need permission for a temporary road closure. It’s best to do this early – some councils require at least 6 weeks notice. Some councils also require you to take out Public Liability Insurance, but this isn’t always necessary.

But…never fear if you’ve missed your council’s deadline for the Jubilee weekend. An easy alternative is a ‘street meet‘, where your road stays open and the party is held on a driveway or in a front garden. Otherwise, you don’t need to apply for a licence, unless you’re selling alcohol. The Big Jubilee Lunch is another great option, which you could host in your back garden, as a picnic at local park or even in the local school playground as long as you have permission.

Divvy up the jobs with your neighbours, so nobody has too much to organise. Things to think about include…

• Games and activities (keep it simple – provide some chalks for kids to draw on the road or play hopscotch, have a baking contest, or organise a quiz for the grown-ups).
• Music (not too loud and with something for all ages).
• Decorations. Keep it simple, eco-friendly and on budget with fabric or reusable card bunting.
• Spreading the word. Street parties are designed for residents rather than the wider public, so stick to a few posters in front windows or on lampposts.
• Don’t forget tables, plenty of seating (encourage neighbours to bring fold-out chairs) and a gazebo in case it rains or to provide some shade.
• The food. Decide who’s making what, and don’t forget to include some gluten-free, veggie and vegan options. We’ve got plenty of ideas and inspo for you below…

What’s on the menu

The ideal street party food is things you can make in advance and chill or cover then bring out as needed. Think traditional party favourites like sausage rolls, traybakes and potato salads. Pick foods that are handheld, or can be portioned up easily. Think of things that will keep well outside, or be brought out to the table at the last minute in the case of desserts, jellies and ice creams. Make sure you know who’s making what so your party isn’t all pork pies and no puds!

Sandwiches and savoury nibbles

It wouldn’t be a street party without sarnies and nibbles. A couple of loaves can go a long way when you make finger sandwiches. Other crowd-pleasers include our mini Jubilee pork pies, a make-ahead cheese and onion quiche and, of course, sausage rolls.

Don’t forget a few veggie options, like our summery pea and watercress vol au vents or punchy gunpowder potato puffs .

Retro classics and crowd-pleasers

Make sure you include some traditional street party food, like coronation Chicken. We’ve given this regal recipe a 2022 update in our Platinum Jubilee coronation chicken salad recipe.

Or, for a spectacular centrepiece, how about our Coronation chicken pie with mango jelly? Scale up a potato salad recipe to feed the whole street. Sweet tooths will love our homemade fondant fancies,  Battenberg cake and strawberry custard creams.

Easy traybakes

If you can make it in a big baking tray and cut into squares or slices, then it’s perfect for a street party. Think brownies, flapjacks or easy-but-impressive bakes like our ginger drizzle traybake with cream cheese frosting. Strawberries are coming into season, so use them to top an Eton Mess traybake.

Showstopper cakes

Take advantage of the four-day weekend to spend time baking and decorating a cake to get the neighbourhood talking. Top this lemon and strawberry sponge with a fabulous strawberry meringue crown.

Try Bake Off finalist Ruby Bhogal’s sticky Jamaican ginger cake with butterscotch sauce, created in honour of the Big Jubilee lunch. If you’re in the mood for a baking challenge, why not try our spectacular May 2022 magazine cover star, the Union Jack cheesecake. To assemble this stunner, you’ll need to make our red Jubilee cheesecake, white champagne jelly cheesecake and blueberry gin and tonic cheesecake then slice them to resemble a Union Jack.

If that’s a bit ambitious for your day off, stick to a classic sponge with a summery twist, like our strawberry and rose Victoria sandwich. Plus, we’ve got plenty more cake and bake ideas in our Platinum Jubilee recipes collection.

Make-ahead desserts

Pick desserts you can make ahead of time and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to bring them outside. Everyone loves jelly. Scale up our elderflower and berry jellies or retro rhubarb and custard jellies to feed a crowd. Eton mess is another easy pud that can be scaled up and served in individual glasses or bowls (or try our Eton Mess roulade to impress the neighbours). If you’re hosting a Big Jubilee lunch, our lemon madeleines with gin and dubonnet sorbet (created in honour of the Queen’s favourite drink) are the perfect grown-up pud for a hot day.

Drinks

Our Platinum Jubilee gin punch is full of summery flavours like elderflower and nectarine. It serves 10, so scale it up for a bigger gathering. Our easy strawberry gin fizz or gin and strawberry punch recipes can also be doubled for bigger groups. Kids and non-drinkers can cool down with lemonade, fizzy raspberry and rosewater or homemade elderflower cordial. Don’t forget cups of tea: see if you can get your hands on a tea urn.

Remember, a street party should be a jolly, laid-back affair so bulk up the food and drinks offering with shop-bought options and don’t be afraid to take a few shortcuts. Have a great time!

For more recipe ideas, browse our Platinum Jubilee and street party recipe collections.