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It all starts with a simple application form – and then you're off

Looking for Platinum Jubilee street party ideas? And tips and advice on how to arrange an official street party? Read our in-depth guide, including how to get permission for a street party, what to eat and drink, how to stream the official events live from London, and how to decorate ready for the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday celebrations.

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, making her the first British monarch in history to celebrate 70 years on the throne. The actual date of the Jubilee is Sunday 6th February, but Brits plan to mark the momentous occasion with a bank holiday weekend of street parties in June (here's why we don't celebrate in Feb).

The official day earmarked for the Big Jubilee Lunch is Sunday 5th June, when up to 10 million Brits are planning to organise and attend street parties in Her Majesty's honour.

After two years of being separated from family and friends, we’re all more than ready for another neighbourhood knees-up – but how do you plan a street party?

The Government, The Big Lunch and Street Party website have plenty of advice and free information packs on how to organise an official Jubilee street party, but to give you a helping hand we’ve rounded up the most important information here.

Organising a Platinum Jubilee street party of your own is actually much simpler than you might imagine. Anyone who wants to hold a street party is welcome to do so any time during the bank holiday weekend, from Thursday 2nd June to Sunday 5th June. While it’s helpful if one person takes charge, the idea behind a street party is that the whole road is involved in the planning and organising, and it brings the community together.

The government suggests you start party planning at least six weeks in advance by filling out an application form on your local council website. This gives them time to put a temporary traffic regulation in place and close your road to traffic so you can take advantage of the whole street. While some councils might charge a small fee, event officials are being encouraged to make street parties as affordable as possible and facilitate any necessary road closures.

As Platinum Jubilee street parties are considered a one-off event, you won’t need to have a risk assessment completed by the council and you won’t need a license for consumption of alcohol, food or to play music.

If you’re planning on selling alcohol, or if amplified music is the main purpose of your event (for example if you were holding a mini concert, rather than a street party) then you’ll need a Temporary Events Notice. We’d suggest sharing as much information as possible on your initial application form so the council can best advise you on which route to take.

If you live on a small road, cul-de-sac or perhaps don’t know enough neighbours to warrant closing the whole street, you could organise a Platinum Jubilee Street Meet, which can be held on your driveway or in your garden. Because this is private land, you wouldn’t need to apply via the council.

Once you’ve had the approval from the local council, you can go about spreading the good news and make sure as many of your neighbours can come to the party as possible. Pop handwritten letters through front doors, set up a Whatsapp group so people know what to bring, or go one step further and document the whole journey from conception to party on an Instagram account. Your local council will also be encouraged to promote street parties on their own communication channels like Facebook and Twitter.

Don't forget to tell the royal family about your event as well. There’s an interactive map on The Queen's official Platinum Jubilee website which will show the thousands of events being held over the course of the weekend.

Once you have the date and time worked out, you can think about the fun stuff – the food and drink. We’re partial to a coronation chicken sandwich, followed by slab of Victoria Sponge and a glass of Pimms – but you can serve whatever you like at your street party.

You might like to go with the official Platinum Jubilee Pudding: a lemon and Swiss roll amaretti trifle. Inspired by the lemon posset served at Her Majesty's 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, the dessert was made by amateur baker Jemma Melvin, a copywriter from Southport, who beat 5,000 people in a competition.

It might seem like a daunting task to try and cater for your whole street, so we’d suggest asking everyone attending to contribute by bringing their own speciality dish or drink. That way, you’ll have a wide spread and it’ll cater to everyone in your community, from vegans and veggies to cake-lovers.

One thing to consider is how you’ll be eating your food. If it’s a mostly standing situation, let people know that finger food or cold bites you can eat without the need for cutlery and crockery are best.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration, The Big Lunch has hundreds of ideas, from classic British recipes like scotch eggs and sausage rolls, to modern favourites like sticky chicken wings and watermelon and mint salad. If all else fails, a cheese board with a load of chutneys and crackers will always go down well with most.

When it comes to drinks, you can serve alcohol as long as you don’t charge for it. Or you can make a refreshing non-alcoholic punch that people can add to if they want, or hire a tea urn and tell everyone to bring their favourite mug for a cuppa. Why not take an official Platinum Jubilee mug with you. We love this one from Emma Bridgewater...

Embrace the party vibe and transform your normally suburban street into a brightly decorated wonderland.

One of the most effective ways of decorating your street party is to hang bunting between the houses, criss-crossed over the road to unite the street and bring a sense of solidarity.

Here's our round up of the best Jubilee bunting to buy now. We've also got a tutorial on how to make your own no-sew Jubilee bunting, using old fabric you might have lying around at home. It's super simple and a lovely craft to do with children. Watch our tutorial here.

The same goes for flags, which can be hung from your porch, inside your windows or draped over a table as a cloth.

If you have the space, we’d suggest placing long trestle tables down the middle of the street and asking everyone to bring a brightly coloured tablecloth for a patchwork quilt effect. This is also a more sustainable option than buying paper tablecloths you’re likely to throw away after one use.

Add old ribbons, lace, string or coloured crepe paper to the backs of chairs to give them a bright makeover. This is also really effective if you don’t have room for a trestle table but still want to jazz up your garden furniture.

Serve food and drink on mismatched crockery, sourced from the back of your cupboards or the local charity shop. It doesn’t have to be expensive but nothing says ‘fancy’ like using proper tableware rather than environmentally-unfriendly plastic cups. The same goes for displaying all those delicious cakes – if everyone brings a cake stand, you can place them down the middle of the table for an extra special look.

To keep the cost down on bunting or flowers, task all the children on your street with a crafting session and ask them to create paper flowers to fill jugs and vases down the middle of the table, or to create DIY bunting. Sometimes a homemade look means more and it’ll encourage them to get to know each other before the street party itself.

Hopefully the great British weather holds out and the sun shines – but we’d also suggest having a stash of umbrellas somewhere close to hand to protect your decorations (and food) from any summer showers.

Music can make or break even the best party, so it’s fair to say you’ll want your street party to have a soundtrack that strikes the right note. There are plenty of ways to do this without spending a penny.

If you are hosting your street party at the same time as one of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations is taking place in London, you can pop the event on BBC One in the background and enjoy the music and merriment live from the Palace throughout your own bash. Both the Platinum Party at the Palace (Saturday 4th) and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant (Sunday 5th) will be aired on BBC and iPlayer. You can read the BBC's full Platinum Jubilee TV line-up here.

Alternatively, you can create a public playlist on Spotify or Apple Music and ask everyone attending to drop a few of their favourite tracks in there.

Take inspiration from the Queen herself, who in a 2016 interview with the BBC revealed her top 10 favourite tracks. Favouring “musicals and mainstream music with no airs and graces,” the list includes:

Alternatively, add some of Prince William and Kate’s favourite artists to your playlist. The couple are huge fans of singers Ed Sheeran, who performed at Prince William’s Earthshot Prize Awards, Ellie Goulding, who sang at the couple’s wedding and Leona Lewis who serenaded the audience at Kate’s Christmas Carol service at the end of 2021.

Either way, we think we can all agree that God Save the Queen should be on there at some point. We should also point out that the level of the music should also be respectful as there might be people on the street who are not joining in with the festivities.

Whatever you do, however big or small, enjoy the fact you’re able to celebrate with people you care about in person, and not over Zoom.

This historic jubilee makes a great excuse to add another Emma Bridgewater mug to your collection! This one features our national anthem in EB's signature script on a proud red background.

Here's a more subtle design from Emma Bridgewater.

Lastly, the potter has this vibrant green option. Which will you choose?

Harrods has released its own commemorative mug, too. This fine bone china option features the dates of the Queen's reign in shining gold and finished with the royal crests.

Particularly dedicated royalists will be pleased with this lovely handmade cushion cover; it's thoroughly celebratory without being garish. It'd fit right in with a country cottage scheme while adding a cheerful flash of colour.

This design is also available as a tea towel, if you prefer – in a good range of colours.

This makes a fun memento – use it to display your scones or sandwiches for your Jubilee garden party over the bank holiday weekend, then display it on the wall or your cabinet after the festivities are done.

Hang this suitably British bunting around your garden fence, conservatory or the front of your property to show your appreciation for our longest-reigning monarch. It comes in either two or five metre lengths, or you can ask for your specific requirements.

Made from gold-plated pewter and studded with glittering crystals, this ornate decoration is exclusive to the Historic Royal Palaces shop. Keep it proudly on display in a cabinet, or you could even use the hanging loop to turn it into a Christmas tree ornament, if you like.

No garden party is complete without cake. These rice paper toppers will ensure your offerings are less Victoria sponge and more Elizabeth II – much more appropriate, in this instance!

A subtle design finished with traditional royal purple crowns; these are lovingly hand-painted to order, so you know you're getting something thoughtful to commemorate this special occasion.

Okay, this charger plate is expensive, but it is handmade from fine bone china and finished with burnished 22-carat gold detailing, so it is a really exquisite piece. Plus, we're sure you agree that a Platinum jubilee party deserves something extra special to celebrate properly. Put this plate pride of place on your table to show off your afternoon tea spread for your do.

With its ornate crown, orb and sceptre design, this lovely Emma Bridgewater design will pay homage to our queen while brightening up your kitchen (and helping with the washing up!).

Traditional tones in white, blue and red here for this tea towel – and there's some matching bunting available, too.

More tea towels here – choose your favourite design, or collect all three!

To match the charger plate above, this charming teapot will finish off your royal scheme perfectly. We just love the little crown on the lid.