I remember the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in 1977 very clearly. Possibly helped by some grainy family photographs from the time!
I was five and remember being sat alongside my mates at a table in the middle of the road in a small village in mid-Kent, wearing fancy dress and eating cake. I was a womble!
This memory sprang to mind over the weekend when I was reading an article about the upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
In case any of you are thinking of throwing your own street party, here’s the gist of the article:
- The late May Bank Holiday has been moved from the traditional Monday to the Thursday of the same week, giving everyone a four-day weekend. Anyone can hold a party between Thursday 2nd June and Sunday 5th June.
- If you’re holding a ‘street meet’ in a space like a driveway, garden or shared green space, you don’t need to tell anyone, just get mixing those jugs of Pimms!
- For a full-on ‘street party’ which requires the road to be closed off to traffic, you’ll have to fill in a form on your local council’s website. The deadline is end of April for most of the country.
- As long as you’re not selling the food and drink available on the day, you don’t need to apply for any licenses. Just ask everyone to bring a plate of sandwiches and a bottle (or two) and you’ll be all set!
As things feel increasingly uncertain around us, there’s nothing quite as reassuring as some bunting and cake enjoyed with friends to cheer us up. I’m certainly looking forward to the excuse for a bit of a knees up with local friends. Now, where did I put that womble costume?!