When is The Queen's Platinum Jubilee?
On February 6 this year Her Majesty the Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.
To celebrate the amazing anniversary, events and initiatives will take place throughout the year, culminating in a four-day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5. That’s when communities and people throughout the UK are encouraged to come together to celebrate the historic milestone.
The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities like street parties, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service.
In addition, initiatives like The Queen’s Green Canopy which invites people to ‘Plant a tree for the Jubilee’ and the Platinum Pudding competition which asked people to create a recipe fit for a queen, will hopefully create a lasting reminder of The Queen’s Jubilee.
Why organise a street party?
No other monarch in our history has marked 70 years on the throne so it’s going to be a huge event and definitely something to celebrate - especially after the last two years! It’s a joyous occasion.
You could party on your own or with family and friends, but when the whole country is uniting to honour such a significant landmark, it’s great to celebrate it together.
Not least, it’s the perfect way to get neighbours together after a tough couple of years during the pandemic, get to know new neighbours and cement friendships, and create closer communities - the value of which, again, we have seen over the last 24 months.
And you know what they say about ‘more the merrier’, a street party is much more fun.
How to organise a street party
Many hands make light work, so the good thing about a Queen’s Jubilee Street Party is that a few residents in your street or community can get together to organise it. It’s easy to do, but there are things you need to consider.
Organising a street party just for residents and neighbours doesn’t need a licence but your local council may require you to complete a simple application form to hold it, and you can find contact details for yours by entering your postcode at find your local council.
A top tip is to start planning early and share jobs out so one person doesn’t end up doing everything. The best place to host it is in your street as it’s right outside your house! If you need a temporary road closure, get in touch with your council at least six weeks in advance (your first point of contact could be either the council’s highways, licensing, events or communities team - or your local councillor if you have any problems).
Don’t forget to send letters to the whole street to make sure everyone is invited and no-one feels left out, and arrange two or three meetings to get yourselves organised. You can also publicise it on social media, as many local communities and councils have Facebook pages where you can share details of local events.
Discuss how to arrange food (plan a huge buffet or bring a dish each) and games to play making sure everyone can get involved - tug of war is great for the young and fit, but anyone can do a quiz - and consider a ‘decorate your wheelie bin competition’ or similar that the oldest resident in the road could judge.
And don’t forget the decorations, balloons and bunting can be bought quite cheaply, or you can even make it yourself from old fabric or crepe paper.
Alternatively, we’re offering one lucky winner an ‘ultimate street party bundle’ – just enter our latest competition to be in with a chance of winning everything you’ll need to host a brilliant event.
What to wear to a street party
Keep it light-hearted and optional, but invite everyone to dress in celebration of the royal event itself.
Partygoers could dress up in royal regalia as a king or queen, or one of the Queen’s Guards; there are lots of costumes you can purchase to fit the bill already, a host of ideas to help you decide.
Or you can keep it safe and simple, and ask everyone to dress in anything they wish as long as it’s patriotic red, white and blue.
With a four-day weekend to enjoy, why not spend one of the days celebrating with us? We’re joining in the festivities across our sales centres and show homes, so join us on the day of your choice and take a look around our beautiful new homes.
Whatever you choose, have a great time - and ‘Congratulations Your Majesty’!
Find The Queen’s Green Canopy website here.
Find out more about the Platinum Pudding competition here.
