Celebrations, Tea and Bunting!

British Street Parties Explained

Have you heard about British street parties?

They are a fun tradition, a special way that people in the UK celebrate important days together. Imagine closing a street to cars and filling it with people, tables, food, and happiness!

Why Have a Street Party?

British people love to celebrate as a community. A street party is perfect for this. It's a chance for everyone who lives in the same street to meet their neighbours, talk, laugh, and have fun together. It makes the street feel like one big family for a day! They often happen for big national events, like when the King or Queen has a special day, or for important history dates like VE Day.

• Community: A group of people living in the same place.

• Neighbours: People who live very near to you, often in the house next door or on the same street.

What Do You Need for a Street Party?

The first thing you need is the idea and some neighbours who like the idea too! Then, you usually need to ask the local council for permission to close the street so it is safe for everyone. After that, it's time to plan the fun!

• Council: The local government that looks after the town or area.

• Permission: When someone in authority says you can do something.

Decorations: Making it Look Happy!

To make the street look ready for a party, people put up decorations. The most famous is bunting. This is a string with many colourful flags on it, often triangles. People hang bunting across the street, from houses, and on tables. You will also see flags, balloons, and tablecloths in bright colours. Red, white, and blue (the colours of the UK flag, the Union Jack) are very popular!

• Decorations: Things you use to make a place look nice for a special event.

• Bunting: A string of colourful flags used for decoration.

Food and Drink: Sharing is Caring!

Food is a very important part of a street party. Often, it's a "bring and share" party. This means everyone who comes brings some food to put on a big table for everyone to eat. You'll find lots of tasty things like sandwiches (cut into small shapes!), sausage rolls (meat inside pastry), and of course, lots of cakes! Simple, sweet treats like biscuits and smaller fairy cakes are always popular, especially with children. To drink, there is usually tea (of course!), juice, and sometimes other drinks for the adults.

• Bring and share: When everyone brings some food to a party to share with others.

• Sausage rolls: A small tube of meat surrounded by pastry.

• Cakes: Sweet food made from flour, sugar, and eggs.

• Biscuits: Flat, sweet baked food (like cookies in American English).

• Fairy cakes: Small cakes, often with sweet topping.

Music and Entertainment: Fun for Everyone!

Street parties have music to make a happy sound. Sometimes it's just music played from a speaker, maybe happy songs that everyone knows. For fun, there are often simple games, especially for the children, like classic party games or drawing on the street with chalk. It's a relaxed time for talking and enjoying the friendly feeling.

Watch this video to learn the history of street parties…

Celebrating VE Day

When there are special days like VE Day, which remembers the end of the Second World War in Europe, street parties are a way to remember history but also to celebrate peace and thank those who helped. The parties show that even after difficult times, people can come together and find joy.

• Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations.

• To mark the 80th anniversary this year, four days of commemorative events were held across the UK, from 5 to 8 May.

Street parties are a wonderful British tradition that is all about community, sharing, and having a good time together in a simple, friendly way.

If you ever see a street party happening, and you are invited or it's a public one, go and enjoy the friendly atmosphere!