Street Party advice please

[tortor]

Hello

We are holding a street party in early September, and somehow I appear to be organising much of it.

So please can you offer me some advice? What works? What to avoid? How best to communicate with residents who may not be tech savvy?

Also specifically bouncy castles.... do we need special insurance? And how did you go about funding it (ie collecting cash for extra costs)? And music-- did a house speaker work or do I need to hire/ borrow something bigger?

We're not going all-singing all-dancing, but obviously want people to have a lovely time!

Thanks so much- any advice greatly appreciated!

[Sue]

tortor Wrote:

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>somehow I appear to be organising much of it.

>

Yes, unfortunately you may find that this is the problem.

We were involved with a street party for a number of years. Initially there was a small group of people sharing the workload, but several of them moved away and in the end there was hardly anybody left.

We asked for volunteers, but nobody else stepped forward. People have busy lives. They may be happy to actually come to the party, but less happy to give up their time to organise it.

I know there are a number of successful street parties in the area, but I think it does depend on more than one or two people being willing to be involved.

You probably know this already, but you will need to liaise with the council in good time re closing the road.

I imagine the place you hire the bouncy castle from will advise on insurance. Think carefully about where you site the bouncy castle, so that it is not too far away from all the other things going on, and so that parents can easily keep an eye on their children.

Re music, I guess it depends on exactly what you provide, eg a DJ, prerecorded mix etc. We had live local musicians every year, plus a small PA system powered from a house. Be aware that some people in the street may not be happy about the music even though it is only one afternoon in the year. Also people's tastes in music differ.

You will need gazebos in case of rain (or hot sun).

We produced flyers to put through every door advertising the party, but you will need to give people plenty of notice and then remind them nearer the time.

We asked people to bring food, and had a separate gazebo with table to put the food on. You will either need paper plates and disposable cutlery or else ask people to bring their own.

You will also have to somehow get people to remove their cars from the street before the party. This is not necessarily easy :)

Activities for the kids could include things like face painting and providing chalk to draw on the pavement.

This looks like a useful site for further help and ideas:

https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/stuff-to-do/organise-big-lunch

Good luck!

ETA: You may get more response if you post this in the main part of the forum?

know that several of the people who used to be involved in "our" street party also post on here, and will probably remember lots which I have forgotten, but may not look at the family sections.

[tortor]

Sue- thanks so so much for your very kind and helpful response! I really appreciate you taking the time.

We have agreement from the council so it's the more practical aspects that I'm now focussed on.

Ultimately if all we do is have a space to get us all out meeting each other and the kids have an open space for once, I guess we will have achieved something!

Thanks again and all the very best.