Events

Street parties are a great opportunity for communities to come together on national occasions. They are usually organised by groups of residents who get together and make arrangements to celebrate with their neighbours.The main differences between a small street party and other public events are listed below:

Street Parties                                        Other public Events

For residents/neighbours only                Anyone can attend 

Publicity only to residents                      External publicity (such as newspapers)

In a quiet residential road or street         In buildings, parks etc

Self-organised                                        Profession/skilled organisers

Normally no insurance                          Insurance needed 

No formal risk assessment needed      Risk assessment common 

No licences normally necessary           Licence usually needed 

(unless the sale of alcohol is involved)

Organising a street party is very simple and does not need a licence

Fill in our event application form at least 4-6 weeks in advance of your party. Go to The Streets Party Site, Eden Project: The Big Lunch and GOV.UK: your guide to organising a street party for helpful tips, advice and support on organising a successful event.

Risk assessment

You should not need a risk assessment - as long as consideration is given to the needs of all those attending, common sense precautions should be enough.

Do I need a licence?

The Licensing Act 2003 does not require a music licence at a street party unless amplified music is one of the main purposes of the event.

However, if you plan to sell alcohol you will need to check whether you need a Temporary Event Notice. This is a temporary permission for licensable activities which currently costs £21 and covers events of less than 500 people. For more information or to make an application, please contact your local licensing authority by entering your postcode at Temporary Event Notice.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed that one-off events such as street parties are not usually considered food businesses, so there are no forms to fill in.  

However you must ensure that any food provided is safe to eat. Go to FSA: catering advice for charity and community groups and NHS Choices: how to prepare and cook food safely.

You do not have to register a lottery, raffle, sweepstake or tombola if you are running an “incidental noncommercial lottery”, for which tickets must be sold and the winners announced at the event. Anyone at the event, including children, can take part. Expenses taken from the proceeds must not be more than £100, and no more than £500 can spent on prizes, excluding donated prizes – go to the Gambling Commission: lotteries (raffles) to find out more.

Road closures

For most small parties in quiet streets, all we need to know is where and when the closure will take place so we can plan around it (for example, so emergency services know). A temporary traffic regulation order will need to be put in place, so you need to let us know in plenty of time.

For more major routes e.g. where buses may be affected there may be the need for a properly signed diversion or there may be no suitable alternative route for traffic.  In these instances it will be the responsibility of the organisers to source appropriate traffic management and cover any costs.  If we need more information, we will let you know.

You can organise a gathering or ‘Street Meet’ on private land, such as a driveway or front garden, without any requirement to fill in council forms.  Street Party has some excellent guidance.

Road signs

The Council is unable to provide road signs and traffic management. You can hire or buy signs, or even print your own from downloadable templates if they are for use in daylight.

Insurance

There is no requirement to have public liability insurance. But if you think insurance would be a good idea, have a look at the advice on the Big Lunch website and shop around.  Quotes for insurance start from as little as £50, which can be split between people attending.

Finally

Ribble Valley Borough Council want you to have a great street party but please remember to clean up afterwards.

Let residents know in advance what time the party will finish and agree that everyone takes home a proportion of the waste to recycle.

If you can't fit all the recycling and waste in your household containers you can always take it to the Household Waste Recycling Centres at Henthorn Road in Clitheroe and Chapel Hill in Longridge. For information on which items are recyclable, visit the What Can Be Recycled page on the Ribble Valley Council website.

Alternatively ring the Council on 01200 425111 to discuss further options. Download a printed guide to Organising a Street Party.