Hold a Street Meet or Street Party in Sandwell

Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), which takes place on 8 May celebrates the end of the Second World War in Europe. This year marks the 80th anniversary, and we wanted to encourage communities to commemorate this historic milestone by providing information on how to hold street meets or street parties. 

Applications are now closed. However, advice and guidance are still available below for those with approved applications to support a successful celebration.

You can also read about other ways we are celebrating VE Day in Sandwell here.

This page offers information and links to support and resources to organise either a Street Meet or a Street Party. 

If you would like to plan a larger event in a park or open space, a commercial event, or an event that involves a lot more people (200 or more), you would need to make an event application through ours event planning pages. 

Planning your street party or street meet 

A step-by-step guide to planning your street meet or street party ... 

A celebration for VE Day doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It can be a simple get together of neighbours in your driveway, front garden, a park or open space, your street and some food, drink and activities. Everyone in your street will have a different talent – from baking cakes to putting up bunting – so invite them to get involved from the start. 

Some of your neighbours may have been involved in previous street meets and street parties and can offer valuable advice as to what was good and what could have been improved. Take on board any concerns, stay flexible and remember it’s fun! 

Your street meet or street party is likely to be attended by people of all ages, from the youngest child up to the oldest adult. Make sure there are activities for everyone to enjoy. 

What is the difference between a Street Meet and a Street Party? 

A Street Meet is a simple gathering of neighbours and friends in homes, gardens, yards, communal areas and pavements in their street. You will not need to use the public highway. This is a simple and highly enjoyable celebration, and you do not need to fill in an application to do this. 

A Street Party includes a requirement to close the road and take activities onto the highway in front of homes. This requires a short application form, public liability insurance, and some additional work in terms of keeping people safe and we can help with this. Please read through the guidance below and apply via the link above. To keep our streets peaceful and happy places, we do not support street parties operating beyond the hours of 9.30pm.

Road Closure 

We will try to help make street parties happen, but for safety reasons not all roads can be closed. Get your application in as soon as possible before the deadline, so that you can be sure as to whether your street can be closed for your Street Party before you organise it. 

This year Sandwell Council are covering the highways costs of road closures for non-commercial VE Day street parties. We will notify you within ten working days whether your road closure has been assessed as potentially safe to go ahead in relation to the wider road network. As part of the road closure, we will provide and deliver the appropriate red and white barriers to close your road and will give you guidance to follow to help you manage your road closure safely. 

Insurance 

Public Liability Insurance (PLI) is designed to cover compensation or legal costs if a member of the public claim they have experienced personal injury or damage to their property because of your event. 

In Sandwell we ask organisers to have public liability insurance, and community groups and residents who are running events must ensure they have appropriate cover.  

There are specially negotiated rates for street party insurance started at just £28. We cannot recommend an insurance provider, and it is your responsibility to make sure you have the appropriate Public Liability Cover. There is more information and guidance available at www.streetparty.org.uk/insurance. 

Alcohol and Licences 

We support your street meet or street party: but not the sale of alcohol on the street. These are community events, and not for commercial gain. If you want to run a commercial event, you should apply through our events pages. 

Want to hold a raffle? 

You do not have to register a lottery (which includes raffles, sweepstakes and tombolas) if this is a part of your street party, and the money is going to charity or the cost of the party. Tickets must be sold at the event, and prizes cannot be rolled over from one event to another. 

Anyone at the event (including children) can take part in this sort of lottery. No more than £100 can be deducted from the proceeds of the lottery to cover the cost of organising the lottery (e.g. ticket printing), and no more than £500 can be spent on prizes (not including donated prizes). 

The Gambling Commission’s website has more information about running a lottery. 

Advertising 

To hold a safe street party, you should only advertise to the residents in the street and surrounding streets. This may be through a letter drop or face-to-face conversations. Just keep an eye on numbers and keep the event inclusive and safe. 

Out of courtesy, you should also let every resident know about the street party and those affected by the road closure, even if they do not want to attend the street party. You should also be courteous to neighbours and carefully consider things like access for carers, home visits, welfare visits. Some specific guidance and rules to follow will be given if your temporary road closure permit is approved. 

Health & Safety 

We would always recommend you write a simple risk assessment to demonstrate you have considered anything that could be a hazard. You can find an easy-to-use template here. 

Think about what could go wrong and what you can put in place to reduce the risk. For example: 

• An important delivery or a disabled driver has to drive in and out of the road closure – have neighbours act as street stewards to guide the manoeuvre and ensure children are supervised. 
• An accident on a bouncy council – check the inflatable is appropriately erected and insured with correct certification (only use reputable providers). Weather conditions and wind speed forecast have been considered. 
• Someone turns the music up too loud – they must be stopped to prevent neighbours being disturbed by the noise nuisance. 
• Gatecrashers – have a plan in place on what to do if unwelcome visitors join the street party such as calling 101. 

Catering 

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed that one-off events such as street parties aren’t usually considered food businesses, so there are no forms to fill in. However, you should ensure that any food provided is safe to eat. 

Caterers that are selling food – such as a burger van – do need to be registered with a local authority and have appropriate insurances and risk assessments in place. 

If you are unsure about keeping food safe, you can get some tips from the Food Standards Agency. 

There is more advice, guidance and ideas for your party available at streetparty.org.uk and in the government’s Guide to Organising a Street Party 

Find out more about how VE Day 80 is being celebrated nationally on the government's website.

The VE-VJ Day 80 website has ideas and suggestions of how to get involved and celebrate.