Organising a street party
Holding a street party can be an opportunity to get together with friends and neighbours and celebrate a special occasion including landmark anniversaries and events.
The information below serves as a handy guide for helping you to put on a successful and safe street party.
Where do I start?
Think about what you would like to achieve - do you want to celebrate a particular event? Think about sharing your idea with neighbours to see if others would be interested in taking part. If there is interest, it may be worth getting together to talk about ideas and how to put them into action. The event can be as simple or involved as you would like it to be.
Some things you need to consider may be:
- What is the purpose of the party? What do you want to get from it eg to have fun, to make friends, to share an experience?
- When are you going to hold it? Does the date clash with other events?
- Where is it going to be held?
- Who will be invited?
- Will you have a theme for the party?
- Do you need any equipment?
- What help is needed and who will do what?
- What costs are involved and who is going to pay?
- How are you going to let people know about the party?
What's the difference between a street party and any other event?
| Street parties | Other public events |
|---|---|
| For residents/ neighbours only | Anyone can attend |
| Publicity only to residents | External publicity (such as in newspapers) |
| In a quiet residential road or street | In buildings, parks etc |
| Self-organised | Professional/ skilled organisers |
| Insurance Advisable | Insurance needed |
| Risk assessment required | Rick assessment required |
| No licences normally necessary unless the sale of alcohol is involved | Licence usually required |
The Gov.uk website provides advice on organising voluntary and community events (opens new window) and organising a street party. (opens new window)
Things to think about
Do I need a road closure?
Yes, you will need to apply to Swansea Council for a road closure.
You will need to complete an application to close a road for an event and supply a location plan and diversionary map (if applicable), a minimum of 6 weeks in advance of the required date. The council's Streetworks team will advise you of any charges that may apply as a result of your application.
You will also need to arrange for suitable road closure signs and barriers, and any alternative routes (if applicable) and all will need to be agreed in advance with Swansea Council. Please note signs and barriers are not available from the Police or Swansea Council. You can hire them at your own expense or you can make your own.
Further information can be found on the Street Party website (opens new window).
If you would like more assistance with road closures please contact Highways
Do I need insurance cover?
As the event organiser it is your responsibility to ensure that you have adequate insurance cover for the event. It is advisable to hold public liability insurance as organiser of a street party, as the organiser you would be liable for any damages/accidents as a result of your actions during the event set up, the event and derig.
Do I need an alcohol licence?
A licence is only required if alcohol is sold. Events that wish to sell alcohol will need to apply 10 clear working days before the event for a temporary event notice (TEN) which costs £21. You can apply for a Temporary Event Notice online..
I would like to play music - do I need a licence?
You don't need a licence, for live or pre-recorded music, if:
- Your street party is a private party for residents
- The music has not been advertised in advance to attract people or to make money
It's good to remember that music should not be too loud and needs to be turned off before 11.00pm.
If you would like more assistance with licences please contact Licensing.
If you do need a licence, TEN or any further information regards licencing you can find information on our licensing section
Do I need a permit or license to serve food?
No - as a private party, you do not need a licence under the Licensing Act 2003 to sell food (unless you wanted to sell hot food after 11.00pm). 'Bring and share' or 'pot luck' is a great way to get everyone helping with the catering - it shares the load and increases the diversity of the food available. You can always ask your neighbours to bake a cake, make a sandwich or bring food to share with one another. This is also a good way to bring different groups of people together.
When planning a party that involves serving or sharing food please make everyone bringing food is aware of the Food Allergy & Intolerance (opens new window) guidelines.
Health and safety
Everyone wants their event to be safe and successful. Advance planning is the key and as part of this, you will need to carry out a risk assessment so that you can be confident that the day will go off without a hitch. Swansea Council requires a risk assessment in order to close a public road.
Doing a risk assessment is a way of checking what harms are most likely to happen, who could be harmed, and what practical steps can be taken to reduce that harm.
We're having a tombola/raffle - do we need permission?
If the tombola/raffle tickets are only sold on the day it may be exempt from gambling regulations - check the regulations carefully here. Any proceeds from the tombola/raffle must go to a good cause. Alternatively, if you did want to raise some money for your local church or charity, you can always ask people for donations.
Communication
Good communication is essential for ensuring a successful event. It is a good idea to let everyone on your street know about your party even if they don't want to be involved or aren't attending. Important information to relay can include:
- Party date
- Opening and closing times
- Road closure timings
- Any music
If there are any businesses on your street please let them know as soon as possible as they may well want to get involved but it will also help to reduce any disruption to their daily operation.
A newsletter, informal meeting or simple conversation are all acceptable forms of communication and the more information you give in more time, the better.
Depending on your street location, you may also want to communicate the party to the emergency services, your local ward member and any nearby businesses.
Waste and cleaning up
Please be aware that you will need to clean up afterwards and will need recycling and waste bins and bags set aside for this. Check our Kerbside collections and make sure you ask people to separate their waste as they dispose of it. Your waste can be disposed of using the kerbside collection but remember to stick to the 3 black bags per household limit.
You will also be responsible for disposing of any litter / rubbish collected. Recycling or re-use is therefore always preferred to rubbish so please consider how you plan to serve drinks and food and what you ask people to bring (and take home with them).