Organise a street party for VE Day 80

Applications for road closures for street parties to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day have closed. But there are still things you can do to reduce, reuse and recycle for your street party. 

Minimise your waste footprint

You could:

• Avoid paper plates and plastic cutlery, cups and bottles by asking people to bring their own from home
• Buy items from a charity shop at low cost and then donate them afterwards
• Hire an event kit
• Use old sheets, blankets or throws instead of buying new tablecloths, or ask friends and family if they have spare ones they can loan you for the day
• Ask people to bring their own chairs and take them home afterwards
• Use camping accessories
• See if you can borrow tables and gazebos from community buildings
• Plan the menu - find out how many people are attending and plan accordingly so you don't double up and you can avoid food waste
• Homemade food cuts down on packaging
• Send people home with leftovers
• Avoid buying one-off plastic decorations - look for things you'll use again or get crafty and turn old paper into bunting
• Donate any items you don't need after your event to charity or local freecycle groups

Cleaning up

Make sure you clean up after your street party.

Let people know in advance what time the party will finish and have a section set aside for recycling and bin bags.

Take your rubbish and recycling home. If you have too much to store, please take it to your local recycling centre. Do not leave bin bags on the streets as it may attract foxes and vermin.

Four days of national celebrations marking eighty years since Victory in Europe (VE) Day start on Monday 5 May. We want to help communities celebrate this occasion by providing guidance on how to hold a street party. 

There is no cost to apply to close your road for a street party.

Check for any other events in your area

You will need to check that your street event does not clash with another event in your area. Two or more events held at the same time in a local area can cause traffic problems. If this is the case, it is likely that the road closure request will be rejected.

Check if your road is suitable to close for a street party

An application will only be approved for cul-de-sacs, no through roads or minor residential roads where the closure will have minimal impact on through traffic. Roads that are part of a bus route will not be considered suitable. 

If your street is not suitable for a street party

You could have an event in your front gardens, in a private back garden or Street Meet.

Or you could see if people in neighbouring streets are interested, or your local school, community group or even a pub car park. 

There are also various public spaces you may be able to use.

Speak to your neighbours

Not everyone will wish to be part of your celebrations so please ensure that everyone is advised of what is happening, when and where. You could send an invitation so they can respond in writing to you. We may ask who you contacted so please keep a record. 

Read the government guidance on organising a street party

You can find a guide to organising a street party on the GOV.UK website.

Prepare a simple plan to show the extents of your road closure

You’ll need to submit a simple plan to show the extent of the road to be closed and surrounding roads. This will be part of your application. Your plan should also show the locations of your road closed signs. These plans can be easily made using Microsoft Word.

Your plan should show the date and times of the road closure and accompany your road closure application form.

Prepare a risk assessment

You’re strongly advised to carry out a risk assessment for your event to ensure you’re prepared for any issues that may arise. This will mean you have a contingency plan in place in case of accidents, medical emergencies, or fire.

You’ll need to list any potential risks and decide what you can do to reduce that risk. These can include cars leaving the street without warning, adverse weather, strong sun, lightning, heavy rain, high wind, vehicle and people movements. Decorating your street with temporary bunting on the day of the party must be included in your risk assessment and only placed in the area the road is closed and must not be strung across the carriageway or highway.

If you’re planning a street party or any other event on the public highway you’ll need to apply for a temporary closure. A temporary closure means that all vehicles are kept out, but the road is still open to emergency services, pedestrians and cyclists.

If you need a road closure for your VE Day 80 event, please complete our special event road closure form and return it to us before Sunday 23 March 2025.

Organise signage

The event organiser is responsible for supplying, erecting, and removing all signs required for the road closure.

Please make sure you have effective signing to be able to have an efficient and safe road closure put in place. 

We ask that you erect a road closed barrier with a ‘Road Closed’ sign at each closure point. If possible, a ‘Road Ahead Closed’ sign should be put out to warn motorists they are approaching a road closure. 

You may wish to consider placing a vehicle behind the sign providing it can easily be moved if emergency access is required. You may consider having volunteers in hi-vis clothing taking it in turns to marshal your closure point (though not physically directing traffic).

Details of your road signage should be supplied with the road closure application form along with details of who is installing the traffic management to close the road. 

This guidance demonstrates how residents can put out barriers and signs safely to close their road.

Unfortunately we do not have signs to be able to lend out. You can contact local traffic management companies or parish councils for advice, or you may know someone that works for a utility company contractor that is accredited to place signs on the highway.

Public liability Insurance

We strongly recommend that organisers have public liability insurance. Quotes for insurance can start from as little as £50. The costs could always be split between residents, or you could hold a raffle or ask for donations to cover the costs.

Once you have submitted a road closure form

Your form will be assessed and shared with the appropriate council departments, the police and other relevant authorities. Depending on the size, venue, timings, and range of activities you are planning, they may contact you for additional information.

Cancelling your road closure application

All cancellations must be made to us in writing, from the organiser. The cancellation will take effect on the working day we receive the instruction from the organiser.

Alcohol licence requirements

An alcohol licence is only required if alcohol is sold. If you did want to sell alcohol, you need a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). You can find out more advice about TEN’s at TEN

Entertainment licence requirements

You will not need an entertainment licence if:

• your street party is private for residents only
• the music is not advertised in advance to attract people (live or recorded)
• you are not making money

Serving food

As a private party, you do not need a licence under the Licensing Act 2003 to sell food, unless you want to sell hot food and drink after 11pm. 

You may need street trading permission if the party is not private. 

The Food Standards Agency website has further information on how to safely host a street party and providing food at a community event.

Tombola or raffle

If the tombola or raffle tickets are sold on the day and the prizes are not worth more than £500 in total, then it will be exempt from gambling regulations. However, if tickets are sold in advance of the event, you will need to contact us for advice.

If you are holding your party on private land or away from your street you will not need a road closure notice but you do need permission from the land owner.