Street Parties

Fact Sheet 19

What is a street party?

Street parties are a particularly British tradition which have for a century been linked with royal and other national events. Street parties and fetes are ‘get togethers’ that groups of residents arrange for their neighbours. The main differences between a small party and fetes and larger public events are listed below:

Street parties & Fetes / Larger public events
For residents/neighbours only / Anyone can attend
Advertised only to residents / Advertised widely (such as newspapers)
No licences normally necessary if music
is incidental and no selling is involved (see licences below) / Licence usually needed
Professional/skilled organisers (see licences below)
No formal risk assessment needed,
unless a road closure is required / Risk assessment common
Insurance needed
Self-organised
Insurance may be needed

Temporary Road Closures

If you are planning to hold an event and would like to close a road to enable that event to be held then you need to apply to the Council for a Temporary Road Closure Order.

There is a form on our website you can use entitled ‘Temporary Road Closures’. You can also e-mail us on with the information we need. This includes:

Name of Street/Roads to be closed and the length of the road to be closed.
The times that the Street/Road will be closed.
The date the event will be held.
The nature of the event.
A return address for the Orders.

The cost for arranging this closure is £85. We need a cheque payable to Stroud District Council and sent to Legal Services, Ebley Mill, Stroud, Glos. GL5 4UB.

When we have this information we will then carry out consultations with interested parties which include the Police, Ambulance, Fire, County Council, Parish Council and District Councillors. Once everyone has been consulted and there are no adverse comments or problems we can make the Order. This will be sent to you for you to display at either end of the road you propose to close.

The Council is unable to supply road signage or barriers to facilitate the closure of the road and we suggest that you contact the local police and highway authority for advice on this matter.

Any queries on road closures contact Legal Services on (01453) 754386 or 754368

Licences for Entertainment and/or Alcohol

For a residential street party you should not normally need to apply for a licence for any entertainment at the party, provided the entertainment is 'incidental' to the day or 'background', for example recorded background music. However if you are advertising the entertainment to the general public, for example publicising a programme of bands, or you are selling entrance tickets so as to make a profit, or if you are intending to sell alcohol at your party, you will need to apply to Stroud District Council for a occasional licence called a temporary event notice. You need to apply at least 2 weeks in advance and it will cost £21.

However if there is a ban on street drinking in your street you will not be able to sell or drink alcohol in the street, unless the area is covered by a licence. There are street drinking bans in Stroud Town and Dursley Town, to find out if your street has a drinking ban please contact Licensing on 01453 754440.

Raffles

If the tombola/raffle tickets are sold on the day of the party 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 a lottery registration, please contact the Licensing Section for details. Any proceeds from the tombola/raffle must go to a good cause such as a charity or even covering the cost of your party. For more information please see the Gambling Commission’s website at:

Noise

It is important to be aware of causing a nuisance arising from noise. To avoid this:

consult everyone in your street about having a street party.
notify any neighbours of your event, what time it will finish and what is planned to take place.
include a name and telephone number of an individual that residents can contact if they are being disturbed by the party.
carry out regular checks and noise assessments throughout the event to ensure that any noise is not causing a disturbance. Take immediate action where it is identified that levels are causing a disturbance. The council's Environmental Health Noise Team can offer you further guidance if required.
keep volume levels of music and related entertainment to a reasonable level, and vary the type of entertainment provided.
make sure the volume of music and other entertainment is reduced where it is scheduled to run into the evening as children and other residents may be trying to sleep. Peoples’ tolerance of all forms of noise tends to reduce the later an event runs.
ensure that the event does not extend to outside of the designated area, and that anyone who attended the event is considerate of neighbours as they arrive/leave.

Safety

place tables, chairs and stalls in such a way to allow for easy access by emergency service vehicles.
make sure that hydrants and hydrant markers remain clear and accessible for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service to use.
be careful where you attach bunting and other materials. Make sure they do not pose a fire risk, obstruction or a hazard to the public.

Clearing Up

You will need to clean after your street party. It’s your street, your party, so keep your local area clean and tidy. Let people know in advance what time the party will finish and have a section set aside for rubbish and recycling.

Finally……….

Please allow plenty of organisation time for holding your street party, the relevant Stroud District Council Services can be contacted on the numbers below and are ready to help:

Stroud District Council Environmental Health (Noise) 01453 754487

Stroud District Council Licensing01453 754440

Stroud District Council Legal Services01453 754386 or 754368

Gloucestershire County Council Highways08000 514514

Gloucestershire Fire Service 01452 888777

N\licensing\factsheets\Street Parties/July 2015

Updated March 2016