How, when and where to host a Coronation street party or Big Lunch: everything you need to know
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Celebrations for the coronation of King Charles III, centred on the bank holiday weekend of May 6-8 2023, are set to be among the biggest community get-togethers in British history.
At the heart of festivities will be street parties across the country and the Coronation Big Lunch: a series of events that the Royal family and Government are encouraging members of the public to get involved in, or even host.
More than 7,000 such events were registered at the time of its announcement through the Coronation Big Lunch website (where you can also submit your own plans to be added to its interactive map) – that’s an estimated one million people keen to take part, with many more signing up each day.
Here's everything you need to know about when and how to close your road for a party, what the Coronation Big Lunch is all about and how to organise your own celebrations for the bank holiday weekend.
When can I host a street party for the Coronation Big Lunch?
Ordinarily, Big Lunch events take place nationwide during the first weekend of June. However, to celebrate the King’s coronation, the main date has been brought forward to May 7, the day after the King and Queen Consort’s coronation at Westminster Abbey.
The Big Lunch is designed to be as flexible as possible, so organisers are inviting participants to take part any time between May 6-8, or any date in June – by hosting street parties, garden parties and community get-togethers. If the daytime setting doesn’t suit, why not host a “Lunar Lunch” by the light of the moon instead?
What food to serve at a street party or Big Lunch
The centrepiece of any party is, of course, the edible spread itself, with food acting as a great vehicle to bring people together and enable everyone to contribute.
Discover the Telegraph's favourite recipes for a party here, from scones and sausage rolls to cucumber sandwiches and gin and mint cocktails. You might also try the “official” coronation dishes, including an East-meets-West-style lamb, trifle and an aubergine bake.
Meanwhile, a quiche, made with spinach, broad beans, cheese and tarragon, has been “personally chosen” by the King and Queen to mark their coronation. It was selected in discussion with royal chef Mark Flanagan, who devised it, and is felt to be a “good sharing dish” to take to a Coronation Big Lunch as it can be served hot or cold and is easily adapted to suit a wide variety of tastes and dietary requirements.
It follows in the footsteps of Coronation Chicken, created to mark the late Queen’s 1953 celebration, and the Platinum Pudding, which marked last year’s Platinum Jubilee.
How to close your road for a street party
The first step is to contact your council to organise a formal road closure. The process for this will vary depending on where you live, but generally you will need to submit an application around two months in advance.
You will likely be asked to include a plan describing which section of the road you would like to close, along with a list of the properties and businesses affected, evidence of support from neighbours, and a suggested diversion route for traffic. Bear in mind that main roads, bus routes, bus diversion routes, and blue routes (those used by emergency services vehicles) are unlikely to have applications granted.
On the other hand, if you are hosting a street party on a quiet cul-de-sac or non-through road where you get little traffic anyway, some local authorities won’t require you to have formal permission. Some councils charge an application fee, but many have chosen to waive it for the coronation.
Once the council approves your request to close your road for a street party, you need to rent or borrow “road closed” signs for the date itself so you can party without stress. Additional help and advice for closing your road can be found on the Coronation Big Lunch website.
What is the Coronation Big Lunch?
The charity Eden Project Communities created the Big Lunch initiative in 2009. Its aim is to combat social isolation and loneliness by encouraging communities to get together and share an annual meal with their neighbours. There are no rules about what constitutes a Big Lunch: it could be a street party where the road is closed, a picnic in a neighbour’s garden or common green space, or just a few sandwiches eaten on the doorstep with the people next door.
The focus is getting the neighbourhood together in as big a way as possible to get everyone talking and socialising. Anyone can host a Big Lunch by applying for a Big Lunch pack through the Eden Project Communities website, and over the past 13 years, it claims to have supported more than 1 million community celebrations across the UK.
In addition, in Jubilee years there have been Big Lunch events held in more than 70 commonwealth countries across the globe. The royal connection is a strong one, too. Since 2013, Camilla, the Queen Consort, has been a patron of the charity, and for Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee last year a record-breaking 216,315 Big Lunches took place, with 17.2 million people (a quarter of the UK population) taking part.
How to organise a street party for the Coronation Big Lunch
For those planning to host a Big Lunch, the first step is to apply for a free Coronation Big Lunch pack online.
The pack contains customisable invitations and posters to distribute around the neighbourhood, as well as advice on signing up to apps such as NextDoor to help spread the word. The pack also offers ideas and guides on how to decorate your neighbourhood, from tips on how to make bunting to conversation starters (“Have you ever met a member of the Royal family?”, “What’s your favourite way to spend a bank holiday?”, “What’s something nice that’s happened to you this week?”, “What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?”)
Online, The Big Lunch website also includes ideas for games to play during the event and other ways to socialise.
While the Big Lunch is primarily designed just to get neighbours together and help break the ice, you can also use it as an opportunity to raise awareness or funds for a community issue or charity. Last year £22 million pounds was raised at Big Lunch and Big Jubilee Lunch events across the UK.
