Holding a street party in Kensington and Chelsea
We are here to support residents with facilitating community events which are fun and safe.
This page should be read in conjunction with the current Covid-19 specific requirements before submitting an application. For more details, please visit the Covid-19 leisure and culture hub page.
What is a street party?
Street parties are parties for neighbours.
They're organised by residents, not advertised to the wider public and they're not commercial activities.
Street parties take place in small residential roads where they will have minimal affect on traffic or parking.
If you want to check that your event qualifies as a street party, contact us at:
- Phone: 020 7341 5762
- Email: specialevents@rbkc.gov.uk
If you want to plan a bigger event which includes inviting the wider public or commercial activities, you'll need to contact us to find out what the process is or visit the Special Events webpage for more details.
What do I need to do?
To organise your street party, you'll need to:
- plan in advance (we suggest getting in touch at least 2 months before your street party)
- consult with everyone on your street to make sure they support the event. This could be via a letter drop or public meeting. We will ask for evidence that the event is supported locally.
- let us know the details of the street party by completing an online form (you will need to create an account)
- Please include a site plan of your event with your application (this can be hand drawn or digital, but please include as much detail as possible about how your event will look on the street)
You may want to look at some helpful hints put together by Streets Alive, an organisation that promotes street parties.
Will I need to submit other documents or Public Liability Insurance?
Professional event documentation is not required for residential street parties, but it might help you to write your plans down to help explain them to others or to remind yourself on the day.
A Risk Assessment or Public Liability Insurance is not required if everything at the event is from your and your neighbours’ homes (ie. Residents only, no hired equipment or commercial activity).
We will ask you to sign an Indemnity Form if you choose not to arrange Public Liability Insurance, however the cost can be very low and would be worth having if there was an accident which resulted in injury.
What happens next?
We will review the details sent to us in your online form and will be in touch shortly to confirm the next steps of the process.
Depending on your plans, there may be extra forms to complete. We will provide you with all the information you need to ensure everything is in place.
Additional permissions might include some or all of the following:
- Temporary Event Notice (if selling alcohol or playing amplified music of any kind)
- Temporary Traffic Order (to temporarily close the street to hold your party)
- Parking suspensions (to ensure the street is clear of vehicles and safe to hold the event)
- Temporary Highway Consent (permission needed to place structures on the street)
- Temporary Street Trading (if applicable)
Is there a cost to hold a street party?
Most residential street parties are facilitated without a charge, but some may incur a small fee.
This will depend on:
- The size and nature of the event
- If a waste collection is required
- If a licence is required for alcohol sales or amplified music
Who closes the road?
After your application has been reviewed and processed, the council will issue you with a Street Closure Notice, which you will need to print and display at either end of your road closure.
This is to explain the reason for the closure to road users and other members of the public.
You will need to source your own road closure barriers (and stewards if required).
Food, drink and licensing
Food hygiene legislation will still apply if food is provided to members of the public. This is regardless of whether money has been exchanged.
Food providers do not need to have a food hygiene certificate. They should take responsibility for preparing food in a safe and hygienic manner.
We will collect details of anybody selling food or drinks at the street party and liaise with Environmental Health so they can ensure that health and safety precautions are being carried out before, during and after the event. A temporary street trading licence will be needed for anything which is sold for a fixed price at your party. We can provide more details on this after you apply.
Find out about providing safe food at street parties and other community events on the Food Standards Agency website.
Waste Collection
Street parties can generate additional waste and debris which is not expected with weekly household waste collections and routine street sweeps, so if your street party includes the sale of food, drinks or there will be any additional waste, you will need to let us know so we can provide a quote for a rubbish collection to take place on the evening of the street party after it has finished, the street is clear of infrastructure and everybody has gone home.
You will need to bag up the rubbish and leave it in a designated location, but we can discuss these details with you once we know more about your event.