Street parties and fetes

About street parties

Street parties are a great way to meet your neighbours and build community spirit by coming together to celebrate national or local events. Or, simply a way to create a fun, and safe space for children to play.

What are street parties

Street parties are small, self-organised events for residents and neighbours. Small, private, street parties and fetes do not normally require a licence.

Holding a street party

If you would like to organise a street party near your home, remember to plan early and get your friends and neighbours involved in the set up. If you want to close a road to hold your street party, you will need to apply for a temporary road closure.

The application needs to be submitted at least twelve weeks before the event.

Organising a street party

The key to organising a successful street party is to get all your friends and neighbours together and start planning your event early.

You can find plenty of tips, advice and support for organising a successful event on the following websites:

Here are a few key things to consider:

Consulting your neighbours

Holding a street party will affect your neighbours, especially if you intend on a road closure. For this reason, it is important that you write to the owner and occupiers (including business premises) in the street where the event is being held at least twelve weeks before the event. This will help you get support for your event and find out if there are any objections.

You can use the below sample letters to send to your neighbours or for recording any objections you may receive:

If you do receive any objections, you will need to submit them when you fill out your street party application form or email them to network.management@brent.gov.uk at least 3 weeks before the event.

Road closures and fees

When applying for a road closure, sketch a map of the roads to be closed for the street party and submit it with your application.

Fees

Brent council charge a fee for processing a road closure:

£200 for street parties (residents only)
£1,125 Road closure for religious events
£1,375 Road closure for commercial events

All traffic orders do not have VAT but an additional management fee of 12.5% will be added.

If the event has an entrance fee or is profit-making and commercial in any other way, the council charges its standard fee. Read more about

To find out more about the cost of road closures, contact network.management@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 5025.

You must obtain police consent for the event and the road closure. Emergency services must also be allowed full access to the road if they request it. Therefore it is important that the arrangement of stalls, tables and other street furniture is planned in such a way that it can be moved at short notice.

Parking suspension

If you do not want cars to be parked on the street during the event, you will need to apply for a parking suspension at least two weeks before the event.

Risk assessment and indemnity

Safety requirements Public safety is the most important consideration in planning your street party.

We recommend that event organisers complete a risk assessment form, this will help identify any accidents that could occur and actions you could take to reduce the risk. Find out more about risk assessments and safety.

We also ask that you to provide proof that you have appropriate and sufficient Public Liability Indemnity in case of any accident resulting from the closure or the event. A list of insurers is available on the Association of British Insurers website.

The risk assessment and proof of indemnity can be submitted when you fill out your street party application form or email it to network.management@brent.gov.uk at least three weeks before the event.

Safety requirements

Event organisers must arrange for temporary reflective barriers to be placed at the points of road closures in order to alert motorists. Organisers are also responsible for placing and removing diversion signs. Reflective barriers should be staffed at all times by a responsible person.

In order to maintain access for residents and for the emergency services, a minimum clear-way of 3.66m throughout the length of the closed street must be maintained. Parking of vehicles in the vicinity of barriers is prohibited and no overspill of parking is allowed in any adjacent street. Multiple parking (either side by side or head on) is also prohibited.

Stalls, tables and other objects placed on the street must not obstruct the entrance to individual properties. Additionally, please remember that street fire hydrants and signs indicating the locations of hydrants must not be obscured in any way.

Licences

If you want to have a pay bar, intend to provide entertainment to the wider public, or charge to raise money for your event, you will need a Temporary Event Notice Application for expected attendance up to 499 at least ten days before the event.

The premises user must also give notice to the chief officer of the local police department no later than ten working days before the event by emailing NWMailbox.LicensingBrent@met.police.uk or send a letter to:

Brent Licensing Police,
Harrow Police Station,
74 Northolt Road,
Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 0DN

Find further information about Temporary Event Notices and Premises Licences.

Apply for a street party road closure

Before applying, make sure you read the guidance on how to organise a street party.

It is important to submit your application at least twelve weeks before the day itself.

As part of the online application form, you will need to submit the following information:

the name(s) of road(s) that will need to be closed and the date and time that they need to be closed
a log of any objections that have been raised, including details of who raised them (if applicable)
a sketch of the planned layout of the stalls and barriers for your street party
a sketched map of the roads to be closed for the street party
a risk assessment.

Supporting documents can be submitted at a later date as specified in the 'Organising a street party' section. Please note, your application may be delayed if you do submit your documents in time.

Apply for a street party road closure

Last updated 31/07/23