VE DA
8
Your street party guide
Charlton Kings Parish Council encourages residents to come together to celebrate this historic occasion! If you ' re planning a street party for the 80th anniversary of VE Day on or around 8 May 2025, here’s everything you need to organise a fun, community-focused, and eco-friendly celebration with your neighbours.
1- CHAT TO YOUR NEIGHBOURS
Talk to your neighbours to gauge interest and form a small group to share responsibilities.
Creating a WhatsApp group can be a great way to keep everyone updated, share ideas, and coordinate plans efficiently
2- CHOOSING A DATE
May 8, 2025, falls on a Thursday and is not a bank holiday
You may prefer to host your party on the following Saturday or Sunday for better attendance.
VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) marks the end of
World War Two in Europe
On 8 May 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced Germany's surrender, bringing the war to a close
3. ROAD CLOSURE
APPLICATIONS
A street party really is best in a closed road as more people join in and it is great to have no traffic for the day.
Gloucestershire County Council is waiving the usual street party application fees for this event of national significance.
However, you still need to apply to close your road, a minimum of 8 weeks prior to your event. Please note:
Only residential streets qualify for free applications. Main roads are not eligible. You must arrange your own traffic management equipment if needed.
For road closure applications, fill out (printed versions are available at our office) and return it to: highways@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Another option is to organise an informal ‘Street Meet’ even at short notice.
With your neighbours pick a practical and safe area in the street to have a get-together: on a driveway, parking area, or front garden as it is on private land or at the end of a cul-de-sac, wide pavement or grass verge.
The key thing is that the residents affected are happy with the arrangement with the area being used, access and parking etc, and to make sure children are safely away from any vehicles.
You'll need to send your application by the 15 of March if your party is on the Saturday 10 of May Download the road closure application form
Depending on the nature of your event, you may need to apply for specific licenses through Cheltenham Borough Council No licence should be needed, unless selling anything.
Key considerations include:
Street trading – Required if any parties require the sale of any item in a street/publicly accessible area
Objects on the Highway – Required for any events which require tables/chairs or other objects to be placed on publicly accessible highway (not required for any stalls applied for via street trading).
> NOT NEEDED IF YOU APPLIED FOR ROAD CLOSURE
> NOT NEEDED IF YOU OPT FOR A STREET MEET ON A PRIVATE DRIVEWAY
> ONLY NEEDED IF ROAD IS OPEN TO TRAFFIC AND TABLES & CHAIRS ARE PLACED ON THE PAVEMENT/PATH WAYS.
Temporary Event Notices (TENs) – Required for the provision of regulated entertainment or sale of alcohol.
> NOT NEEDED TO PLAY MUSIC
> NOT NEEDED FOR BYOB
Street Collections – Required for any charitable cash/bucket collections. If all proceeds from a street trader are going towards charity, than a street collection may be required instead of a street trader application
More details can be found on the
Cheltenham Borough Council website
Email: Licensing@cheltenham gov uk Please be mindful of music & noise levels! Download the relevant application forms
5. ORGANISING AN ECO-FRIENDLY STREET PARTY
Make your celebration sustainable with these simple tips:
Use reusable plates, cups, and cutlery instead of single-use plastics
Encourage recycling by setting up clearly labeled bins
Plan for a little litter picking after the event.
Plan a plant-based menu or source food locally to reduce your carbon footprint.
Decorate with reusable bunting, fabric flags, and natural flowers instead of disposable plastic decorations.
Organise a food-sharing table to minimise waste and encourage community spirit. Avoid balloons and single-use plastic decorations.
Good tips can be found here
THE CHARLTON KINGS PARISH COUNCIL IS EXCITED TO PROVIDE PAPER BUNTINGS & CAKE TOPPERS TO HELP DECORATE YOUR STREET PARTY!
6. EASY VE DAY PARTY RECIPES
Try these classic, crowd-pleasing dishes for your street party:
1. Victoria Sponge Cake ��
200g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
Jam & whipped cream for filling
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) 1
Beat sugar and butter together, then add eggs one at a time 2.
Fold in flour and baking powder, then add milk. 3.
Divide between two greased cake tins and bake for 20 minutes 4.
Cool, then sandwich together with jam and cream. 5.
2. Egg & cress club sandwich ��
2 eggs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
3 slices bread
a little butter
⅓ carton of cress
2-3 slices of tomato You can add a lettuce leaf crisps to serve
Instructions:
1.
Boil eggs for 6 mins, cool under running water, then peel and let them cool completely
Mash or chop eggs, mix with mayo, and season. Toast the bread. 2.
3
Butter one slice, spread most of the egg, and top with cress. Add another slice, spread mayo, then add tomato/lettuce
4.
Top with remaining egg, add final toast slice, trim crusts if desired, and cut into quarters. Secure with picks and serve with crisps
Make sure to check if any attendees have food allergies or special dietary requirements.
7. KIDS' CORNER – COLOURING SHEETS & FUN ACTIVITIES
Here are some ideas to involve our little residents in the organisation of the street parties and keep them busy:
Download and print VE Day-themed activities and colouring sheets from our website (www.charltonkingsparishcouncil.gov.uk/veday-80th-anniversary) or pick copies up from our office!
Set up a DIY bunting station where kids can decorate their own flags.
Organize a mini-parade where children can march with homemade banners.
Download activity and colouring sheets for FREE
If you'd like to have small gifts for kids, preloved books are a wonderful option!
8. SPREAD THE WORD!
Invite neighbors through flyers, community boards, and local social media groups (WhatsApp usually works well for this type of events).
Coordinate with nearby residents to plan shared food, decorations, and activities
Ensure safety measures are in place, especially for road closures
Fill out this form to tell us when and where you'll be hosting your VE Day street party! We'll create and share a community map so everyone can see where celebrations are happening.
�� Your Name:
�� Email Address:
�� Phone Number (optional):
�� Street Name & Location:
�� Date of Your Party (Select one):
Thursday, 8 May 2025
Saturday, 10 May 2025
Sunday, 11 May 2025
Other (please specify):
⌚ Time of your party:
From ☐AM ☐PM to ☐AM ☐PM
�� Estimated Number of Attendees:
�� Road Closure Application:
Yes, we have applied for a road closure
No, we don’t need a road closure.
�� Planned Activities (tick all that apply):
Street picnic
Music/Entertainment
Kids' activities
Charity fundraiser
Other (please specify): [ ]
♻ Eco-Friendly Measures (tick any that apply):
Using reusable plates/cups
Providing recycling bins
Encouraging food sharing
Avoiding single-use plastics
�� Additional Information:
�� Would you like us to share your event on the community map?
Yes, share my event details
No, keep it private
Submit your form by the 8th of April to be included on the map! This form is also available here
Happy planning, and let’s make this
Useful links
Digital version of this guide: www.charltonkingsparishcouncil.gov.uk/ve-day-80th-anniversary
Your guide to organise a street party: The myths and the facts www.gov.uk/government/publications/your-guide-to-organising-a-street-party/your-guide-toorganising-a-street-party
VE Day 80: www veday80 org uk/
A very useful guide: https://www.streetparty.org.uk/guide/