Street parties are a very British tradition and have been used to bring communities together and celebrate the end of wars, royal coronations, weddings, jubilees as well as key dates such as the turn of the millennium. But, how did street parties start?
It is believed, the first mass street parties took place in Britain in 1919 as ‘Peace Teas’, marking the end of the First World War. Although the fighting ended in November 1918, it took six months of negotiations to sign the Treaty of Versailles, officially marking peace times. The treaty was signed on 19th July 1919. Declared Peace Day, there was an additional bank holiday and Peace Teas were encouraged. The focus was mainly on feeding children as many had suffered a great deal during the war and the 1918/19 flu epidemic commonly known as the Spanish flu.
Since Peace Teas, Brits have used street parties as away to celebrate. Here are just some of the occasions that brought Tameside residents together.
VE Day - marking the end of the Second World War - 8th May 1945
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - 2nd June 1953
Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II - June 1977
In order to keep the tradition of street parties alive, Tameside Council are encouraging residents to host street parties for Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Closing your road to host a street party is completely free and there are plenty of resources to help you plan. You can find more information to organise a street party here.
Nikki Burrough
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