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Original poster

Are you doing the VE Day street party?

35 replies

spinthebottle · 07/05/2020 23:07

There’s been a widely shared VE Day social distancing street party with tea and cake decorating houses etc, are you/your street getting involved? It’s been shared on our streets WhatsApp but I’m not sure how it’s possible really. We have front gardens but they’re not huge. Just wondering what other people’s thoughts are or if you are doing it?

OP posts:
TheChosenTwo · 07/05/2020 23:16

Someone on our street sent letters through our door inviting us to sit in our front gardens and have afternoon tea. I’m at work tomorrow so I’ve got a bit of an out but I’ll be arriving home at 4:30.
We live on a main road.
All the people on our street have drives rather than ‘front gardens’. In order to be able to see each other, we’d have to put our cars on the road. But most people who do that end up with their wing mirrors smashed off. The last time it happened to my car it cost me £160 to replace it.
I’m not keen on doing it again Hmm and yet I’ll be seen as a party pooper for not joining in... already feeling pretty grumpy about it to be honest!

Joyfulincolour · 07/05/2020 23:18

Yes we are. It’s been really lovely seeing the neighbours putting up their flags and decorating their houses. We live in a close and we are quite far apart so we can have our picnics on our front gardens. It’s been nice to have something to look forward to. I hope yours goes well OP.

minipie · 07/05/2020 23:21

Honestly no, our front garden is barely big enough, paved with no plants and north facing so not going to be a nice place to spend the afternoon. Also most of our neighbours have planting in their front gardens that would mean they can only stand on their front path so can’t see it being popular. We might step out for one part of it I guess.

Pipandmum · 07/05/2020 23:24

Not in my street, which is a main one and most of he houses are flats (converted detached houses on my side) and we are the only single house. We're not a sociable bunch at the best of times.

salemcat · 07/05/2020 23:24

Nope,no neighbours plus it always seems to be more a English thing than a Scottish thing, at least where i am from

mamalovebird · 07/05/2020 23:32

We're not having a street party but as the kids have been learning about it this week from some school worksheets, we made some bunting today to put up and a vitoria sponge cake and will have a picnic in the garden tomorrow to mark the day.

Icanflyhigh · 08/05/2020 00:04

Yes we are, spent today colouring in bunting with the DCs, and tomorrow.we will have afternoon tea on our lawn and our neighbour who is a singer will be performing an impromptu "concert" from 3pm.
My plan is to get absolutely trollied and be in bed by 7pm!

PickAChew · 08/05/2020 00:07

No. Nothing organised here but we live on a main road so it would be ridiculous, anyway.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 08/05/2020 00:14

No. Our street is a quiet one. Plus my grandad who fought in Europe hated that sort of thing so I won't be celebrating.

StrawberryJam200 · 08/05/2020 00:15

We weren't doing anything til today, when I texted neighbours tentatively - using numbers mainly shared so we can look out for each other during lockdown - and to my delight nearly all (8 houses) responded positively. We're a line of houses opposite a little park on a through road so not that easy to gather.

We're just doing the We'll Meet Again singalong after the Queen's speech at 9, and I've invited anyone who wants to, to join me in marking the two minute silence at 11.

I also painted 2 A3 sheets of paper to make Union Jacks to decorate the front.

I've ordered lunch and tea from a local baker's and I'm feeling quite excited!

Bloodybridget · 08/05/2020 07:16

There's been no talk of it on my street WhatsApp group, I think it might seem a bit, I dunno, cringy. I'd like to sing along with A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square on R3 though - such a lovely song.

Bloodybridget · 08/05/2020 07:18

Btw I don't at all mean it's cringy to do stuff to celebrate VE Day, if I was somewhere where other people were going for it I would!

overnightangel · 08/05/2020 07:18

I’ll be at work and won’t be home until 8pm.
Thank fuck Wink

Angel2702 · 08/05/2020 07:21

Our street have decorated their houses and quite a few are joining in. Very surprising as usually they would never take part in anything like a street party. It’s been the most unlikely houses joining in with the clapping, rainbows etc throughout this.

PontiacBandit · 08/05/2020 07:28

No we live on a busy B road so don't have that kind of "street party road".
I'd like the kids to watch something to grasp how momentous the end on WW2 was. I hope there is something on today.

Purplequalitystreet · 08/05/2020 07:44

We're going to have afternoon tea in the garden. I'll do the sing along on the doorstep if the neighbours do. If not I'll raise a glass in my living room.

Beerincomechampagnetastes · 08/05/2020 07:45

A couple of my neighbours mentioned it tentatively to me but I was reluctant to ask on our neighbourhood WhatsApp. We’ve all been very responsible as a neighbourhood and everyone has taken the lockdown very seriously....but the fact is, I really resist opening up a conversation as there are so many people ready to be critical.
One of our elderly neighbours posted on our group WhatsApp suggesting we celebrate outside with social distancing.
I posted as did several others being supportive etc.
It didn’t take long...
A very long sanctimonious self righteous post advising us on social distancing and our duty as residents. Sad
I felt so sorry for our neighbour as he’d put himself out there. I called the poster directly and asked her to remove the critical post.
Nobody will join in now as they fear criticism.
So it’ll just be me in solidarity with our retired neighbour who is just desperate for some company and to mark an important day with friendly faces.

formerbabe · 08/05/2020 07:47

No I can't think of anything worse.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 08/05/2020 08:01

No. I’d imagine everyone will stick to the 2m rule at first then once drinking it will go out of the window.

Some of our neighbours already don’t seem to know what 2m distance is.

TravellingSpoon · 08/05/2020 08:04

I am at work until 10pm so no.

Awrite · 08/05/2020 08:07

No chance.

We do Clap for the NHS/Carers with gusto but, no, not this.

vanillandhoney · 08/05/2020 08:30

No. I live on a row of terraced houses so nobody has any kind of outdoor space out the front thank God.

I hate enforced community jollity at the best of times Blush

InMySpareTime · 08/05/2020 08:32

My street is having front garden parties, lots of flags and bunting are up already.
We agreed to join in, but since then it's escalated and gone really cringey with a singalong (lyrics posted through doors), a family quiz, and an extra NHS clap (which we won't be able to "forget about" as we usually do).
I was happy to sit out front and drink tea, but I'm not keen on all the jollity, and now I can't really get out of it.
DCs and DH will probably spend most of the afternoon "popping back in the house to fetch a " but I'll be stuck out there like a lemon.

Hoppinggreen · 08/05/2020 08:35

Yes we are, we live on a small cul De sac with a large grassy area out front so this evening we will all be going onto the grass bit nearest our houses or onto our driveways and having a party. Its easy for us all to stay well apart, far more than the recommendation and because of the circular layout we will all be able to see eachother.
Everyone has/is decorating their houses too
Really looking forward to it

Fuckinellitsme · 08/05/2020 09:10

Absolutely not.

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