To think street parties are completely awful?

[TheHuntingOfTheSarky]

So, our road is having a street party today. The road is closed and lots of people have been up and about this morning stringing bunting from every available place and setting up their BBQs.

Anyway, I hate it. I want to spend the day with all the curtains drawn watching Netflix, drinking wine out of the bottle and eating pizza. But I can't because it's "for the children" and my DDs have been looking forward to it for weeks and most of the activities (oh yes, there's a tug of war and everything) are happening right outside our house. So I am going to have to show my face (at least for a bit), make small talk with the neighbours and pretend to be enjoying myself.

I know, I know. I'm a miserable old cow. But I can socialise properly when I want to, I promise. I just like to do it with people I actually like rather than people I just happen to live on the same road with. Every time I tell friends how I feel they just laugh and say "oh don't be silly, it sounds like great fun, you'll have a lovely time" or think I'm joking and actually I can't wait until it starts. No one understands!

I'm probably BVU aren't I?

I think it sounds like fun. But, it's peeing it down here so I'm more then happy to stay in PJ's eating sausage sandwiches and watching films today.

I think this year they moved the Big Lunch (normally last Sunday of half term) a weekend forward to coincide with Queenie Bday

our street had it last weekend, as usual

I really couldn't be doing with royal bollocks me

I suspected as much 3dogs

I'm not sure how a few dozen middle class suburbanites wearing silly hats and chugging sauv blanc are contributing to society. And our children already know the importance of regular contact with others ffs! We don't live in a hermitage!!

I think this does definitely depend on your neighbours.

Personally I'd love to do something like this as I live on my own. I do know all my neighbours on my little row of terraces (there are 5 properties) and a 'nodding acquaintance' to others further along. We drink wine / chat / have 3, 4 and 5 way conversations in each others back gardens / over the fence anyway as it's a really old row (140 yr old stone cottages) where you still have rights across each others gardens all the way along.

Our street would be perfect too as it's parallel to the main 'a' road and not a rat run anywhere so hardly any traffic movement. Only problem is it's p*issing down at the moment. Pretty gutted really we should have been more organised and sorted something.

Each to their own though and if it's really not your thing you are just going to have to drink wine grin and bear it.

I can't stand the Royal bollocks either but I don't mind the idea of street get togethers as long as they are infrequent, not too long and organised by someone else.

We have had a few and it's nice to know who everyone is. although, I think all my neighbours are called Bob and Shirley 🤔 I'm only on popping in for a cuppa' terms with one neighbour but If I had a problem I could happily call on any of my neighbours and I'm sure they would help.

We are all (I think and hope!) happy to take in parcels and to keep an eye on each other's houses while they are away. I like where I live.

Objectively speaking you are probably being U, but I have to admit that as a single person I avoid our annual street party like the plague.

We're having ours tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. The whole 'Queen's birthday' thing was just a "hey, the council will make it easier to close the road if we do it on this weekend, what do we think?"

I enjoy it. Mainly because the kids have an absolute ball and nothing to do with the fact the lovely lady at no2 is an amazing baker and brings cake and it's one day so even if wet fish across the road does come and is annoying for a bit so be it.

The only organising I do is being in charge of bunting, hats and paper plates/cups and there is not a union jack in sight.

We are going to our one tomorrow (for the fourth year running). DS and I like them, we get on well with most of the neighbours and always have fun. Generally our lot play down any Royal aspects and regard it as a good excuse to hang out, get the kids on their scooters and hire a bouncy castle, music, food, get pissed etc. But if you don't like it, why not claim illness and let the kids go by themselves? It's right outside your house, after all, so they can't get lost.

YANBU! I absolutely detest the royal family. I would rather stick pins in my eyes than attend a street party for her birthday.

For the Scots who are miffed that there are no street parties- that's not necessarily true.
There's Bungo in the Lanes - wee mini street festival in the lanes at Strathbungo. Tis usually very good. Local music, foodie bits and homeowners get to have free stalls (non locals have to pay.)
It's on Saturday 18th June this year and starts at 1pm :)

Bungo Map

It's a bit silly really given its not even her birthday.

Why we don't just have a 'celebrate the monarch' date in June I don't know!

For all that I do rather like a bit of hunting :)

I'm at risk of outing myself here but never mind.

The last street party we had full scale war broke out between all our neighbours. 4 years later it's still going strong & we're still stuck in the middle.

For that reason I say YANBU!

Bernard, come on now.

You have to give us more details than that.

I really liked ,my street parties, but then they were divided between the first group who came for a bit, chatted about bunting, got stressed when it was time to move the drunks on and went home early and the second group, the aforementioned drunks, who all ended up moving into the large house of the drunk ringleader and partying late. I was pregnant at the Queens jubilee but still had a great time with the drunk contingent.

Oh it with over something really trivial. Someone went on someone else's car & from that all manner of other accusations ensued & it eneded up with the police having to come & break it up at about 11pm. We live between the 2 worse culprits & it's a bloody nightmare. We now have parking wars & street slanging matches around once a month.

lent not went

Oh dear Bernard.

You'd think you might start to let it go a bit after 4 years, eh?

YANBU. They are toss

Well exactly. You do have to admire their grudge holding capabilities though.

That's the trouble with wanting to live in a nice community spirited area .......you have to contribute yourself too.

I've never been to a street party before :(

My street is about 2.5 miles long so it'd be hard to do :(

I'm in Scotland.
Kids know nothing except what I've told them / seen on news.
School resolutely ignoring as is Community and Church.

That's the trouble with wanting to live in a nice community spirited area .......you have to contribute yourself too.
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^^* this

I watch the programmes on tv about island parishes, island living, like Sark for example and think ooh that looks lovely then I see what the islanders do planning, organising fetes, parades, harvest festival, etc etc and I think oh fuck that