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?

Our old street held parties all the time - BBQs and so on. Royal birthday or not. Everyone just rocked up with a dish of food and a crate of beer. But it was a quiet, dead-end road facing onto a common, and we all knew each other really well.

New place - we have a whole village party planned for tomorrow, on the school field. Unless it's tipping down I'll make the effort and go along. I really miss knowing all my neighbours.

Come to ours Jessica rabbit then because I'm sat chilling on my sofa while ours is happening.

I prioritise in my life and make time for people that matter.

Unfortunately my neighbours don't matter to me because over the ten years Iv got to know the people on my road - Iv learnt that most of them are superficial , judgmental and lack empathy.

YANBU

All the 'community spirit' enforcers can do one. I live in a nice community minded area where I am friendly with my neighbours. Never had a street party. We have however summer fetes, fairs, carnivals, fund raising drives, litter picks, petitions, library closure protests. Things that actually mean something and benefit us. Not to celebrate a wealthy oligarch's non-birthday.

Not RTFT but I'm with you OP.

When our street had one for Will and Kate's wedding we made sure we were away for the weekend.

I'm sure Queenie-poo won't mind awfully if I eat a sausage roll inside instead of attending our town's little shindig.

To those of you who got on their high horses to me about the community spirit etc, I have to report that though most houses on the road had a table outside yesterday, hardly anyone really spoke to anyone else apart from their immediate neighbours. The only ones who really socialised were the children, so it just goes to show, we can try as hard as we like to instil a sense of community into them while they're young, but when they grow up they'll all still turn into miserable old fits just like me

Gits not fits, obviously

YANBU - I hate them. Last night one went on til 1am with someone shouting through a loud speaker. It's a bloody cheek.

Yabu you misery.

We had a fantastic street party when Charles and Diana got married but now we live in a miserable street!

Ours don't care about the royal element (and nor do I) - most years it's had a nod to charity fundraising, with things like raffles and head-shavings, but it's mainly an excuse for a party. There's no coercion to participate, either - I would say about half the residents do and the others are not harassed about it.

Crikey Lottie that's a bit much. It started raining here at 6 and everyone wanted to watch the football so we had none of that malarkey (despite the "party house" a few doors up having dozens of teenagers show up at 5 armed with crates of beers and alcopops).

I do have it in my heart to be a bit sorry for people having their parties around here today though - it's about 15C and pissing it down

No coercion here either Solid but unfortunately our house is right on the bit of the road where there's a turning area which is the obvious place to hold the races etc so I'm not sure I could've managed to pretend to be out all day!

I totally agree , hate street parties and I won't attend them and I don't care if neighbours think I'm a miserable old git, it's preferable to mixing with a load of people I don't like and all they want to do is pry into my private business.

@Franslat

there are zombie threads but this is a 'deader' one than those - 2016

Love a street party! You do have the options of not partaking.

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