Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be disappointed at poor response re street party

494 replies

Geminijust · 21/02/2023 13:58

Smallish, quiet street, approx 45 houses, generally pretty friendly. Neighbour & I thought it might be nice to throw a party for the coronation. Council encouraging it by offering road closures & free insurance.

Sent out a note with a return slip asking people to say if they would interested, if they would be willing to help and inviting comments & suggestions. Gave them 2 weeks to respond. Deadline has passed and we have 17 responses, all positive, but that's less than half the street! AIBU to think it's really disappointing and actually rather rude :-(

Think we're going to send text to those that bothered to respond thanking them but, as we don't have a majority, informing them we will not be proceeding.

😐

OP posts:
ilovesooty · 21/02/2023 15:43

Hobbi · 21/02/2023 14:15

If any of my neighbours wanted to close my street in order to impose jingoistic celebrations of privilege, wealth, entitlement and corruption, I'd treat the invite with the contempt it deserves.

I think I'd contact the council to object to the road closure as well.

kitsuneghost · 21/02/2023 15:43

Not being funny but how do people get in and out for work if you close the street? Do you just move tables then move them back?

Cosycover · 21/02/2023 15:44

Kind of rude to assume everyone is interested in having a celebration actually

ItchyBillco · 21/02/2023 15:44

This might sound terrible but this is why I live in a house over a mile from the nearest neighbour.

MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake · 21/02/2023 15:46

17 out of 45 seems a decent response to me. I wouldn't want to participate as I think the whole institution is a crock of shit. But if my neighbours wanted to close the street off for a party I wouldn't object to them doing so.

APodofWildOrca · 21/02/2023 15:46

I sometimes think the world is made up of people who reply to invites/texts immediately and those who don't - and each side struggles to understand the other.

To be honest I probably wouldn't have replied. Just because I probably wouldn't be sure at this point what I want to do that long weekend. I may decide to go away (or heaven forbid get invited to something else with closer friends I prefer to do). I wouldn't want to send an 'I am not interested' though as it would feel rude to me (and would be untrue). So unless I had a specific reason I couldn't go, I would probably wait a while..

I realise though this frustrates a lot people. I have friends who reply to everything immediately, even with a blunt - 'that's not my thing thanks'. I just can't seem to be like that.

I would go ahead if I was you - that is a good response and others are likely to join nearer to the time.

MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake · 21/02/2023 15:47

Oh and YABU for saying those who didn't respond are rude.

mumda · 21/02/2023 15:47

Just do it.

I organised a party for our street for the 2012 Jubilee. Not everyone came but it was an amazing experience for those who did. It will be as strong a memory for those kids as the Silver Jubilee was for me.

mummabubs · 21/02/2023 15:49

Courtorder · 21/02/2023 14:07

You’re joking, right? You don’t get to put an unsolicited note through someone’s door and then label them as rude for not appropriately responding to you or appreciating your “effort”. It’s rude to put obligations onto people like you have.

Show quote history

Actually this sums it up much better! It's the unsolicited bit that makes your expectation unreasonable.

BasiliskStare · 21/02/2023 15:52

Honestly at this stage of the game I think 17 out of 45 positive responses is fine. If you had had 17 or any fierce objections we really don't want this as well - different. There can be somewhat of inertia ( or people busy & therefore haven't replied ) . I would say you are going ahead and see if anyone really objects. I bet you will get more people on the day. We intend to have one in our road but have floated the idea via residents' committee - details later - we thought a bit early to announce anything.

TimeToFlyNow · 21/02/2023 15:55

That's more replies than the street next to me had for the jubilee and they still went ahead and closed the road

skyfalldown · 21/02/2023 15:56

No way in hell you'd catch me at a coronation street party, you'd be laughed out of town if you tried to pull that here

AngelDelightUK · 21/02/2023 15:56

To be fair it would be my ideal of hell, and I wouldn’t be happy about the road closure either. Can it be done without the road closed? I’m assuming people living on the road will be able to get in and out?

littlefirecar · 21/02/2023 15:57

Maybe for those who didn't respond post another letter explaining the road will be closed and to respond if they do not agree to it

Personally I would have got back to you to tell you I'm not at all interested in the monarchy/ coronation but a lot of people feel uncomfortable expressing that to pro monarchy neighbours (I think a far larger percentage of people than you'd imagine don't really care for the monarchy but feel its not something they can say openly without being judged)

Starlightstarbright1 · 21/02/2023 15:59

If you asked me I have no idea when it even is

ReviewingTheSituation · 21/02/2023 15:59

We're taking advantage of the extra bank holiday to go away. I bet loads of people are thinking the same - especially with the bank holiday the week before too. 17 is a great number to agree this far out!

HoofWankingSpangleCunt · 21/02/2023 16:01

This thread has made me think about having an Off With Their Heads street party with mini guillotines amongst the party hats.

This is when I wished I lived back in the East End of London not a small suburb in Hertfordshire.

Sunshine275 · 21/02/2023 16:01

I don’t understand why you would cancel just because less than half want to come. My street has street parties I will be honest we attended one and it was clicky and really now our thing. It’s not rude because people don’t want to come.

CherriesSpring · 21/02/2023 16:02

I don’t think you’ve ever done research OP, getting responses from people is actually very hard, about anything. You’ve done well!

If you need to know majority are OK at having road closed you need to knock on doors and ask them. If they have concerns, be ready to be able to answer them.

Picklypickles · 21/02/2023 16:02

Ugh, I hate parties and not a fan of the monarchy either. Why do you have to inconvenience the rest of your street by having a "street party" it's not the 1950's anymore, most people drive and people work all kinds of shifts. You should have it somewhere else like a village hall.

MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake · 21/02/2023 16:02

I've just googled the date myself. Might plan a little weekend away somewhere.

ChilliHeelerFanClub · 21/02/2023 16:03

Sent out a note with a return slip asking people to say if they would interested, if they would be willing to help and inviting comments & suggestions.

This sounds like my actual worst nightmare, and I’m stunned you have 17 yeses.

AuntieMarys · 21/02/2023 16:05

I would laugh at you if I you sent me this. The Coronation can bugger off.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 21/02/2023 16:09

I think you got a pretty decent response tbh. Most people are busy and won't necessarily make time to respond if they're not that bothered either way.

If you want to organise something, go ahead, but don't expect that others will necessarily share your enthusiasm!

HashtagShitShop · 21/02/2023 16:11

Thats 20/30 people minimum ansd probably others would join on the day itself as usually happens - why would it be a bad return? 🤦🏻‍♀️ Surely you werent expecting 100 percent?