THE Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is almost upon us – which means most of us are getting ready for a garden party with our neighbours.
But if you want a celebration that The Queen would approve of, then etiquette expert William Hanson reveals what you should avoid on the day.
Gazebos
Although it looks like the sun will be making an appearance over the weekend, this is England and it’s always best to be prepared for rain.
So if you do plan on putting a gazebo up, William said it’s best to steer clear of white ones – as they often look grubby.
“A darker colour always works better, a nice British racing green gazebo is often a lot smarter than a white one because it shows every bit of dirt.
“But if you have got a white one, wash it down.
“If it’s been stored in your garage and you’ve had cobwebs and mice all over it – then it won’t look particularly nice and it’s not what The Queen would want.”
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Union Flags
Street parties are great for boosting neighbourhood morale – especially after Covid stopped us interacting with our neighbours as much.
But if you plan on decorating with the Union flag, there’s a way to do it tastefully explains the expert.
“Where you get into tacky-ville is when you have the union flag on absolutely everything.
“So choose to represent it in one form, like bunting, and stick to that.
“It doesn’t need to be on the plates, cups, table cloths and flags coming out of your moussaka,” William said.
Food
One of the main events of a street party is the food, and if you really want to celebrate in style, then make sure it’s not all beige.
William explained: “You can certainly always tell it’s a slightly more upmarket street party because there is a variety of colour, it’s not all beige.
“By all means have some pork pies, sausage rolls, quiches, but have some carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and salads to add some colour.”
He said it’s best if someone is coordinating who is bringing what – otherwise you’ll end up with 48 lasagnes and it’s tedious.
William also recommends bringing your own china to the party and taking it home to wash up after rather than eating off paper plates for a more luxurious dining experience.
Don’t get drunk
Just because you have an extra day off doesn’t mean it’s the time or place to get too merry.
The etiquette expert warned: “It’s not an opportunity to get drunk.
“There are young kids there, elderly people there so if you are falling over the table, which probably wasn’t very secure in the first place, people aren’t going to think kindly of you.
“Know your limits and stick to them.”
Entertainment for all
It’s impossible to pick one type of music everyone is going to like, as street parties are for every age group.
William suggests: “The most diplomatic thing to do is to play the number one hits from 1952 to today in sequential order – this way you won’t get the Beatles coming off the back of Lizzo which will sound a little weird.
“The elderly in the street probably won’t see the course of the party, so they might leave when it gets to the Eighties from a musical point of view.
“The contemporary music can be enjoyed by the party animals who will be there until the end.”
Clean up
When the celebration is over, being responsible for cleaning up after yourself is hugely important William said.
“Even if there is an organiser, they are not responsible for the tidy up, it is a team effort.
If you don’t want to help with cleaning up – don’t attend in the first place.
“There needs to be lots of bin bags to hand – and it’s a common courtesy to bring a couple of bin bags with you as well.”
