The East End tradition of a good old street party seems to be alive and well in Newham, with record numbers of people applying to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.
Newham Council has already received many applications for street party licences and says it is already expecting even more community celebrations than there were for the Royal Wedding weekend.
There are also numerous events being planned in schools, gardens, parks, pubs, open spaces and community centres for the weekend from June 2-5.
Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales said: “We are being inundated daily with enquiries about the June weekend, the 2012 Games and St George’s Day.
“As part of our Let’s Get the Party Started programme to help you organise your own events, we are pulling out all the stops to make holding your party as straightforward as possible by cutting out the red tape.
“Enthusiasm is rising and so far we have had almost 150 applications, at a rate well beyond that of last year’s Royal Wedding. People are telling us they had such a great time at street parties that they want to hold one again, and many people who didn’t get involved in those community celebrations don’t want to miss out this time round.
“The East End’s street party tradition has been well and truly resurrected and people have told me they are preparing to dust down their fold-out tables and unpack the bunting.”
Newham Council is also offering grants of between £250 and £500, advice about road closures and help with promotion for celebration events.