Do you need insurance to have a street party?

Whether you’re looking to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, National Thank You Day or a street party for another special occasion, there’s a lot to plan for. With a strong sense of community and shared celebration, street parties are a tradition in the UK which bring family, friends and neighbours together. As joyous as these national events are, there is always a risk of something going wrong, and you don’t want to end up being held accountable after your hard efforts in organising the party.

In some cases, you could be required to have insurance to hold a street party (for example, some councils will insist that you do). To find out whether insurance is mandatory for your street party event, you should get in touch with your local council/authority to find out what steps you need to take to meet their criteria (for example, you may need to have a certain level of indemnity). Typically large events, street parties which charge an entry fee and events that have commercial activities taking place may need licences and permissions from the council. 

Even if it’s not necessary for you to take out street party insurance, it’s still worth considering, especially when accidents can happen at any time. From minor burns on BBQs to slips and falls, anything can happen at your street party, and you want to be prepared for it. Without street party insurance in place, you could be held legally responsible for damage to third party property or injuries to members of the public, which can be very costly. From the moment you start setting up and throughout the event, there’s a risk that someone could make a claim against you if they’re injured. 

What does street party insurance cover?

Street party insurance is designed to cover you from public liability, which is one of the biggest risks at these types of events. You can also get additional cover for further financial protection. Below is a brief outline of the main types of cover street party insurance may provide:

• Public liability - this will cover you for accidental bodily injury to a member of the public or accidental damage to third party property if you’re found to be responsible as a result of your negligence when organising or running the event. Slips, trips and falls are amongst the most common claims.

• Employers liability - the people who you’ve hired to work at your street party are also at risk of injury, and they may also make a claim against you. Employers liability covers you for your legal liability to pay for damages and expenses relating to claimants costs (whether your staff are paid or not).

• Event equipment - this covers you for accidental loss, damage or theft of items you're bringing along to your street party event or hiring that you’re legally responsible for. These items could be hired, leased or owned.

• Cancellation, abandonment of postponement - the last thing you want is for your street party to not go ahead, but some things are out of your control. If you’re forced to cancel your event, you can get cover for irrecoverable costs.Some insurers will also offer cancellation cover relating to adverse weather conditions but this may not be offered as standard.

Here at Event Insurance Services, we offer the four key covers mentioned above in our street party insurance, however, event cancellation insurance is looked at on a case by case basis and is available on request. Find out more about what we cover here.

Why get street party insurance?

If you discover that you’re not obligated to take out street party insurance, you may be on the fence as to whether it’s worth the investment. Below are some of the top reasons why street party insurance can be important:

• You’ll be able to relax during your event knowing that if an accident should happen, you’ll be covered. This means that you can put all of your time and effort into the smooth running of the event instead of worrying about what could go wrong.

• You’ll have financial protection - this is the biggest advantage of event insurance. Claims made against you can be extremely costly and you don’t want to end up out of pocket.

How do you get street party insurance? 

Getting street party insurance is an easy process. All you need to do is provide an insurer with details about yourself (such as your name, address and phone number) as well as some information about the street party you’re holding (i.e which street the event is taking place on and whether you’re organising the event yourself or are a part of a committee). You’ll also need to highlight the level of cover you wish to get. Once you’ve provided these details, you will be sent a quote for the insurance policy and can choose to make a purchase online.

How much does street party insurance cost?

The cost of your street party insurance will be dependent on a number of factors, such as:

• The number of people attending your party.

• The level of cover you would like.

• How long your event will last.

• What types of activities you’ll be running (if activities that are considered to be hazardous are taking place, then your insurance policy could cost more as there's an increased risk of injuries occurring).

To give you an idea of costs, you can get street party insurance for public liability from £59 here at Event Insurance Services (for a £5m premium) which will cover you for a party that has up to 100 people attending throughout the entire event. If you’re planning something much bigger, with up to 500 attendees, insurance is available from £146 (for a £5m premium). This is just to give you an indication of costs and we do have several options for you to choose from. You can find a more detailed breakdown of costs on our cover and premiums page.

Planning a street party? 

If you’re planning a street party and you’re looking for financial protection, you’ve come to the right place! Here at Event Insurance Services, we endeavour to protect our customers from costly claims so they can throw events with the peace of mind they need. 

Take a look at our street party insurance here and get a quote or get in touch with us today to speak to a member of our friendly team.