Celebrations on the weekend ranged from a vibrant street party in Finchley, London with a huge multicultural sharing table, to events such as Joanna Coleman from Carlisle’s Big Lunch, which saw around 80 neighbours gather to share a picnic at the local village hall, and even a Mad Hatters Big Lunch tea party in Newtown, Wales.

In South Molton, Devon, The Benita Project held a Big Lunch serving a two-course ‘friendship meal’ as part of its mission to combat social isolation and support people struggling with food poverty.

Meanwhile, in Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, the Green Spaces Community Growing Project opened its doors to the local community to invite them to sample dishes featuring their homegrown produce.

Iconic locations across the UK joined in the fun, with a special Big Lunch taking place in the gardens of the Tate Britain, with attendees enjoying a visit from the Lord Mayor of Westminster.

In Cornwall, Bude Sea Pool invited local people to join in with their annual waterside event, complete with sea shanties, paddleboarding and hundreds of scones.

Eden Project, home of The Big Lunch marked the occasion by treating visitors and dogs, following research from the charity revealing that we think our furry friends set the best example with two-thirds (62%) of people saying dogs are more sociable than humans. Any visitors coming along to Eden with a dog were invited to enjoy free refreshments in the attraction’s bunting-decked cafes and restaurants.

At community hubs, people of all ages spent time together enjoying a bite to eat and getting to know each other better. Brandwood Centre in Birmingham hosted its first Big Lunch, inviting its close-knit community to tuck into free food and explore a tabletop car boot sale.

A refugee support charity The Trinity Centre, Cardiff held a Big Lunch kicking off with a litter pick and encouraging guests to support the planet with seed bomb workshops and bird feeder making sessions. Also going green were a community garden in Dundee and Castle Point allotment in Essex, which used its Big Lunch to celebrate the dedicated volunteers giving up time to support and maintain the community space.

As a partner of The Big Lunch for the second year running, Greene King are holding hundreds of Big Lunches this June – encouraging punters to use their spaces as community hubs. One was The Smiddy Inn in Cumbernauld, which hosted crafts stalls and an outdoor DJ, another was The Bath House in Exmouth, which held a Big Lunch quiz inviting patrons to socialise and get to know someone new. 

More Greene King Big Lunches, some including social dog walks, are set to take place and can be found on The Big Lunch map.