Councils, housing associations and The Big Lunch
The Big Lunch 2025 takes place on 7 – 8 June and is a great way to encourage your local residents to get to know one another and improve community connection.
It’s become the largest community-led fundraiser and neighbourhood get-together in the UK, with millions coming together for a few hours of food, friendship and fun on the first weekend of June each year.
Councils and housing bodies play a huge role in creating and fostering strong, connected communities – so does The Big Lunch. With benefits such as safer neighbourhoods, reduced social isolation and increased civic pride, The Big Lunch can help to ease pressure on other areas of the council too.
Supporting and enabling residents to take part and encouraging more people to join in with The Big Lunch can lead to a boost in local volunteering, engagement and an increased sense of belonging – creating lasting benefits to the community.
Getting involved is simple
Catch the replay of our webinar to learn how The Big Lunch supports safer, healthier, more cohesive neighbourhoods. Or check out our handy resources for everything you need to know to get started.
Watch Building Stronger Communities Together replay Download the presentation
Hammersmith & Fulham is fully supportive of The Big Lunch because it fits with many of the councils’ values, such as encouraging civic pride, doing things ‘with not to’ residents and being a compassionate council.
Why The Big Lunch matters for communities in your area
0 %
of organisers said it made them feel a stronger sense of community
0.00 million
people were less lonely as a result
0 %
said they are more likely to get involved in community activities as a result
Things you can do
1) Invite people to join in
Spread the word by sharing the idea with relevant people, such as communities, neighbourhoods, highways, tenancy and customer involvement, and diversity teams. Encourage them to invite residents, local businesses and community groups in your area to get involved with The Big Lunch.
To help:
- Register your support and we’ll send you a free promotional toolkit!
- Signpost people to our free Big Lunch pack – it’s full of tips and resources to help Big Lunch organisers
- Like, follow and share us on social media so you can keep your communities up to date with the latest Big Lunch news – you’ll find us @edencommunities across social channels
2) Run an event in your community
Lots of councils and housing associations host Big Lunch events, as well as encouraging residents to organise their own. It’s great for community engagement and encouraging inclusivity.
Our free digital pack and resources can help you to organise an event for your residents, at a time to suit you during the Month of Community.
South Willesborough and Newtown Community Council held a community street party with a record number of local residents attending. Could your council do something similar?
3) Reduce red tape for road closures
If you’re a council, reducing red tape for road closures is a great way to enable and support people to host Big Lunches.
Council traffic managers and highways teams may receive an increased number of temporary road closure applications for The Big Lunch weekend (7-8 June). We recommend event organisers review our road closure guidance and reach out to their local council as soon as possible to ensure a smooth approval process and avoid any delays.
Help reduce barriers for Big Lunch street parties by:
- providing clear guidance and simple forms for road closure applications
- publicising application deadlines early and across all your relevant communications
- grouping multiple applications together under a single traffic management order if possible
- providing grants for communities unable to meet the costs, or linking organisers to local businesses willing to lend support
4) Cover the cost of insurance
If you recommend street party organisers take out public liability insurance, could you help with the costs?
In 2022 and 2023, Portsmouth City Council worked with us and our insurance partners Creative Risk to arrange and pay for blanket cover for street parties across the city. Have a chat with us if you’d like to find out more.
Star councils
Each year, council support continues to encourage participation in The Big Lunch and helps events to run smoothly – thank you. Our Star Councils list recognises the amazing effort you take to help your communities to take part.
We’d love to hear about your plans for supporting The Big Lunch – let us know when registering your councils interest.
Council case studies
Belfast City Council
Keen to help communities make a difference where they live, Belfast City Council have made it easier for their residents to hold a Big…
Hammersmith and Fulham Council
Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) is one of the smallest London Boroughs with a population of 183,544. The council has been supporting The Big Lunch…
Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth City Council is a unitary authority representing the UK’s only island city, and one of the most densely populated areas in the UK…
Country specific support
The Big Lunch and Month of Community brings communities together across the whole of the UK. If you’d like to have a chat about country specific participation and support, please get in touch with our Country Managers – they’d be happy to help!
Contact Grainne for Scotland and Northern Ireland Contact Lowri for Wales
Useful Big Lunch information
Organise a Big Lunch
Simple steps to help you get started.
The Big Lunch FAQs
Answers to our most frequently asked questions.
Weather-proofing your Big Lunch
What if it rains (or really, really shines) on your parade?
Hold a greener Big Lunch
Top tips on upcycling, brilliant leftovers and community sharing.