British Street Party in New World

The British have a grand tradition of marking national events - decorating the alleyways with flags and bunting, and bringing tables of food and drink out into the streets to celebrate with neighbors. The Bostonian Society and the British Consul invite the public to the Old State House to join The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee festivities – donuts and cake for 200 guests, traditional live music, Shakespeare performances, Red Coat reenactors, and more.

Around the end of WWI the British began the tradition of street parties, celebrating national events by bringing bunting and tables of food and drink out into neighborhood streets. Today, they are considered a special treat for children, and plans are underway across the UK for street parties marking the occasion of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The Old State House street party features:

• Hosted by Dr. Phil Budden, British Consul General to New England; and Brian J. LeMay, President of the Bostonian Society
• Cake for 200 guests generously donated by Montilio’s Baking Company; complimentary donuts generously donated by Dunkin Donuts
• Award-winning British School of Boston students providing music
• Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, performing selections from his plays
• The Red Coats are coming: The 10th Regiment of Foot, the reenactor unit portraying the British Army in Revolutionary America, will be on hand to provide historically-accurate ‘colour’. Members of the 10th Regiment are accurately uniformed, equipped and trained in 18th century military drill, appearing in public exactly as British soldiers would have in the revolutionary period.

Pedestrian mall outside the Old State House (State Street T stop on the Orange Line)

(corner of State & Washington Streets, downtown Boston)