the party...

after months of planning and a saturday evening set up in the rain, sunday saw the community summer party executed in the glorious yorkshire sunshine.

after the last minute emails were exchanged earlier last week i was actually getting quite exciting about the weekend. but nervous. so nervous because actually was putting the new street- food court in a separate are of the park really good idea? will party goers find it? do people really just want burger and chips? but it gets to a certain point and you cant change your decisions you just have to run with them and hope for the best...

so first decision of sunday was what does one wear underneath a high- vis vest for a day? i opted for practical double denim with a splash of colour.

first job of the day. coffee. our local park has the cutest little cafe with a library  and serves the most delicious coffee and breakfast products. so after coffee i made my first realisation of the day. decorations.

i live for decorating stuff. i thrive on decorating projects of the home or any form of event. and id forgotten to make any decorations for my food area. the so- named food court was behind a hedge, away from the lake and the hustle and bustle of the main party area. so making it ideal for families to sit and relax but not so noticeable behind the flipping high hedge. so first note made for next year; make some form of pretty bunting/ banner for the high hedge...

i threw up the little bunting we had left round a tree and continued set up...

the party started at 1 but the crowds were building far sooner than that. the main area was buzzing with community stalls, charity stalls and all sorts of weird and wonderful activities to try. there was a climbing wall and blow up rugby game and the usual bouncy castle and spinning tea cups to keep the children entertained. a particular favourite of Seb's was the miniture railway.

i held off going back into the food area for a little while, nervous that it would be quiet as there were so many people everywhere else. but when i walked in it was fantastic. there were people milling around and queuing to try out the culinary delights. families has set up camp in the gardens on picnic rugs and were happily sampling what was on offer. 

the whole afternoon flew by in a whirl of talking and directing and eating. feedback on the day was majority positive for the party overall and i was delighted that from my street- food traders it was purely positive. we left buzzing about ideas for next year. for a first insight into event management it was great. i was fortunate to be able to concentrate on one area of the party so as not to get overwhelmed with admin and headaches. last week i was umming and ahring as to whether i wanted to commit to another 6 months of planning next year but i think these things are kind of addictive. if it goes well then you want to build on that success no matter what kind of work is involved.