Dancing in the streets

"It's a bit like Christmas in June," says Geoff Brown, head of marketing for the Punch Pub Company. "We've said to all our pubs, ‘Whatever you think of the monarchy and what it stands for, don't let it interfere with the fact that you've got a four-day weekend.'"

Brown's view may sound mercenary, but he makes an excellent point. Some would say that the majority of the British population will cheer the Queen over the Jubilee simply because she has given them a couple of days off work. But, while many will spend those two days in the bar, the Jubilee presents the pub companies with something more than a full till. It's a unique opportunity to bring the local pub back to the centre of the communities they serve.

Bruno Peek, chairman of the Golden Jubilee Summer Party, is, unsurprisingly, a fervent royalist. "We live in a democracy where we have freedom of speech," he gushes. "We live in a great country, and we can all celebrate that."

Peek understands full well the business aspects of what the weekend of 3 June means to the average publican. "I think it's a licence to print money," he says. "Any publican worth his salt should be making real mileage out of the World Cup and the Golden Jubilee. That weekend should be a real money-spinner for them. Last year, everyone was complaining about the effects of 11 September and foot-and-mouth; well, here's a celebration on a plate."

The Golden Jubilee Summer Party, as an organisation, is rightly pushing for as many pubs as possible to get involved. It looks like there will be significantly fewer street parties than for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, and people will be looking for other places to go and enjoy themselves. The cost of insurance, street closures and other red tape has put off many people from organising parties of their own.

In January there were numerous newspaper reports predicting that this bureaucracy would lead to the Jubilee being a huge flop. However, Peek says: "We're getting confirmation of street and garden parties coming in all the time. What we mustn't do is put ourselves in a position of judging how successful the Jubilee is by how many street parties there are, because times have changed. This is a real opportunity for the pub trade to re-establish itself at the heart of the community, and if they don't do it then they can't complain."

The pub companies seem to agree with Peek, and most seem to have left managers, tenants and lessees to decide for themselves how to mark the Jubilee, figuring that they know their communities better than the people in head office. So Peek's office has ever-lengthening lists of pub events round the country - everything from tugs-of-war, bouncy castles, face-painting and egg-and-spoon races right through to gay bars that understandably can't resist a celebration called the "Queens Jubilee" (however you choose to punctuate it).

Ember Inns is a 125-strong chain of managed houses dotted around the country and is getting all its pubs involved on a local level. Each house is running a raffle to select its king and queen for the night, and on the evening of Monday 3 June they will be waited on hand-and-foot. "We're concentrating purely on that weekend, specifically on the Monday," explains Ember's marketing manager, Ian Webb. "There's a Jubilee party night, and all the staff will be in fancy dress and all the pubs will be decorated."

And, like many pubs that weekend, Ember houses will be raising money for charity. "Ember has always aimed for its pubs to be the centre of the community, so this is an absolutely perfect event for us," Webb says.

Geoff Brown at Punch is another who appreciates the long-term benefits of running a good Jubilee weekend, especially as recent sad events may end up with positive business results. "It may sound a bit callous," he says, "but, since the Queen Mother died, there has been a resurgence of interest in the Royal Family, so there will be more of a focus on the Jubilee than there might have been."

And, Brown says, pubs can use that interest to stamp themselves on the community. "Whether it's a barbecue, pound-a-pint, family fun day, whatever, it doesn't matter," he says. "People are going to be looking for something to do that weekend, especially if they have kids. When children went to street parties in 1977, it was because it was the only way to get them involved. Now, most community pubs have a beer garden or reasonably sized car park, and so have the facilities to do something for the whole family."

The Jubilee should be a very successful weekend for the hospitality industry as a whole, and pubs in particular. Unlike other recent celebrations, such as the eclipse or the millennium, the extra bank holidays will ensure a good turnout. As Peek says: "Pubs are in a unique position. Every one of them can have a party over that weekend. If they don't, it's their own fault."

Let's hope the Queen can make sure it doesn't rain…

Jubilee hours

• The Queen's Golden Jubilee runs from Saturday 1 June to Tuesday 4 June.
• Monday 3 June and Tuesday 4 June will be bank holidays.
• Extended licensing hours have been granted until 1am for all pubs on Monday 3 June.

Contacts

Golden Jubilee Summer Party PO Box 4320, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 8YF
Tel: 01725 516456
Fax: 01725 516268
E-mail: info@goldenjubileesummerparty.co.uk
Web site: www.goldenjubileesummerparty.co.uk

Jubilee tips

• Don't wait for your local community to organise an event - do your own, making the pub the focal point. Involve locals in the organisation.
• Team up with a local group such as the Cubs, a hospital or the Women's Institute. It will guarantee you support.
• Advertise as much as you can.
• Get local businesses involved. Use your pub as the location for competitions between rival companies, for example.
• Offer as many activities as possible, to appeal to everyone - for example, special beer tastings for the adults, face-painting for the kids, etc.
• Cover the pub in decorations - a few Union Jacks will let everyone know you're having a party.
• Make sure you know what you're going to do if the weather turns bad.
• Personalise everything as much as possible. "Bob and Sue invite you to a jubilee party at the Red Lion" is much more friendly than "Jubilee night at the Red Lion".
• Get involved with a local charity and use the weekend's events to raise money.
• Most important of all - enjoy it.