Huge street party to mark 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth

LONDON - Queen Elizabeth will host the world's biggest street party to celebrate her 90th birthday in 2016, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday.

London's famous Mall, the long tree-lined road leading to the Queen's official residence, will be closed to traffic to enable 10,000 guests from all walks of British life to attend the street party.

Thousands more are expected to picnic in the nearby parks, watching the party on giant video screen.

Tables and chairs will be set along the Mall as the Queen and members of the Royal household host the event.

Many of the quests will be representatives of the 600 organisations and charities that count Queen Elizabeth as their patron.

There will also be places for ordinary citizens from around the country who can apply to be put in a draw for tickets.

Later this summer the Queen will become Britain's longest serving monarch -- she ascended to the British throne in 1952 -- when she passes the existing record set by her great grandmother, Queen Victoria.

The party is being organized by one of the Queen's grandsons, Peter Philips who came up with the idea of the mega street party for his grandmother.

He said Thursday he hopes the idea will inspire towns and villages across the country to join in by organising their own birthday parties to mark the Queen's 90th.

Each of guests at the Mall party will be served a hamper-style meal at trestle tables arranged in four rows along the length of The Mall.

On both sides of the Mall giant screens erected to St James's Park and Green Park and will relay the entertainment as top names from the music world perform for the Queen and her guests.

Two of the Queen's children, heir to the throne Prince William,

Duke and Cambridge and Prince Harry are both involved in the organising of the event and will be present along with close family members, and the Queen's husband, Prince Philip who turns 95 just a few days before the party.

The street party on June 12 will be the culmination of three-days of events to mark the Queen's official birthday.

Main organiser Peter Phillips said: "We wanted to create a celebration based off the back of the successful Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee events where there was a groundswell of warmth and affection for the Queen."

He said he had had the chance to discuss the party with his grandmother and "she's been excited by it."

The Queen is patron of organisations ranging from the children's charity Barnardo's, the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to the British Diabetic Association and Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.