Millennium madness taking to the streets

Despite the hype, all signs still point to the Millennebrations being a stay-at-home affair. But street parties held around housing estates? How very Adrian Mole.

Community get-togethers, rather like the one planned to rock Coronation Street on December 31st, will be de rigueur from Dublin 4 to Dingle, according to party suppliers.

Kathy Kavanagh of the ACE One Stop Party Shop in Clondalkin, Dublin, reports a decline in orders from large pubs and hotels, many of whom are closing down for the night, but an increase in domestic demand. "People are celebrating together in the community. A group from one estate near here have been collecting various bits and pieces for their do for months," she says.

This party is to be held in three houses in the estate - one featuring a DJ, another a traditional music band and yet more entertainment, and kegs of beer, planned for the third.

"The idea is that people will move from one house to another, depending on what they are in the mood for," says Kavanagh.

The type of booty being stockpiled ranges from table centerpieces, hats, bugles, balloons, banners and posters. All these items have one thing in common and the fact that they are covered in highly perishable 2000 logos is of slight concern to Kavanagh. "I just hope I am not scraping zeros from all these products this time next year and painting in the number one ... I'm looking at a wall of the stuff," she laughs. Recent additions are exploding champagne bottles and Flutterfetti.

Inevitably, alcohol stocks are also being built up for the celebrations. A survey this week in England suggested that revellers are planning to spend £64 per person on alcohol, or four times more than last year.

Beer is the most popular tipple, according to the survey - conducted, surprisingly enough, by The Whitbread Beer Company.

At home though, fine wines and champagnes are in serious demand. Gerry Fitzsimons, the founder-director of the three-week-old Internet company, wineonline, says people all over the State are ordering their New Year's Eve refreshment over the net.

"We have had loads of orders to be delivered on the 29th of December," he says. The most popular choice appears to be a case of 1990 Canard Duchene champagne at £315.

While there is plenty of non-vintage champagne about, vintage stocks are likely to run low if demand so far is anything to go by.

Sean and Francois Gilley of Terroirs in Donnybrook are expecting to sell about 60 to 70 cases of 1985 vintage released for the 2000 celebrations by the Salon house. They cost £135 a pop.

"Some people have been stocking up for two years," says Sean, adding that sales in recent weeks have been phenomenal. "It's being bought by a cross-section of people, some of whom have never drunk champagne before and just want to treat themselves for the millennium".

Terroir's supply of Charlie Haughey's favourite bubbly Cristal cannot be bought as every single bottle has been pre-ordered by clients. Importers to Ireland of vintage stocks of Veuve Clicquot, Moet, Bollinger and Charles Heidsieck have sold out.

Other delicacies are also in demand; foie gras and caviar, especially beluga (£100 for 30g), are "walking out the door," says Francois. Millennium coasters, corkscrews, chocolates and knives are also being snapped up. The couple have also heard anecdotal evidence of "street parties" and have been invited to one in the Ballsbridge area.

The question of where all these party people are going to sit and what flutes they will drink out of has been left to catering companies who are experiencing far more domestic demand than is usual for New Year's Eve.

Daniel Begley of Hire All Party Hire in Stillorgan says that originally the industry thought it would have been catering for a lot of large functions. "In fact they have been smaller, averaging at around 80 people. Some people are taking over pubs that have closed down and are ordering in items such as chairs, tableware and crystal glasses," he says.

And it seems as though the State is to turn into one giant marquee, with party tents of all sizes virtually impossible to hire. With only 20 days to go, workers in this industry have been inundated with requests for back garden shelter to accommodate anything from 50 to 500 people.

Some companies have tripled their rates, with the smallest marquees costing anything between £1,200 and £1,800.

My tent or yours? It's the only question worth popping this millennium.