Throw a Summer Block Party
Want to get to know your neighbors? Here's a to-do list to help you organize and execute a successful event: We moved into our house shortly before Covid and never really got a chance to meet many neighbors. We’ve also had several new families move in so I'm hosting my first ever block party this year. See my notes following each step. Stay tuned to see how it goes!
Look into your city to see if they offer assistance for community events. I was able to score a $500 grant to use towards the party! This gave me the green light to plan a great event!
Choose a date and time: Select a date and time that works well for the majority of the community. Consider factors such as weather, holidays, and other community events. I chose the weekend following Memorial Day. The weather should be good, and hopefully we can catch people before they go out of town for summer vacations.
Create a guest list: Make a list of all the people you would like to invite to the block party. Invite your neighbors, family, and friends. Also, consider inviting local businesses and community organizations to participate. Handy tip! I used the Google Maps satellite to count how many houses are on the streets I wanted to invite.
Choose a location: Decide where you want to hold the party. Typically, block parties are held on the street, but you can also use a park or community center. We plan to close it to where it should inconvenience the fewest number so neighbors. Also, it’s the flattest part of the surrounding streets so no one is standing on a hill all day.
Get permits: Check with your local government to see if you need permits for your block party. Depending on your location, you may need permits for things like noise, street closures, and serving alcohol. One of the first items on the agenda is to get a permit for closing the street.
Organize food and drinks: Decide on the food and drinks you want to serve at the party. You can have a potluck or hire a catering service. Be sure to have enough food and drinks for everyone. Still deciding how we want to do this one. I think we might have everyone bring a side or dessert, and we’ll provide the main course, or grill out burgers and dogs.
Plan activities: Plan activities for both adults and children. Consider having games, music, and other fun activities. We’ll be doing a bounce house, cornhole and maybe water balloons of it’s a hot day.
Advertise the event: Spread the word about your block party by posting flyers, creating a Facebook event, or sending out invitations. Canva makes it' super easy to create flyers. They even have block party templates. We put one in every neighbors mailbox, then we’ll post some on light poles, etc. when we get closer to the event.
Set up: On the day of the event, set up tables, chairs, and decorations. Be sure to have enough seating for everyone. This will probably be a bring your own chair type of event.
Clean up: After the party, be sure to clean up the area and dispose of any trash properly. We’ll have large trash cans handy and I’ll probably assign my teenagers to manage the trash.
