One of my favorite ways to build community within my neighborhood is to throw a neighborhood block party. A good portion of our street already knew each other because they had lived on the street for a couple of decades together. Others were newer on the street and had not met many people yet. It helped us get to know everyone on our street, so now we can wave and even stop and chat for a little bit when we see them. Read below to learn how you can throw a neighborhood block party in your neighborhood.
How to Throw a Neighborhood Block Party in 10 Steps
1. Create a Neighborhood Directory
If you don’t already have a neighborhood directory in place, you will want to create this to make communication a lot easier.
2. Contact Your Neighbors
You can either reach out to everyone in your neighborhood or a few of them that you are familiar with to gauge interest, find common availability, and collect volunteers. Having a neighborhood directory is very helpful with this step!
3. Nail Down Details
The next step is to nail down the details for the event like the date, menu, theme, and location.
4. Create a Flier
Even if you have a neighborhood directory, you likely don’t have everyone’s information. One great way to contact everyone in your neighborhood is through a simple flier with the basic information about the event. Be sure to include what it is, who is organizing it and who is invited, when it is, and where it is.
5. Distribute the Flier
It is illegal to put something in someone else’s mailbox. Instead, fold the paper and secure it on the flag of the mailbox or put it in a plastic baggy and hang it from the mailbox. You may need to get creative! In addition to sending out a paper copy, send the flier out electronically as well using the information you collected from your neighborhood directory.
6. Send Out a Reminder
Consider sending out a quick reminder email about the neighborhood block party a few days before the actual event. This will help everyone remember the upcoming event and will result in higher participation rates.
7. Prep and Set Up for the Block Party
Start prepping everything you need a few days before the actual block party to ensure you don’t forget anything and aren’t feeling stressed about trying to get things done at the last minute.
8. Make Everyone Feel Welcome at the Party
Woohoo! It’s the day of the party. Lots of planning and prep has happened and now you get to enjoy the day. Welcome each person when they arrive and make an effort to have a personal conversation with everyone. If you see someone who is standing by themselves, head over and strike a conversation with them, introduce them to another neighbor, or ask for their help with setting things up.
9. Restock as Needed
Regularly check to make sure everything is fully stocked so everyone has what they need. Some examples of items that may run low are cold drinks, snacks, and napkins.
10. Clean Up from the Block Party
You did it! Your block party was a huge success! Now it’s time to clean up. It’s helpful to bring an extra large trash bag with you and stick with paper and plastic materials so it’s a quick and easy cleanup process.
In closing, we hope you found this post about how to throw a neighborhood block party helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in this post about 5 Ideas for how to build community in your neighborhood.