It’s summer—the weather is hot, school’s nearly back in session, and you’ve nearly exhausted all of your go-to summer activities. Just when you thought there was nothing left to help you and your kids pass the time and make the most of this fun-filled season, you catch a glimpse of your neighbors and the idea hits you: it’s time to throw a block party.
What’s not to love about neighborhood block parties? You get to eat great food, catch up with friends and acquaintances you haven’t seen all summer, watch your kids have the time of their lives, and kick back to enjoy everything you love about your community. Throwing a killer block party, however, can be more time consuming and complex than you think. Thankfully, with these eight tips, you can ensure your summer shindig is the talk of the town ‘till the ground freezes.
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Get Your Neighbors On-Board
A neighborhood block party without neighbors is like the Fourth of July without fireworks. The first step in gearing up for a killer throw-down is to get your fellow neighbors in on the planning (or at least know they are excited about it). Having others to delegate tasks to and to help spread the word will make your job much easier and it will ensure a good turnout. From here, you can gauge how many people will show up.
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Set a Date
Once you’ve got your neighbors in on the block party, it’s time to set a date. Remember it’s going to be impossible to work with everyone’s schedule, but try not to coincide with other big community events.
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Choose A Central Location
While you can jog hundreds of different location ideas, one of the funnest parts of having a block party is hosting it in the middle of the actual block! Hosting it on either end of the block can often deter neighbors from coming if they perceive the location too far from home, whereas having it in the middle adds convenience for all party-goers.
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Cover Your Bases
Check with local authorities and your town or city hall to notify them of the festivities and obtain all the proper permits. Make sure you also get the OK to block off access to the street. The last thing you want is to be throwing an epic party and have it be shut-down or endanger your guests because you didn’t cover all the bases.
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Send Out Invites
Put up flyers around the ‘hood, arrange a mailbox brigade, post on the local Facebook page, or submit an ad to the monthly newsletter notifying people of your event. Be sure to note the time, date, location and any other pertinent details like rules and regulations, activities that will be hosted, what people can contribute, etc.
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Do Food Prep
In order to ensure everyone leaves with a full belly, ask your neighbors to bring a fun side dish or favorite snack. You can also assign categories (like fruit, desserts, veggies, salads, etc.) to different areas of the neighborhood, as this will help prevent you from having too much or too little of a particular item.
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Rent A Bounce House
No block party is complete without an inflatable bounce house. Not only does this provide the children with hours of fun, safe entertainment (that will undoubtedly tire them out…), but it will also give you a chance to mingle with neighbors and catch up with friends without worrying about where your kids are. Check out bounce house rentals Utah to find the best deals.
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Clean Up
Ask residents in and near the party area to clean their yards of things like trash and doggie mess beforehand and be sure to provide plenty of trash receptacles during the party. Remember to also talk a few people into sticking around afterward to help you with damage control.
We have added this fun post to our Summer Fun Guide!
