Looking for a list of incredible neighborhood party ideas? Here is a long list of neighborhood party ideas that you can either host or attend and will get you excited to meet up, chat, and be involved at a more local level!
These local community events will help you make the place you live feel more at home. You will create trust and build relationships – and for sure memories – that may last a lifetime.
After learning about these neighborhood party ideas, neighborhood get-together ideas, neighborhood family friendly ideas, and more, you are going to feel inspired to attend something new and enjoy new ways to feel connected to those close by.
This post is all about neighborhood party ideas for anyone who wants to feel closer to their neighborhood community!
This Is Where You Belong
If you haven’t read the book, “This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are” by Melody Warnick, you are missing some amazing gems! In her book, she talks about how she traveled and moved several times. She finally had to realize that no place was perfect and that she needed to create a place where she felt at home.
The book goes into detail on the steps she took to make one of the new cities she moved to, her home. In fact, at the end of each chapter, she has a “Love Your City Checklist” where she writes down these ideas of action. Her book is full of so many wonderful thoughts on how to create place attachments! The ideas are thought-provoking, and if you enjoy this list, you will love what she has to say throughout the book.
Here are some of the gathering ideas she came up with on how to connect with those around her.
Neighborhood Pary Ideas and Get-Together Ideas:
- Potlucks
- Local Walking Tour
- Seed exchanges
- Yard sales
- Neighborhood picnics
- Watch sports games together
- Meet at a Locally Owned Business
- Walking Groups
- Brunches
- Outings
- Hike
- Geocaching or Letterboxing
- Volunteer With Others
- Celebrate Birthdays
- Celebrate Milemarkers
- Art Events
- Concerts
- Dance Shows
- Festivals
- Guitar Music Entertainment – Find if any locals play guitar: At the back of a coffee house, etc.
- Chalk on the sidewalk – Write inspiring quotes.
- Impromptu – Encourage impromptu singing, dancing, and befriending.
- Organize a placemaking project in your town.
- Art Tour – Tour all the public art in your town, including, murals, statues, and sculptures.
Food Gatherings:
- Food Tastings
- Dinners
- Dessert Night
- Front Yard Friday – No one has to host. You can take whatever meal you were already going to eat for dinner for that Friday night and picnic together.
- StEATing – Turn an average street or public place into a quick, cheap social eatery. Get a group of friends together and a city permit or two and you can make an event of it. Put a picnic table somewhere unexpected. Some things taste better in a new atmosphere.
- Ice Cream Social – Ice cream cones in the front yard.
- Plant a Garden
- Locally Owned Restaurant
- Local Cooking Class
Family-Friendly:
- Back to School / Fall Festival
- Rent a Bounce House
- Rent a Snow Cone Machine
- Cake Walk
- Face Painting
- Chili Cook-Off
- Grilled Hot Dogs
- Organized Bike Parades
- Hayride – Drive the children in a sort of train way or “hayride” way with a flatbed trailer.
- Block Party – Rent a bounce house.
- School Sports Team Game
- Walk through parks
- Dangle your feet in ponds
Clubs:
- Mother-Daughter Club
- Breakfast Club
- Board Game Club
- Newcomers Club – A loose network of social clubs for recent move-ins (and anyone else who wants to join!).
- Neighborhood Association
- Block Club
- HOA
- Book Club
City Events:
- National Night Out programs – Some small towns coordinate these. Call and check in with your local town.
- Flashlight Walks
- Community Gardens
- Playgrounds
- Festivals
- Tournaments
- Join Local Citizens Academy – Email your town clerk to ask about the availability of one.
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Coding Skills – Code for America Brigade (Once a year).
- City Council Meeting – Attend one and try it out at least once.
- Half Marathon – See if there’s one in Town.
Seasonal / Holiday Events:
- “Good Neighbor Day” – September 28th. This holiday has been an official holiday since the ideas were thought of by Congress and Jimmy Carter proclaimed that there needed to be a day set apart for nurturing our communities. The quote I loved was this, “[Remember] that the noblest human concern is a concern for others…For most of us, this sense of community is nurtured and expressed in our neighborhoods where we allow each other to share and feel part of a larger family.” The official document of this all goes on to say that this day is to be observed with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Even though this presidential proclamation was made official in 1978, we can revitalize it and make people and those around us more aware! (Warnick, 2017)
- “Neighborday” – Last Saturday in April.
- National “Make a friend day” – Feb. 11.
- Friendsgiving – Around Thanksgiving.
- Valentine’s Day – (Galentine’s Day Pary Food Ideas).
- Summer Party
- Fall Festival
- Halloween Party
- Christmas
- Christmas caroling
- New Years Eve
Why is it important to get to know our neighbors?
Importance Of Diversity
“Neighborhoods are–or should be–catchalls for all kinds, including people from other counties, people from other states, people who don’t make as much money as you, and people who may look outwardly differently than you.” (Warnick, 2017, p. 79)
“There is value in “meeting our neighbors face-to-face, even when — especially when — they’re not like us… Happily, diverse neighborhoods are on the rise in America, and one of the simplest things we can do to ensure there are comfortable places to live is to talk to people. in person.” You aren’t going to develop strong bonds otherwise.” (Warnick, 2017, p. 79)
Crime Goes Down
“These actions bear out a maxim of the Saguaro Seminar, a center at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government dedicated to studying civic engagement: ‘If you had to choose between 10 percent more cops on the beat or 10 percent more citizens knowing their neighbors’ first names, the latter is a better crime prevention strategy.'” (Warnick, 2017, p. 81)
“Even when things go wrong in a city, small attempts to connect neighbors have outsize results.” (Warnick, 2017, p. 81)
Help Each Other Out
Once we get to know each other, we can assist with each other’s needs when they arise. Look into becoming a facilitator, a helper, or a participant. Each person’s role and support matters. Consistency in these activities creates trust.
How can we promote interaction in neighborhoods?
By being the example first. Living our lives. Having fun. Inviting others to join in!
This Is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick
If you liked these ideas, you will LOVE the steps that Melody Warnick implemented in her book. She started like many of us where we want to get to know our neighbors and feel part of a community – but might not know where to start. This book will take you through the steps she took that made her fall in love with her new town.
Dalton says
I love this!
Lori says
Such a great list of get together ideas!