Spring and summer are the perfect seasons to plan a neighborhood block party, but sometimes it’s hard to know how to initiate such an adventure. Some of us haven’t talked to our neighbors in months or have yet to even say hi to our neighbors. Planning a neighborhood block party is hard to do alone, so it’s a good idea to get some of your neighbors involved. Here are some helpful tips for planning a neighborhood block party.

1. The first step is to get reacquainted with your neighbors. This means you need to actually talk to them to see what they think about having a neighborhood block party. If you can’t meet them in person, send out flyers to the whole neighborhood. This is a great way to get the most people involved in the party as possible. You won’t only find people to help you, but you will also find out how many people plan on attending the block party. The initial meeting is to generate a small group of people to help plan the party.
2. The next step is to pick the date. This is a great thing to discuss while meeting your neighbors in person. Choose the date when the most people will be able to attend.
3. Depending on where you live, you may need to let your town or city officials know about your block party. This way they may be able to barricade your street during the party to ensure safety.
4. Once you’ve chosen a date, now you need to decide what kind of block party this will be. Should people bring their own food? Or should you have it catered? A lot of this decision boils down to funds. When it comes to paying for the food, you can have people pay a small fee up front. Maybe you could have people pay a small fee for hamburgers and hot dogs, but also have them bring a dish to pass around.
5. Once the date is set, it’s time to send out the invitations. Make them colorful and fun. Be sure to include the obvious information, such as the date, location, and time. But also include information about the food, such as a request for them to bring a dish.
6. Next you need to plan some activities for the party. There will probably be many types of people at your party, from children to elderly people. It’s a good idea to have games for young children, older children, teenagers, and even adults. You may need to find some people to actually run the games at the party. Some great ideas for games can be corn hole, or bean bag toss, horse shoes, and even volleyball ( if the location permits).
7. Finally, make sure you have some people to help clean up after the party. It’s no fun to be stuck at the end of the party cleaning up everything. It’s a good idea to plan ahead and have some people stay after to help clean up.

Now you’re set to hold the perfect block party! If you follow these guidelines, you’ll be guaranteed to have a successful block party.