Your neighborhood can be a tremendous source of support and friendship, but with everybody so busy these days, it can be a challenge to connect with the people living close to you. Community events are a great way for everybody to get to know one another, welcome newcomers, and improve the neighborhood.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, we’ve got you covered with thirty neighborhood event ideas! Some of these are purely fun, while others are aimed at building your sense of community and giving back. Hopefully, you can use these to create friendships that will go beyond waving hello to one another from your front porch.
Progressive Dinner - A progressive dinner is an event where neighbors go from house to house for different courses of a meal, eating appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts. You can even add in specialty drinks with fun themes as well. It’s a great way to visit each other’s’ homes and get to know one another in a more intimate setting.
Easter Egg Hunt – Celebrate spring with a big egg hunt for the whole neighborhood. You can have neighbors contribute plastic eggs filled with candy and have their children come with baskets ready. If you are choosing to hide eggs throughout the neighborhood, be mindful about traffic.
BBQ - Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned BBQ? Put somebody in charge of the grill, have neighbors bring side dishes, and split the cost of meat so that everybody can enjoy a delicious and relaxed meal together. You can also opt for a theme like a shrimp boil or oyster roast.
Block Party - A block party is a fun tradition to start for your neighborhood. Organize a potluck meal with a festive theme and plan some backyard games to break the ice. If you prepare in advance and give everybody plenty of notice, you might consider redirecting traffic around a portion of your neighborhood.
Talent Show – Invite neighbors to show off their secret talents! You could make the show just for kids or include adults in the fun depending on your group. Create awards for categories like Most Dramatic, Most Musical and Most Likely to Be Discovered. Don’t forget the popcorn!
Showcase of Homes – Show off the homes that make your neighborhood special! Ask for volunteers to be a part of a home or garden tour, sharing their favorite indoor or outdoor spaces. Celebrate with appetizers at drinks and every house or plan a party at the last stop.
Park Clean-Up – Beautify your area by organizing a group clean-up project for a local park or other community space. You could also consider a neighborhood project like volunteering together at a local shelter.
Book Club - A neighborhood book club is a great way to get to know the people near you and have a monthly social event on the calendar. Focusing your conversation on a book can help take the pressure out of meeting new people, and gives you the comfort of having plenty to discuss.
Fantasy Draft - A neighborhood sports draft and league can be a good way to encourage friendships (and rivalries). Have somebody host a draft party, and then consider putting a sign in the yard of whichever neighbor wins (or loses) each week. You can pool your money together for a grand prize for the winner of your league.
Lawn of the Month - Having a lawn of the month prize can be a great way to motivate your neighbors to care for their lawn and go the extra mile when it comes to upkeep on the exterior of their homes. Elect a committee to choose a yard each month and honor them with a sign and prize.
Baby Shower - If any families in your neighborhood are welcoming a baby, consider throwing them a small baby shower. You can keep it casual and ask that neighbors contribute to a meal train or gift card or have a small get-together with the parents-to-be.
Holiday Decorating Contest - Contests are a great way to bring neighbors together, and during the holidays (or Halloween), this can include a decorating contest. You might consider giving out different awards, like “Brightest,”, “Most Beautiful” and a “Clark Griswold Award” for the most holiday spirit.
Coordinate Meals for a Neighbor in Need - Neighbors should be able to lean on one another in times of need. If you are aware of a neighbor that’s facing a challenging life event, consider coordinating a meal delivery schedule for them. This might be a family welcoming a baby, going through a loss, or recovering from an illness or injury. Try one these dinner ideas to bring to neighbors!
Neighborhood Improvement Project - Improving your neighborhood benefits everybody, so coming together for a project can bring you all closer. You might consider something like a Free Little Library, a bench and watering station for pets, a community garden or building something everybody can enjoy.
Game Night – A little competition is the perfect way to get to know your neighbors! Hosting a game night can be a blast whether you play a classic board game like Monopoly, video games, or test your knowledge with a few rounds of trivia.
Food Drive - Helping those in need can really bring your neighborhood together. Consider asking everybody in your area to donate canned food or other essential items to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
After School Ice-Cream Social - Nothing brings neighborhood kids together like ice cream! Consider hiring an ice cream or popsicle truck for an after-school celebration on the first day of summer or the first day back at school.
Neighborhood Olympics - If you want to build camaraderie with your fellow neighbors, consider hosting a fun event like neighborhood Olympics. Divide the neighborhood up into different teams and compete in silly games like water balloon toss, three legged races, or tug-of-war.
Outdoor Movie Night - If your neighborhood has a large open space or if you have a large yard, you could host an outdoor movie night. Rent or buy a screen and projector, make some popcorn, and invite your neighbors to bring their blankets and picnic baskets for a movie night.
Swim Party - During the heat of the summer, a pool party is a fun and refreshing neighborhood event. If you don’t have access to a pool, consider setting up a few sprinklers, or filling up water balloons and water guns.
Sparkler Show - For the Fourth of July, your neighborhood can have a lot of fun playing with sparklers as it gets dark. If you live in an area where it’s safe and legal to use fireworks, setting some small ones off can also be a fun way to celebrate the holiday.
Football Watch Party - Invite your neighbors over for a football (or any sport) watching party. Or, if you don’t have a lot of indoor space, consider using a projector outside on a screen. Just don’t forget the game day snacks!
Snow Day Fun - If you live in an area that frequently gets winter weather, a snow day is the perfect way to get to know the people who live near you. Coordinate a big group sledding afternoon at a nearby hill or a neighborhood-wide snowball fight and bring along some hot chocolate to share.
Food Truck Day - If you have a space in your neighborhood, you could consider organizing a food truck night for dinner. Let people know the payment methods the vendor accepts in advance and invite everyone to enjoy their meals picnic-style!
Neighborhood-Wide Yard Sale - Coordinating a neighborhood sale might involve some prep work, but everyone will appreciate the chance to clean out their closets and make some extra cash. Find a day that works well for everybody, put up signs, and start going through your house to see what you can part with.
Blood Drive - The American Red Cross always needs more donations, and coordinating a blood drive with your neighborhood is a great way to support a great cause together.
Rising Kindergartner Get-Together - If you live in a neighborhood with plenty of children, hosting a rising kindergartner get-together is a great way to introduce children to their future classmates. This can make the transition to school a little less intimating for them if they know they’ll see some familiar faces.
Carnival Day - If neighbors are willing to chip in, you might consider a carnival day where you bring in large inflatable slides and other games and activities. Many party rental companies also rent out things like popcorn or sno-cone machines.
Scavenger Hunt - A neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt can be hugely fun for kids of all ages and their families. Get a group together to create clues that will send the competitors all over the place. Just make sure everybody is careful about traffic.
Community Garden - A community garden is a great way to encourage neighbors to get to know one another, help children learn a new skill, and beautify your neighborhood. If you have an empty area in your neighborhood, consider planting some flowers or veggies that everybody can enjoy.
Finding your village within your neighborhood can be difficult, but well worth the effort. Neighbors should help one another, build each other up, and be there to support growing families. Don’t be shy! By using some of the ideas above, you can begin to create a sense of friendship and community within your own neighborhood.
Kelsey Caldwell is a realtor and freelance writer from Charlotte, NC. She and her husband are parents to two amazing kids, a golden-doodle, and a bearded dragon.
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