Did you just move into the neighborhood? Looking to meet with your neighbors in a fun, friendly environment? Maybe you’re moving away and want one last hurrah with the neighbors before you go. Or maybe you’re a local business owner, and want a way to draw more attention toward your store, restaurant, or bar by throwing a fun little soiree for the block to partake in. If you belong to any of these categories, the best way for you to get the neighborhood together is through a super fun, super interactive block party. And we have just the summer block party ideas you need!
A block party is always a great way to meet new people that you never knew existed in your neighborhood. It’s also a fantastic promotional tool if you’re looking to get more local customers for your small business. And with the summer season just around the corner, there’s nothing better than a fun summer block party to get everybody in the party mood.
But it’s not just enough to say you want to throw a party. Block parties often require hefty planning, a lot of coordination, and a secure promotion plan to help make sure everyone on the block knows and is excited about it. If you’re worried about how to go about planning a party on such a scale and having it be successful, don’t stress yourself out too much. We have some fantastic summer block party ideas to help get you started with your party planning. Read on to see what they are.
1. Spread the word with vibrant summer block party flyers
Once your summer block party planning is in progress, you need to start letting people know about it so they can save the date and RSVP. Remember that a great invitation sets the theme for how fun your party will be. In short, it can make or break your event. That means your invites need to be fun, exciting, and engaging for your potential guests.
Create a vibrant summer party flyer and distribute it around the neighborhood. PosterMyWall offers a wide range of summer party flyers that you can customize according to your needs.
For the ideal summer block party flyer, all you have to do is log onto PosterMyWall and find the template that matches your requirements. Then, hop onto the editor to make some customizations. Start off with the slogan for your party, add some bright colors, include important details like date, time and location, and throw in some fun animated images to make it exciting. Once your flyer is ready, you can distribute it around the block to make sure people receive it. You can resize your flyer and post it on Facebook and Instagram, and send it in any mutual groups you share with your potential guests.
Another way to make sure your summer party block flyer is getting to the right people is by sending out a customized email containing the flyer. Use PosterMyWall to create engaging email campaigns by customizing your flyer according to your needs and sending it out to your block email list.
2. Build up a team of volunteers
One of the first summer block party ideas you need to know is that, when throwing a party, you always need extra help with the planning and execution. And when it’s a block party, there’s no reason for you to do everything by yourself when you can involve everyone around you to make it into a fun, interactive event. So why not bring in volunteers to help you plan and promote the party? This way, not only will it turn out better, but more people will be excited for it too.
Advertise for volunteers from your block. You can ask people in the neighborhood whatsapp group, or on Facebook. Get a team of 5-6 people together to help you with the following:
- Obtaining a permit for the party
- Help with set up and decor
- Spread the word and get RSVPs
3. Turn it into a potluck
Potlucks are a fantastic way to feed an entire block of people without having to dig too deep into your own pockets and plan an extensive menu on your own. When it comes to block parties, one of the best ways to plan and promote your event is to get as many people involved as you can. And that includes setting up a potluck and making sure everyone coming brings in at least one party food that fits into your block party theme. Create your own potluck sign up sheet and send it out to your invite list along with your block party flyers. You can use PosterMyWall to find the perfect potluck poster to customize and turn into a sign-up.
To make sure the menu matches the theme, you can give out some summer block party recipes and menu ideas to your potluck volunteers and ask them to choose an item that matches the menu theme.
Here are some great summer block party recipes that you can give out suggestions for and that are easy to share and serve as platters:
- BBQ Sliders
- Cherry tomato pasta salad
- Summer finger food platter
- Summery fruit skewer platter
4. Set up a theme
Everyone loves a party with a fun theme. And a block party where the whole neighborhood can participate is the best place for a theme you’ve been dying to follow.
Since your block party is going to be held in the summer, a great summer block party idea is to set up a beach or island theme. Because let’s face it: everyone deserves a beachy getaway. And your party can be the perfect getaway for your block.
For a beach or island themed block party, set up a dress code first. Let all your guests know that they should dress according to theme. Make the dress code easy to follow: floral button ups/dresses, fake hula skirts, sunglasses, and flip flops are some super easy options your guests can consider.
Add a Hawaiian touch to your potluck food table as well by adding in a pineapple centerpiece, some colorful streamers joined together on a string to make a hula-skirt like table runner, and of course, some fairy light strings hung up around the place that you can turn on at sunset to add a soft glowy atmosphere to your party.
5. Give DIY decor a try
Decor is a huge part of any party. The way your party is set up says a lot about how fun your event might be. But that doesn’t mean you have to empty your wallet and spend too much on decorations. Not when you can make your own.
Set up a DIY decor committee as part of your volunteer team and make your own summer block party decorations. Keep your decor on-theme. You can start off by filling up some buckets with sand and placing them in corners along with some beach toys and a beach ball. You can also make your own beach posters by getting poster boards, colorful markers, and being creative with your art and craft skills.
Throw in some umbrella straws for those beachy drinks, cut up some cardboard starfish to hang up with your fairy lights, and place some seashells on random surfaces. Your DIY beach decor will be done.
6. Create a Facebook event
One thing you should definitely include in your summer block party idea checklist is social media marketing. Almost everyone uses it. So make sure you utilize the right social media platform for your party promotion efforts.
One great, simple, and inexpensive way to do this is to create a Facebook event. Create a special Facebook event banner for your event page and make sure to add all important information about the event. After you’re done, invite all of your Facebook friends and encourage them to invite anyone you missed out on as well. This will give people a platform to discuss the party, add their opinions and input, and ask any questions they might have.
Another benefit of this is that people will be able to state whether they’re attending or not, which will give you a good headcount, and those who are attending will get notifications to remind them of the event.
7. Set up activities for the kids
What’s a party without a bunch of fun activities? Your summer block party won’t be much fun if all you have is food and decor. And you don’t want the neighborhood kids to walk around shouting that they’re bored, do you? Why not avoid this by planning out a bunch of activities for the kids to partake in?
Set up activity booths at your block party. You can keep all of them on theme and give the activities a beachy vibe, or you can mix things up and plan all sorts of creative activities. Some great ideas to go for are a face painting booth, a beach-themed jumping bed, and even a DIY beach decor station where the kids can use glue sticks, paper cutouts, and more to create fun, beachy decorations.
8. Have some entertainment ready for the adults
If you’re setting up activities to keep the kids entertained, you can’t forget the adults. After all, everyone likes to let loose and play a fun game or two every now and then.
Set up some adult activities to keep the grownups entertained at your summer block party. Engage the couples at the party by setting up a couples’ version of Minute to Win it and have them participate in tasks like filling up a jar with ping pong balls in under a minute. You can add liquid entertainment by setting up a DIY bar and handing a prize to whoever comes up with the weirdest (and drinkable) summer cocktail recipe. Finding fun ways for adults to stay entertained and let loose is a great summer block party idea for you to follow.
9. Set up a photobooth
Everyone loves a good picture from a memorable event. So why not give them the opportunity to take all of their memorable pictures in one place?
Set up a fun little photobooth and add some accessories that people can hold up or put on while getting their pictures taken. These can include cardboard glasses, speech bubble cutouts, funny labels, and much more.
10. Start an Instagram challenge
Everyone uses social media these days, even during parties. But this doesn’t have to be the big issue you think it is. There are a ton of ways you can use social media to your advantage.
One great summer block party idea is to start and announce an Instagram challenge at the event. Encourage your guests to create a fun reel performing an activity at the party and post it on Instagram using a special summer block party hashtag. You can encourage guests to do anything for the challenge, including preparing silly dances to the background music, making the most creativity party hat at the DIY arts and crafts station, or being the quickest to eat up a whole pie as a fun food contest.
To avoid everyone being on their phones across the venue, you can set up a special area where people can create their reels, and have the rules of the challenge printed out and pasted there.
Create a special corner and put up a cleverly made to-do list that people can follow to complete the challenge successfully.
11. Create a summer block party highlight
While you’re busy hosting your summer block party, don’t forget to take some much needed photos and videos that you can document later on social media. This is especially important if your block party is for business promotion purposes.
Create a summer block party highlight on Instagram and add all your summer block party moments onto your Instagram story so you can document them later. Take videos of people having fun, create short boomerangs of children playing games, and make sure to capture all of the detail that went into planning the event. Not only will this be a great memory for guests to go back to, but it will set the tone for future block parties and give your event the positive reputation you were hoping for.
12. Send them off with a memorable gift bag
If the party started on a high note, you most certainly can’t end it on a low one. Your goal should be to make sure your guests always remember your summer block party. So why not give them something to remember it by?
Make a bunch of goodie bags that your neighbors will love. Since you’ll have to make a lot of them to give to the whole block, they don’t have to be very expensive. If you’re a small business hosting this block party, you can add some free goodies from your brand. Add a cupcake and a cookie to each bag if you’re a local baker, a free dessert sample with a 15% off voucher if you own a restaurant, or some coupons and free pins, badges, or special summer block party caps if you own a retail store.
If you’re a local resident, you can go ahead and partner with a local business to get some goodie bags made. This way, your guests will have the memorable send off they want, the brand you partner with will get some much-needed publicity, and your party will be the talk of the town.
Get started on your summer block party content now
Summer’s almost here, and we’ve given you a bunch of super fun ideas that you can add to your block party idea checklist. Now it’s time for you to get started on your planning. And one great way to start is by creating your summer block party flyer and inviting everyone to be a part of it. If you’re looking for some summer inspiration, follow the PosterMyWall summer design guide and start designing now.
Senior editor at PosterMyWall.
