Neighborhood Block Party Activity Ideas Everyone Will Love

Summertime calls for al fresco soirees, and there’s no better way to entertain friends and neighbors than with a block party. Try these simple, all generations-approved block party activities at your next neighborhood bash.

Break the Ice

As guests gather, it’s the perfect time to set everyone at ease with a simple game. “People Bingo” is classic perfection: You don’t have to know in advance how many people are participating; it gets people mingling and learning more about each other. Make your own cards that are specific to the group, with categories like “Someone who has lived on the block at least five years” or “Someone who walks their dog every day.”

Get Artsy

Get the creative juices flowing by filling a bucket with sidewalk chalk and sidewalk paint and have driveways, sidewalks, and even the pavement (if the street is blocked off) serve as your canvas. Each guest can create his or her own masterpiece, or families or generations can work together. Enlist judges to come up with funny categories, like “Best Likeness of a Neighborhood Pet” or “Most Likely to Stop Traffic.”

Game On

No we don’t mean video games, but rather those classic outdoor party games that virtually any size group can play. From Capture the Flag to Freeze Tag, teaming up and running around the neighborhood will bring out the little kid in everyone.

Host a Movie Under the Stars

Hang a white sheet onto your back fence for an instant backyard movie theater. Block party guests of all ages will enjoy a family-friendly flick or an adventure classic. Rotate who gets to sit in the hot tub at your “dive-in” movie theater and offer pillows and quilts for the others. Or, hang the sheet on your garage door out front and turn your driveway into a lawn chair grandstand.

Release One’s Inner Diva (or Drummer)

A low-key talent show is the ideal way to highlight new sides of your neighbors that no one often sees. If your neighbors are game, a block party talent show can be a fun way to allow guests of all ages to showcase their specialty. Not to mention the whole street can discover more about the people they wave to day in and day out.

With these block party activities ready to go, your next soiree will be the talk of the town.

Download a free Hot Tub Buyer's Guide to heat up the party even further in the future.