Labor Day Last Fling Block Party

Neighborhood Picnic Ideas

© Janice Benoit

Aug 21, 2006

block party, AGE Fotostock

Celebrate the end of summer with a neighborhood block party. Read on to learn how to deal with local ordinances, divide up the work, and ensure that all have a fun!

Somewhat unbelievably, Labor Day is already upon us and it's a great opportunity to end your summer with a BANG! Organizing a cooperative block party is a good way to celebrate in a democratic fashion, where you share the work and the fun with all of the attendees. Plus, you will instill a sense of community amongst your neighbors with this neighborhood picnic. Try these tips when hosting your own Labor Day Block Party to make it the highlight of the summer.

Make sure to obey any local ordinances regarding blocking a street segment for your party. The police or public works department will generally provide you with village signs to safely block the street during the party.

Publicize the event as soon as possible, employing flyers and a large sign in a prominent location within your neighborhood. Ask that attendees RSVP to you, so that you can coordinate the menu. Assign guests to bring salads, desserts, appetizers, or side dishes. You may want to divide the assignments based upon last name or address. Publicize the event as a BYOB function, and make sure to remind the guests to bring their own lawn chairs.

You can provide the main entrée, [try pre-made sandwiches -- either store-bought, from your local sub shop or homemade -- for simplicity], paper products, and the ambience.

To achieve the appropriate ambience, set up activity zones just like you would for an indoor party.

Include the following zones based upon your guests' interests

  • a dance zone with a boombox or iPod with portable speakers
  • a card-playing zone where your neighbors can enjoy a "friendly" game of poker
  • an active game zone where the kids can play softball, volleyball, street hockey or whichever game you prefer
  • a zone that has lots of casual seating to encourage guests to relax and enjoy one another's company

    • Don't forget to use the many resources available to help you in the planning of your last fling neighborhood block party.

  • your own party closet
  • your essential serving pieces
  • your local party store

    • © Text by Janice Benoit, photo by Comstock/AGE Fotostock. [August, 2006]. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.


    The copyright of the article Labor Day Last Fling Block Party in Entertaining is owned by Janice Benoit. Permission to republish Labor Day Last Fling Block Party must be granted by the author in writing.




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    1.   Aug 21, 2006 7:20 PM Reply

    Certain neighborhoods seem to lend themselves to block parties and neighborhood get-togethers more readily than others. What do you think are the important factors that cause a neighborhood to pull ...

    -- posted by Soup2Nuts

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