Block Party Games to Try with Your Neighbors

Whether you’re having some fun in the sun or excitement at night, it’s always a blast getting to know your neighbors at a block party. Delicious food, delightful conversations and block party games for all ages are your ideal ingredients to make the event one to remember. Enjoy some fresh air and get neighbors of all ages laughing, mingling and making memories with these block party games and ideas from Pottery Barn.

The Terrific Toss

A beanbag toss is a classic game for get-togethers. This is a block party game for all ages that’s easy to set up and even simpler to play. Gather a set of smaller beanbags sized for kids’ and adults’ hands. If you can’t find beanbags that work for the game, it’s a breeze to make your own. Cut rectangles of fabric that measure 3" by 6" for the kid-sized bags and 5" by 12" for the adults’ beanbags. Use fabric paint to write the block party date and name, like “Weaver Street Neighborhood Party” on a few of the bags. Fold each piece of fabric in half with the right sides facing in, and sew around two sides. Turn the bags so the fabric has its right side facing out. Then, fill the bags with rice or dried corn and stitch up the open sides.

To get set up for gameplay, draw a chalk line in an open area of your cul-de-sac or street, or use non-toxic paint to create a line on the grass. This is where everyone will stand to throw their beanbags. Then, at different distances away from the line, place containers that people can throw the bags into. Choose https://www.potterybarn.com/shop/organization/baskets-organization/ large baskets and smaller bowls to vary the difficulty level for everyone. Assign different point amounts to the containers. The winners of each round can earn one of the personalized beanbags that commemorates the event.

Glimmer and Glow Bowling

There’s no reason that the excitement should end when the sun goes down! Brighten up the dusky twilight with a game of glow-in-the-dark bowling. Find a flat sidewalk area that you can reserve as the alley. To prepare, fill 10 empty 2-liter soda bottles with water and a few drops of food coloring in each. Line the bowling lane sidewalk area with solar-powered spotlights or other outdoor lights and streamers tied to stakes. When everyone’s ready to bowl, crack 10 glowsticks and drop one into each soda bottle bowling pin before re-capping it and arranging the bottles in a triangle. Players can use soccer balls or basketballs to roll toward the pins and score points.

Social Media Scavenger Hunt

New and old neighbors can work together to find and capture special items and situations during the block party, and this is a game that can last for the whole event! To start, create a unique hashtag for your party to make it easy for everyone to share their finds on different social media platforms. Then, create a list of silly sights and things for people take pictures of during the party. Ideas include “something red, white and blue,” “a dog in a costume” and other photo-worthy scenes neighbors might spot.

As the event is happening, people can upload their snapshots online and use the hashtag. If any guests RSVP-ed via email, feel free to send out the scavenger hunt list a few days ahead so they can easily access it on their smartphones during the party. You may also want to set up a scavenger hunt station on a table or under an umbrella where neighbors can pick up paper copies of the scavenger hunt list. At the end of the block party, everyone can easily find pictures of themselves having fun.

Chalking It Up

There’s plenty of time for everyone to let their competitive spirits run wild during the party, and laid-back creativity is more than welcome, too. Set out some galvanized buckets filled with chalk around each block. Ask neighbors to write their last names – with as much flourish and color as they want! – on the sidewalks in front of their homes. Or, as different residents meet each other, they can decorate each other’s sidewalk areas. This makes it easy to remember who lives where, and the colorful art will be a fun reminder of the event for days to come.