Comments on: How to Organize and Host a Frugal Block Party

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:33:33 +0000

A guy named Fred started FredFest on our block many years ago, and we just had the latest one last weekend. He sets up a big smoker grill, tubs of ice/soda, and there’s ladderball and cornhole in the streets. Some guys get a band together. The local fire dept comes down and parks their trucks on our street. We sign a petition a few weeks before to get the city to close the street to traffic for the evening.

I love the idea and we make an appearance, but frankly since I don’t eat meat and many of us don’t trust the kitchen cleanliness of others providing side dishes, it kind of turns into a gossip fest about the neighbors, being able to point them out while chatting! But at least it brings some folks together and the yards are cleaned up for a day.

By: Bill in Houston

Bill in Houston — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:44:13 +0000

My wife and I have organized a block party for the 4th of July this year. We’re doing the heavy lifting part (grilling and supplying meats, buying the ice). Everyone else will bring their own chairs to sit on, but we’ll haul out our garden furniture and a big plastic table I have (as a buffet). Our meats will be burgers, hot dogs and chicken kebabs. Easy stuff all done on the grill.

One neighbor is bringing plastic flatware, cups, plates, and napkins.

Another neighbor is bringing a piñata for later in the afternoon.

Two neighbors are bringing soft drinks and bottled water.

Wine and beer are BYOB. We’ve asked neighbors to bring a covered dish or dessert. We’re fortunate (we did this back around Easter, too) in that no one brings a bag of Oreos and says, “here’s mine!” Most of my neighbors are older, and a good portion retired.

There will be a few kids in the mix, and I hadn’t thought of games until a previous poster (thanks, Kevin) mentioned water balloon or an egg toss. I’m going to go with water balloons because the cartons of Egg Beaters I have just don’t work right…

By: Beth

Beth — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:45:23 +0000

Our neighborhood has a block party each year during the Labor Day weekend – it’s been an annual event for 75 years now. (We haven’t participated that long :) It’s held on a small side street. One of the neighbors adjoining the street provides a grill and the use of their lawn; everyone pitches in with tables and chairs. Each family kicks in $5 (or more if you want) and brings a side dish; meat and non-alcoholic beverages are included. Some families bring beer or wine coolers to share, others bring a package of bratwurst or other meat to grill.

The key, I guess, is cooperation. I think it’s easier to have a block party when no one person is responsible for expenses like meat or drinks. Everyone benefits from getting to know their neighbors.

Traditions like this are really important to the creation of a community – thanks for drawing some attention to them.

By: littlepitcher

littlepitcher — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:23:37 +0000

Next party, we have an offer of a band looking for exposure. An amp, a guitar or two, and an invite to the local homeowners and/or tenants should get an offer or two of free music in exchange for food.

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:28:30 +0000

Nice post and novel concept.

I have found that when it comes to most guests– I think you can count on people to bring some things as well to ease the burden . . .

By: Lexi

Lexi — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:22:50 +0000

My parents have a block party every 4th of July. They live a cul-de-sac so space isn’t a problem. They get with the neighbors who live in the cul-de-sac to work out times, etc so no one is inconvenienced. They are also able to get all the tables and chairs they need from their church. They also set up several large coolers full of ice water. Everyone else brings their own meat and a side dish, and a few men (or women) who enjoy grilling bust out the grills and get to work. The only real expense my parents have is paper/plasticware and many people in the neighborhood are willing to help out in that area. After everyone’s done eating, we make it a game with the kids to clean up, so it happens very quickly. Lastly, we all share the fireworks so there’s a big show at the end of the night for very few $$’s.

By: jana

jana — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:40:21 +0000

We all chip in and rent a bounce house-even the adults have fun with it!

By: Debbie Ditton

Debbie Ditton — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:13:27 +0000

Another option for keeping the cost down on the main dish… We had a Luau and asked each family to bring a side dish and contribute $5 per family for the pulled pork. We had them RSVP so we knew how much to buy. Also, our neighbors had no problem bringing their own dishes, silverware and cups. We provided some inexpensive crafts for their kids and dug the pit to roast the pork the “right way”. Everyone felt some ownership for the part and it was tons of fun!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:45:09 +0000

P.S. We also asked each family to bring 1 dish to “share,” and we borrowed large tables to set up the food from a local church. We had a “greeting” table set up with name badges.

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:42:02 +0000

The least expensive way, IMO, is to organize your block party around the Sheriff’s Dept’s “National Night Out” celebration, which is usually in August (I think). Flyer the neighborhood every 2 weeks for about 2 months prior to the event, have everyone bring their own foods to cook, on the flyers ask people to volunteer usage of their portable grills, get city permit to block off the street, and then the entertainment will be provided by the Sheriffs who come with their units and delight both children and adults, alike. We did this last summer and had a marvelous turnout with over 150 people in attendance. We also found a local DJ in our tract who offered to set up his equipment and speakers and have music playing throughout the event, plus a PA system so that we could announce arrival of each sheriff’s unit. People loved it and asked to have it again this year.

By: Jade

Jade — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 06:28:30 +0000

@Sophie – sounds like the parties we used to have. I miss that…

@Steven – I had a similar problem with my graduation party. I ended up having a second party the day after to finish off the leftovers and sent my guests home with bags of leftovers. Not to mention a goofy picture I have of a friend with his mouth full of carrot sticks, doing his part to finish the leftovers!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:12:23 +0000

Just a note for the veggie dogs. You want to make sure that you make them on a grill that’s not meat tainted. (yeah, that seems so obvious…. ) It doesn’t matter for someone that still eats meat, but there are some vegetarians that get sick if it’s cooked on something that recently had meat on it.

By: Sophie

Sophie — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:04:32 +0000

Our block parties are “no host” and they’re tons of fun. We always gather at the same house, but only because it has an enormous tree for shade in the front yard. One neighbor prints up flyers two weeks in advance, and rounds up a few of the kids in the neighborhood to deliver them around. (Any new neighbors get an in-person invite.) On the day, two or three guys roll their grills over and the homeowner sets out a couple of folding tables for the food. Everyone brings burgers/brats for their own family, plus a side dish and soda/beer to share. All of us pool our condiments, paper products, ice, blankets, and chairs. You can send a kid (yours or someone else’s) back home for anything that’s missing or runs out during the party. It’s cheap fun at its finest and we are talking about expanding to add a couple more get-togethers in the spring and in the fall.

By: Strick

Strick — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:22:01 +0000

We just had a great block party. Everyone brought a side dish and their own drinks and chairs. WE had two people grilling and everyone gave them $2/person to cover the meat. No one was out any money and the only real time was for the two that grilled, and they really love to grill…

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:19:02 +0000

Our block party runs like this: We take turns hosting it on the same day every year (the first day of school),the hosts print up a flyer and pass it out and we contact our local police to get cones to block off the street;we bring our own place settings,lawn chairs,drinks,meat and one side dish. A few people offer up their grills for everyone to use and then the men(their choice!) take turns at the grills. Whoever is hosting asks the other neighbors to borrow extra tables. We hosted last year and after the meal we all pulled our lawn chairs into a large circle and played ” The Ungame” which was very non-competitive game which helped all the neighbors get to know each other better.
BTW: I love your site and thanks for all your great work!

By: Gena

Gena — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:48:49 +0000

In our neighborhood, we’ve got a long-running annual 4th of July tradition. On July 3rd, a bunch of the guys get together for “Guys Baking Pies” at one of the neighbors’ homes. Doesn’t matter if you’ve never baked or you’re a pro. If you’re a guy, you’re welcome. They hang out, prep and bake, and then on the 4th, their creations are served with much pomp and hilarity at the gathering’s end. We always end up with at least 8-10 pies, and sometimes closer to 12 or 15. We all get to sample each other’s creativity.

On the 4th itself, the neighborhood gathers at one neighbor’s house. They have a grill and an EZ UP, but everyone brings extra grills, chairs, drinks, coolers, and a dish to share. You grill your own whatever and there’s always a TON of food. The hosts provide dishes, but sometimes ask if people mind bringing their own, just to help keep the trash and environmental impact down. How big a deal is it to bring some plates and silverware? Not much.

These things can be as frugal or fancy as you make them. The point is COMMUNITY and that’s what I really appreciate. The Guys-Pies event is the highlight of the year, and we all look forward to the next one.

By: Steven@HundredGoals.com

Steven@HundredGoals.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:05:27 +0000

I’m having my graduation party tomorrow and have found that it is a bit of a hassle to try and organize everything when you aren’t sure how many people are going to attend. You want to plan for a large group but don’t want to waste food in the event of a small turnout.

I think your tips are good and I wish you the best when it is your turn to host!

By: Krysten

Krysten — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:40:12 +0000

I’ve found if you’re grilling something it’s really nice to sign up grillers in shifts. So say 2-3 different people each with a 30 minute grilling shift. It leaves the other hosts free to put out other “fires” and mingle with the rest of the guests.

We’ve also asked people to bring leftover paper plates/napkins from birthday parties — usually a nice assortment of disney themed, over the hill etc paper goods. It always seems like everyone has a few leftover from a recent party and this is a fun way to use them up.

By: Kevin M

Kevin M — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:31:20 +0000

I highly recommend either a water balloon toss or egg toss game for any block party.

By: San Antone

San Antone — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:05:19 +0000

At our last block party, we organized the kind of neighborhood swaps I’ve been reading about in the paper. My neighbor and I share our household tools and lawn equipment now. I get twice as many tools and power equipment, at half the price.

I even share my neighbor’s newspaper now. I like to relax and read the paper for local news and ads, but I don’t care if it’s the same day. So, I asked my neighbor if I could pay half of his subscription if he would throw yesterday’s paper over onto my yard when he came out to get the current day’s morning paper. I read the paper a day late and enjoy it just as much. (For immediate, up-to-date news, I use the internet.) Now we’ve started doing the same thing with magazine subscriptions. We get to read all of our favorite magazines at home for half the subscription price.