Our block party is a Fourth of July tradition that brings neighbors together for the best of celebrations. We like to host in both our driveway and backyard so there's plenty of room to include fun games, photo ops, delicious food, drinks, themed crafts and more. Better yet, this party is all outdoors, so we can to enjoy the sunshine and then transition to sundown and watch fireworks light up the sky. Here are my tips & ideas for bringing this awesome block party tradition to your own neighborhood!
Block parties are a little different from other types of parties. I like to approach these celebrations as a group party, rather than one you plan entirely by yourself, so I enlist my neighbors to help. Kick things off by hand delivering invitations, talking to neighbors and giving them access to a sign-up so they can provide activities or contribute food and drinks for the event.
Picture Perfect
On the day of our big block parties we love to set up a large photo booth out front. This photo opportunity is a neighborhood favorite and each party guests leaves with a fun party memento. I really love looking back at past photos and you will too. It's so fun to see how all of the kids grow year to year!
For this patriotic block party, The Patriotic Decorating Kit made for a great focal point. We then topped it with a huge red, white and blue, star themed balloon arch. Balloons never fail to bring joy to party guests!
We used a 50-Ft. Balloon Decorating Strip for the arch and a mix of Jumbo Ruby Red 36" Latex Balloons, Jumbo Red and Blue Stars on White 36" Latex Balloons, in addition to Patriotic Sayings Latex Balloons and the Patriotic Mylar Balloon Set. These balloons include fun messages such as "Party like its 1776" and "Livin' in the US Yay".
We then mixed in red, Red & White Stars on Blue, Red & Blue Stars on White and white 11" balloons. Finally, we added a selection of Star-Shaped Patriotic 18" Mylar Balloons throughout the arch using glue dots.
In front of the booth we added Patriotic Photo Stick Props in a blue sand bucket. These props work perfectly as ice breakers and get the conversation going, especially for new neighbors.
This year my family dressed up in patriotic t-shirts during the party. I got my husband the Fireworks Director Adult's T-Shirt, the Red, White & Cool Youth T-Shirt for my son (I mean aren't all tweens?) and the Mermaid in America Youth T-Shirt for my daughter. I loved my Meowica Adult's Ringer T-Shirt so much that I bought one for my friend and our photographer Lydia. Be sure to check out all of the 4th of July t-shirt styles here! It was so great having a photographer on-hand to capture all of our special moments. Plus, I love delivering photos to the neighborhood after the event!
Summer Fun
At the front of the driveway we used a Large Metal Patriotic Pail to hold Bright Colors Sidewalk Chalk for our annual chalk the walk! This is always a super popular activity amongst the kids and those walking by get to enjoy it for days after the party.
Summer means bubbles, too! Kids love the Hexagon Mini Bubble Bottles and the Big Bubble Wands never fail to please. If you'd like to set up your own bubble station, check out this Colorful Summer Bubble Station we set up for our block party last year.
Lip-Smacking Lemonade
Long-standing summer pastimes like freshly squeezed lemonade remain unchanged year after year. It just wouldn't be summer or the 4th of July without a lemonade stand! This lemonade stand was a great addition to our outdoor patriotic decor set-up. It's also a great way to invite neighbors into the party as soon as they arrive. Get all the supplies and steps for pulling together this DIY Patriotic Lemonade Stand HERE.
Game On!
Games were a huge success at last year's color-block themed Summer Block Party, so we made sure to include lots of opportunities for some family friendly competition at our patriotic block party. We reused and set up some of the 11 Color-Blocked Outdoor Summer Games and also added some new patriotic themed games into the mix.
Fan favorites included Patriotic Cornhole and the Patriotic Bean Bag Toss Game.
Light It Up!
The "Light It Up" station we set up in the driveway provided endless entertainment during the day and well into the night! We used a Patriotic Flag Print Plastic Tablecloth on the table with a kraft runner and then decorated it with a super fun Patriotic Firework Bundle Centerpiece and Patriotic Fireworks Wood Block Set.
We shared a range of fun glow in the dark goodies from the Patriotic Glow Family Kit as well as Bottle Party Poppers and sparklers. These glow-in-the-dark items really make the evening magic!
We displayed glow sticks in Large Cylinder Glass Vases with layered red, white and blue sand at the bottom. We used the same sand in a Short Round Pedestal Jar to hold sparklers. Mini Patriotic Pails are perfect for holding smaller glow sticks and the connectors to create bracelets and necklaces.
The Grill
The grill is always a must at any block party and this one was no different.
We had guests sign up to bring communal style large salads, side dishes, desserts and food for the grill. I also added bar snacks in Patriotic Snack Paper Bowls and Patriotic French Fry Holder Treat Bags.
We then set up a table with everything guests needed to enjoy the food like dining essentials from the Patriotic Party Tableware Kit for 50 (the perfect size for this scale party!), Wooden Cutlery Set with Red Handles and Wooden Cutlery Set with Blue Handles.
We also added trays with Patriotic Burger Take-Out Boxes and Patriotic Hot Dog Holders. I loved using these for the grill food and everyone enjoyed using real takeout boxes and trays.
We also put a selection of drinks in a fabulous Patriotic Inflatable Buffet Cooler. Look how huge it is! Our DIY Patriotic Lemonade Stand also came in handy during meal time.
One of my favorite ways to serve drinks was using the Patriotic Faces Can Coolers. They're so fun and gave everyone a good laugh.
Coming Together
We had plenty of outdoor chairs, beanbags, and tables set up so people had somewhere to gather and eat. We decorated the areas with a backdrop of Patriotic Hanging Fans and a My Mind's Eye America Banner as well as some DIY garlands I made with Patriotic Star Beads and Patriotic Wool Felt Pom-Poms.
On the table we added Light-Up Patriotic Lantern Sets for evening lighting and more snacks for the kids in Mini Red & White Striped Popcorn Boxes.
It was a hot day, so we also set out some Star Fans so guests could keep cool in the summer heat.
Crafting with Stars & Stripes
Central to the backyard festivities, we set up a crafting area filled with all sorts of activities. We wanted this to be a relaxing space so patriotic pillows and Patriotic Yard Blanket were incorporated to keep it comfortable.
We set the table low, using a tabletop over some crates, and set out Color Your Own Patriotic Banners with Pom-Pom Trim and Patriotic Wand Craft Kits as well as crayons and supplies in pails.
We also put out, glue, Stars & Stripes Mega Sticker Packs & an Acrylic Riser filled with Fabulous Foam Star Glitter Shapes for the kids to get creative with. Don't forget to include Fourth of July Temporary Tattoos and a Patriotic Tattoo Assortment which are always fan favorites.
We also set up a smaller table with Large Metal Patriotic Pails containing DIY Star Slow-Rising Squishies, Color Your Own Patriotic Footballs and sharpies for coloring. Note to self: Order more squishies than you think you'll need because each child will want to take multiple home!
We were able to quite literally have a craft for everyone at an affordable price!
Merch Stand
We wanted everyone to take away a piece of the happy feeling of reconnecting with our neighborhood block, so we created a fun "Merch Stand" full of patriotic goodies, parade supplies and candy treats.
In the center we used a grid wall to display the "merch" and I painted a DIY Unfinished Wood USA Sign blue to label the merch display. We used hooks on the grid wall to hang Patriotic Mesh Back Trucker Hats and 4th of July Icon Bandanas.
We also set up some pin trading for the kids. I love that pins are back! I traced the USA sign onto a Flipside Cork Panel, painted it and used it to display the full selection of pins in the Bulk Patriotic Mini Button Assortment. Under this I hung Blue Nylon Breakaway Lanyards so the kids could keep track of all their new pins. Get the full DIY to make these HERE.
The favorite items by far were the Inflatable Mini Patriotic Eagles. These went like hot cakes with kids young and old. Another note to self: Buy more next time!!
Next to the grid wall we set up a candy table. Over the table we hung a Let Freedom Ring Laser-Cut Star Sign and on the table we used Apothecary Plastic Jars to hold the candy. The jars were filled with Dubble Bubble® American Flag Gum, Patriotic Blend M&Ms® and Tootsie Roll® USA Flag Midgees. We used a Short Round Pedestal Jar layered with red, white and blue sand at the bottom for the Patriotic Tootsie Roll Pops®.
We then added plenty of container options for taking the candy home including Patriotic Treat Bags, Patriotic Pull Favor Boxes, and mini pails.
Under the candy display sat various buckets from the Patriotic Sand Bucket Assortment. I personalized each bucket with every family's name using vinyl so kids could fill them up with Patriotic Pinwheels, Small American Flags on Plastic Sticks and parade wands everything they needed for parades and celebrations!
On the other side of the Merch Stand we used a cart to hold smaller items as well as essentials like Child's Patriotic Washable Face Masks and hand sanitizer. I painted DIY Unfinished Wood USA Shapes to create labels for everything, adding patriotic beads to these as decor. I also created DIY star bead garlands to decorate the cart.
On top of the stand I wrapped my jewelry holder with blue ribbon and hung Confetti-Filled Patriotic Necklaces and Stars & Stripes Mini Bubble Bottles. We then used upside down Acrylic Risers as holders for Patriotic Thin Band Silicone Bracelets, Patriotic Star-Shaped Shutter Glasses and Reversible Sequin Plush Patriotic Stars.
Happy 4th of July!
We were so ready to spend quality time with our neighbors and this neighborhood block party allowed us to do just that! Look at these smiles!
The best bit about our block parties is that we can roll them out again next year! Happy 4th of July!
Photography by Photography Hill
