A recent study found that 66% of Americans don’t know their neighbors all that well. If you’re one of these people and want to change this, consider organizing a community event.
Community events help people get to know one another, explore their surroundings, and have a lot of fun. Whatever your reason for organizing a community event, you’ll be glad that you did.
Here are seven creative ways to keep people entertained at your community event.
Have a Food Fair
A food fair brings new and exciting flavors to your community. You could invite your neighbors to bake and cook something delicious. Or ask local vendors and food trucks to come prepared with their best dishes.
If you’re organizing a food fair during the summer, check out the various ice cream cart rental options. You’ll keep your friends and neighbors cool and happy by providing them with a delicious treat.
Another food-related idea for your community is a cook-off. Gather some equipment and invite everyone to prepare a dish ready to be judged. Common cook-off dishes include pies, chili, and cakes.
You can even organize prizes for the best dish. Because it’s a cook-off, your prize should be related to food. This might include new cooking equipment or an ingredient hamper.
Organize a Treasure Hunt
A treasure hunt gives your community a chance to find out new things about their neighborhood. What’s great about a community-wide treasure hunt is that there’s no limit to where you can hide your treasure.
Ask everyone participating to meet at a central location, where you can hand out maps with clues or give the first hint. Make sure there are hints at every location you send the various teams to.
Of course, the first team to find the treasure wins! Treasure prizes could include vouchers for local restaurants, gift baskets, or even crafts donated by people in the community.
Plan a Nature Walk
If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere surrounded by nature, get active by organizing a nature walk. Set a time to meet at the beginning of a trial and bring everything you might need. For example, snacks, a first aid kit, and sunblock.
Ensure that you carry a map of the nature trail you’re taking. Even if you know it well, mistakes happen and it is better to be prepared than sorry. You should also make sure that everyone participating in the walk has an idea of where you’ll be going.
If you don’t live near nature, your community can still enjoy a nature walk. You’ll have to organize transport to a convenient location. Options include car-pooling and buses.
Host a Craft Fair
A craft fair not only brings your community together. It also helps the talented people in your area get their work noticed!
You’ll be surprised just how arty your community can get. From handmade jewelry, photography, and paintings, there’s so much a craft fair can offer to the people near you.
If there are people in your community who don’t have a physical craft to share, encourage them to offer services or lessons. You might find a brilliant guitarist willing to provide classes, or a singer happy to train others.
Host a Charity Event
Charity events bring your community together by working towards a common objective. You’ll help to inspire a sense of teamwork and leave everyone involved feeling like they’ve made a difference.
Charity drives are an excellent way to raise money for something important. People in your neighborhood can donate old clothes, furniture, toys, and exercise equipment. Sell these at cheap prices to get people buying.
Charity runs and races are another way to boost morale in your community. Organize a race and encourage people local to you to sign up. Allow people to run or walk so that everyone can get involved.
Try a Trivia Night
A trivia night is a really fun way to test out your neighborhood knowledge! Create a list of questions about your locality and let people compete in teams. You could even have rounds with questions based on celebrities, politics, and cinema.
Trivia nights work great in public settings like bars and restaurants. Those running these establishments are usually happy to host trivia nights as it brings their business extra income.
For an additional incentive, offer prizes for the top three scoring teams. Prizes could include gift baskets, vouchers to enjoy activities in your area, and even cash prizes.
Have a Community Movie Night
There’s nothing like a drive-in movie night to promote a sense of nostalgia! Rent a large, open space where you can set up a decently sized projector. You could even charge a small admission fee that could go towards a worthy cause within your community.
The beauty of a movie night is that it can be as simple or fancy as you like. Invite food trucks to make it feel like a real theatre, hand out picnic blankets for those joining on foot, or make it an event for adults only by serving alcohol.
Alternatively, you could host your movie night in your own home and invite a smaller number of guests. Just make sure you have a set-up that allows everyone to watch and enjoy the movie.
Make Your Next Community Event Your Best Ever
Hosting a community event is a great way to get to know your neighbors. Bringing a community together also helps establish a sense of shared interest and spirit. You’ll notice how vibrant and alive your community feels for days following your next event.
From food festivals to movie nights, there’s no end to the different fun activities you can throw. You could even give back to the world with a charity fair. One way or another, a well-organized community event is a great way to entertain everyone near you.
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