Block parties have always been fun, but today they’re easier than ever to permit, money is available from philanthropies to help fund them and the Glen Park Association is taking on some of the more annoying administrative tasks so neighbors can focus on what’s important – community.
For Sophie Constaninou on Richland, it’s a fabulous way to get to know her neighbors.
For Leslie Harlson on Chenery, it’s a party for 150 new friends who now stop on the street to say hello.
For Louis Clark on Whitney, it’s building community engagement on a street that’s just two blocks long.
For Heather World of the Glen Park Association, it’s part of what the association exists to do.
For Renee Berger of Glen Park Beautiful it’s a celebration of art, beauty and community.
All through one increasingly simple event – a block party.
What’s a block party?
Block parties can be as simple as inviting your near neighbors over for a potluck or as elaborate as jumpy houses, catered food and a live band. But at heart they’re a way to meet the people who we live near us in a day and age when often we don’t know our next-door neighbors.
“We’re all so busy. A block party is a fabulous way to slow down, stop, have a hot dog, listen to some music, sit on a chair in the middle of your street and have a chat with the people walking by,” said Constantinou, who’s organized block parties on the 400 and 500 blocks of Arlington for seven years.
On Chenery, Harlson has been helping to organize a block party since 2021.
“You get to know the names of people you see all the time on the way to the park or to the market,” she said. “It has been a touchpoint – everybody comes together at least once a year.”
The community has grown so tight as a result of these annual get-togethers, that whenever a new neighbor moves in, all the other neighbors make sure they know to come to the block party.
“It’s a way to check in and get to know the elders on the block that we might not otherwise know. The kids bike around and run around in the street and really feel like it’s their space. It forces us to stop in our busy and overscheduled lives to reconnect,” she said.
Block parties can be just for the residents of a single street, or for everyone in the near vicinity.
For Berger of Glen Park Beautiful, they’ve been a chance to celebrate the completion of projects and to bring neighbors together. This year’s party is about the new paint and tiles on the Bosworth Pedestrian Bridge at Lippard.
“We’ll hopefully be unveiling the dedication plaque. It’s just meant to be joyous occasion for the community to celebrate the bridge and beautification that’s happening in Glen Park,” she said.
How to make it happen
Putting together an outdoor block party takes effort, though the Glen Park Association and philanthropies are taking on some of the administrative and financial burden so neighbors can focus on socializing.
“The first time is the hardest,” said Constantinou. “It gets easier once you’ve done it.”
Not that she begrudges the effort. “There are times you’re out there on the street and people who live across from each other – or even next door – have never met. And you get to say, ‘Actually, you’re neighbors!’”
To make it work, one or a few people need to take the project on. On Chenery, a small group spearheads planning and organizing. “Maggie Berkemeyer is the biggest engine behind this,” said Harlson. “We call her Mayor Maggie because she really brings people together!”
“And let’s be honest,” Harlson adds, “it’s mostly moms.”
The parties are often held in September and October, when the weather is typically clear and families are back from summer vacations but hopefully not too caught up in sports activities on the weekends. But they can, and are, held any time of year.
Permits, insurance and a boost from the GPA
An outdoor block party requires a city permit to block off the street, an insurance bond and, if you’re going to have amplified music, a music permit.
Thankfully, Glen Park Association president World has been taking that on for groups over the past two years.
The money comes from Civic Joy Fund grants, which also cover Glen Park’s Night Markets and Halloween celebration. As a non-profit organization, the GPA accepts the $1,000 grant money and applies for the permits, reimbursing organizers for their food, bouncy houses and games.
“It’s generally pretty easy if one has done it before and remembers to apply for a street closure permit early enough to avoid extra costs,” said Clark on Whitney. “That being said, the city bureaucracy isn’t really made for simple block parties and things could go astray. They need maps, extra assurances, and each street closure actually has to go through a hearing which one generally doesn’t need to attend. Heather applied for the permit this year.”
“We’re so grateful for Heather and the GPA taking over the administration load, added Harlson.
The city typically allows no more than one block to be blocked off and requires cones and signs to warn cars. (Prohibiting parking is a bigger endeavor.)
On Chenery, Harlson purchased what’s needed and lends the equipment out to other blocks doing parties so no one has to rent or buy new gear.
The Elements
Typical elements of a block party include:
- Blocked off block
- Grilling of hot dogs etc
- Potluck other foods
- Face painting
- Some kind of music set up, or sometimes a live band
- Street chalk and games for kids
More elaborate parties can also include:
- Bouncy house
- San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which offers a “freedom from training wheels” clinic for kids learning to ride their bikes
- SF library staff presenting a story hour and handing out free books
- A pet costume contest and parade
Or it can be so simple nothing is needed beyond a few notes
Block parties don’t have to be that big or organized to knit community.
The 700 block of Chenery has had several over the years that are nothing more elaborate than choosing a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and inviting everyone on the block to a potluck at one of the houses. Just write some invitations and drop them through your neighbors’ mail slots. They’ve been huge hits.
Upcoming block parties:
These are the six the Glen Park News is currently aware of. For times, look for fliers on poles closer to the date.
- 400 block of Arlington Street, 8/29, includes feedback on Slow Arlington improvements.
- Whitney Street 9/20
- Burnside Avenue, 9/26 at the tiled stairs, to celebrate the new overpass art
- Lower Surrey Street between Diamond and Castro St. 10/3, 12-5pm
- Chenery Street between Burnside & Chilton, 10/4 for Chenery and all neighbors
- Surrey Street between Van Buren & Swiss 10/17
If you know of other local block parties we should add to the list, or want information about how to create one for your block, contact the Glen Park Association.
The Glen Park Association is gathering feedback on the proposal to add corner murals on Slow Arlington at the Arlington block party? Click here to see the survey.