Local events are a great way to bring communities closer together. That’s not all: they’re also linked to higher levels of personal wellbeing, as well as better relationships and connections.
Whether you want to raise funds for a worthy cause or boost camaraderie in your local area, a community event will help strengthen bonds with your neighbours.
Deciding what type of event you should hold will depend on your goals, as well as the size and demographic of your target audience. To help inspire your next move, here are 25 tried and trusted community events ideas that are proven to help create plenty of positivity.
Table of contents
Community event ideas for families
Cultural ideas for community events
Community event ideas for seniors
Community event ideas for families
Your event is an opportunity to bring the whole neighbourhood together. Focusing on community event ideas for families helps you host an event both parents and kids will love.
1. Gather a gardening gang
If there’s a green space in your community that has seen better days, why not organise a group of volunteers to restore it to its former glory? Digging out weeds, picking up litter, and planting appropriate flora will transform it into something for all to enjoy and encourage people to take an active part in caring for their local area.
Or why not create a vegetable patch where local people can grow food? Take inspiration from The Paradise Co-operative, which develops under-used land for urban growing and community gardening.
Ask local gardeners for help and get schools, community leaders, and local businesses on board. For example, Salford Ranger Team works with friends groups, schools, voluntary organisations, local people, and partner organisations to make Salford’s parks, countryside, and nature reserves safer, cleaner, and greener.
2. Host a street party
Street parties have long been a traditional way for neighbours, friends, and family to come together and celebrate a milestone – think cultural celebrations, national holidays, and royal weddings.
Nowadays, they can be as formal or informal as you like. The emphasis is on having fun, building community spirit, and reinforcing a positive outlook. One of the best things about street parties is they allow people of all ages to meet and enjoy each other’s company.
When organising a street party, you must get permission from your council and street residents – it can take 4 to 12 weeks, so factor that in when setting your date. Tell the council the date and time of your event, whether you want to close a road, if the road is part of a bus route or used by traffic, and a list of any properties or businesses affected. The more you consult with neighbours, the better.
3. Hold a swap shop
Did you know that £140 million of clothing goes into landfill each year?
Holding a swapping event can have both social and environmental benefits for your community. Not only does it minimise the number of unwanted items going to landfill, but it also helps out individuals and families who can’t afford to replace their worn-out clothes, furniture, or electronics.
A swap shop is generally a cashless local event where people exchange unwanted items for something they do want. Not everyone needs to bring something – the more takers the better, it will mean you will have very little left over at the end.
You may choose to have an event at a specific venue or simply a day when everyone puts their unwanted items out on the street, and anyone can take what they want. Just remember to notify the local council first and arrange for anything not claimed to be taken to a local charity afterwards. For inspiration, check out Selfridges’ Swap Shops in Birmingham and Trafford.
4. Host a kids’ bake sale
No one can say no to delicious cake, especially when the town is filled with the most amazing smells! Kids’ bake sales are a fantastic family-friendly way to encourage kids to get creative.
Whether little ones are baking icing-topped cupcakes or chocolate chip cookies, why not think Great British Bake Off and partner with local schools to host a cake sale or baking competition?
5. Litter picking
According to a recent survey, 90% of people say volunteering helps them to make a positive difference — and 44% say they feel they make a difference to a particular group of people or issue in society. What better way to make a difference in your local community than by doing something great for the environment?
Collecting litter gives people a sense of fulfilment and cleaner streets make neighbourhoods look better, too. Kids, in particular, love the challenge of picking up as much litter as possible — so gather everyone together and grab a bag.
6. Sightseeing trail
Get kids excited about their local area with one of the best community events: a sightseeing trail. Whether that’s a tour around local landmarks — think castle ruins, famous streets, or historical figure plaques — or a trivia-filled trail in a local green space, organising a walking tour is sure to spark kids’ curiosity.
Make the sightseeing trail family-friendly by including plenty of stops at local cafes, and handing out fact sheets and colouring packs for kids to fill in as they go.
Charity community event ideas
According to a study by Charities Aid Foundation, people in the UK gave £10.7 billion to charity in 2021 — why not join in and create your own charity fundraising event?
Fundraising events need to address two issues – raising money for your given charity and entertaining your guests. Get creative and plan a charity event that achieves both these goals. Take a look at our charity community event ideas to get you inspired.
7. Plan a trivia night
A quiz night with general knowledge questions can appeal to a broad audience, or you can target particular groups by focusing on specialist subjects, such as sports, history, or music. Theming your quiz can also give it an extra edge; for example, how about holding one on Halloween with questions about horror films, along with spooky decorations to get everyone in the spirit?
The hardest part of holding a quiz night is inevitably writing the questions. If you research your own trivia on the internet, then be careful when selecting the sites where you source your questions. Do not just take them from the first list of horror movie facts you come across – your participants may well have been on the same website!
General knowledge questions will appeal to a broad audience, but it’s always good to focus a few rounds on specialist subjects like football or music. Add a neighbourhood spin by including questions about your local area.
For example, “How much is a pint of milk in the corner shop?” or “In what year, was the block of flats over the road built?” You can even add a charitable element by fundraising for a local organisation.
8. Community training events
Training and development events help charities empower local people. The more individuals with relevant skills, the stronger the communities in which they live. These events range from teaching new skills to improving people’s knowledge and understanding.
Why not run health and wellness events, organise talks or seminars, or provide practical training such as CPR sessions? For example, London LGBTQ+ Community Centre offer a range of training sessions, from deaf awareness training to support workshops.
9. Talent shows
People love letting their hair down and showing off hidden skills – making talent shows perfect as a fundraiser. Anyone with an internet connection can join in, so extend your reach by including your virtual audience.
Have different age categories or break acts down into categories such as singing, dancing, or variety performances. Just make sure everyone gets the chance to take centre stage.
10. Fun run, marathon, or walkathon
Walking and running events are popular and successful community activities for a reason. They’re sociable, appeal to a wide audience of all ages, and can be as easy or as challenging as participants like. They also make great fundraisers.
Whether people are running enthusiasts or new to the sport, destination races can be a big attraction. But even if your run or walk event doesn’t take place in a big city, you can still use your location to entice registrations. Poll your team or community for secret spots or little-known businesses and include them on your route, advertising your event as the “Best Kept Secrets” of your town.
11. Donation drive
Donation drives allow people to donate new, unused, or used items to those in need. That’s anything from food, clothing, or furniture to personal hygiene products, cooking utensils, or baby equipment.
Everything donated must be in good condition, and by working with your local charity, you can clarify what they need. And if you use Eventbrite’s online tools you can coordinate your social media activity and reach a wider audience.
12. Charity golf event
If you have access to a golf course, why not put it to good use by hosting a charity golf tournament? It’s a great way to generate funds and give people a fun, healthy day out. Beginners and pros are welcome.
Cultural ideas for community events
Communities are a rich mixture of cultures and beliefs. Celebrate this by hosting community cultural events everyone can enjoy.
13. Organise an arts and crafts festival
In every community, there are budding craft enthusiasts that you could bring together by creating your own arts and crafts festival.
The term arts and crafts covers such a magnitude of different disciplines that there’s nothing stopping you from setting up stalls selling anything you want, from pottery to watercolours, knitwear to jewellery. Craft and Flea Events do just that with a collection of independent makers, collectors, designers, and creatives all under one roof.
Organise an art trail by collaborating with a local artist to take guests around your local area, showing the places that have impacted and inspired their work. Or go virtual by setting up a dedicated local events page on Facebook. Each person gets one dedicated post to promote themselves and show images of their work. Other members of the community can then connect and purchase items online.
14. Film screening
Who doesn’t enjoy watching a great film on a big screen with a bucket of popcorn? You can organise a film screening at a local school, church, community centre, or even outside under the stars (rooftops are still in!). Choose to screen a recent blockbuster or go for an old classic and embrace a theme, like ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ with guests encouraged to come in fancy dress.
On the other hand, if you have a message to get across or are marking a particular occasion, you can choose a relevant movie, such as ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ to promote reconciliation or ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ to raise awareness about living with cancer.
Under UK copyright law, if you’re playing films outside your domestic or home circle, you need to obtain permission. This permission can be a licence or film booking from the film’s copyright owner. The copyright owner is usually one of the three major distributors – BFI, Filmbankmedia, or MPLC.
15. Use a themed day
Themed days like World Book Day or International Women’s Day are a gift for event creators. They give you, as host, a focus for your planning and your guests plenty of ideas for how to celebrate. Choose themes that resonate with your community and enlist local charities and businesses to help with the organisation.
16. Coordinate a performance
Amateur dramatics has been a long-standing part of the community, so why not gather some aspiring thespians together and organise a show? Theatre and musical performances uplift a community, so tap into your local knowledge and host an event your audience will appreciate.
Theatre can take place anywhere. Change things up and create an immersive experience or walking performance with parts of the play staged around town. Have your actors do scenes or interact with the audience, making them part of the performance.
Use the seasons to your advantage by performing ‘A Christmas Carol’ toward the end of the year. Or you could use a nearby forest or garden to stage ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ during the summer months.
Community event ideas for seniors
Running events for elderly people in the community is a great way to bring people of all ages together. From tea clubs to puzzle sessions, here are some community event ideas for seniors.
17. Tea club
Tea, cakes, biscuits — what’s not to love? Hosting a weekly or monthly tea club can be a great way to connect elderly members of the community over a cuppa.
Waltham Forest Libraries runs Seniors’ Tea Club, an event for those over 65 to socialise, chat, and share delicious sweet treats. At your tea club, you could get other members of the community involved by providing home-baked goods, or partnering with local schools and businesses to get everyone mingling.
18. Pop-up cinema
Screening the classics is a great way to revisit old favourites. Host your pop-up cinema at a town hall and invite various members of the community along for an afternoon of silver screen masterpieces: think Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Brief Encounter.
Add fun extras with delicious snacks and drinks — and host a film club chat after the screening for everyone to discuss the movie. When organising your screening, make sure to also consider accessibility requirements, such as subtitles and audio description.
19. Flower arranging
What better way to brighten the day than with a gorgeous bouquet of fresh blooms? Flower arranging is a perfect activity for hands-on creativity, and can cater to all skill levels and abilities.
Flower arranging is not only accessible to everybody, but research has shown that it has therapeutic benefits too. In fact, one study reported that flowers are proven to boost mood and lower anxiety for the elderly.
Why not get everyone feeling energised by inviting other members of the community to join in — whether that’s a local florist to lead the class, or younger students eager to learn?
20. Puzzle afternoon
Get everyone engaged with a stimulating puzzle afternoon. Whether held at the local library or community hall, invite seniors, students, and young families to partake in a fun community puzzle activity.
There are a number of ways to get creative with your puzzle afternoon: you could create mini competition tournaments for specific games, or pair members of the community together to compete as a team.
You might also choose to have a range of activities, games, and puzzle stations at different tables for everyone to enjoy — or gather everyone together to complete one big jigsaw puzzle.
Cater for everyone with a range of puzzles — such as interactive board games for kids and card-based games for adults — and let the fun begin. Don’t forget Monopoly, Cluedo, and Scrabble.
21. Seated exercise classes
One of the best community event ideas for seniors? A fun-filled exercise session. Hosting a gentle seated exercise class can be a great way to bring elderly members of the community together and get everyone smiling.
Invite friendly instructors to teach light stretches, muscle-strengthening exercises, and massage techniques to improve mobility and general fitness. JK Remedial Pilates does exactly that, offering a number of classes for people of all levels. For seniors, they offer chair-based mobility exercise sessions to help alleviate minor conditions and boost overall wellbeing.
Community party ideas
Whether you’re hosting fundraising parties or foodie get-togethers, here are a number of community party ideas to delight everyone.
22. All-inclusive neighbourhood party
Take a moment to celebrate the diversity of your local area by hosting an inclusive community party, where everybody can get to know each other. Organised by local people, Celebrate Islington is a community festival which aims to keep its events inclusive. This means offering a range of food options — including vegan, vegetarian, and meat dishes — as well as choosing not to serve alcohol, so everybody feels welcome.
23. Big potluck picnic
Invite everybody in the local community to celebrate by sharing a delicious potluck-style meal. The idea: each person brings one dish — whether that’s homemade cookies or a summer salad — to share, and the feast begins.
Whether you’re hosting your picnic on a larger scale or keeping it local to a few streets, it’s a great way to get to know your neighbours. You could also add a seasonal spin to your picnic party by theming it around Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Easter.
24. Music festival
For show-stopping community party ideas, look no further. There’s no better way to bring people together than with music and dance — so why not organise a music festival in your local area? Showcase local talent with open mic slots and fun jam sessions, and encourage kids from nearby schools to participate with battle-of-the-band-style competitions.
25. Local produce festival
Celebrate local produce by hosting a community party centred around small businesses. Whether it’s craft-based — such as handmade jewellery or clothing — or food-based (think locally sourced eggs, organic meat, or homemade jam), a local produce festival is sure to be a hit.
Invite guests to sample local cuisine and rediscover some trusted favourites — and browse a range of handmade items. Don’t forget to amp up the party vibes with music and drinks.
The Local Food Festival runs a range of events across the UK, celebrating each area’s unique food and drinks scene — helping people discover a new love for where they live.
How to plan a community event
The emphasis here is on community. That means bringing people together, creating a positive atmosphere, and having fun.
The best way to organise a successful community event is by working with prominent local people, the wider community, and local businesses. Take planning one step at a time, and the process becomes more effective.
- Sort the basics, including the name, date, and time of your event
- Agree on a budget and stick to it. Working with others can stretch your funds further
- Plan a charity event (or charity element) that resonates with your local community
- Secure a venue that is accessible to all and has good transport links
- Ensure that you have all the necessary permits and permissions for your event
- Make lists and check them twice. Identify what you need, including catering, seating, performers, volunteers, merchandise, and suppliers
- Advertise your event in places local people access information, like local newspapers, community centres, schools, colleges, or on social media
- Work with caterers, vendors, and suppliers who understand local community needs
- Get as much help as you can – volunteers are a lifesaver. Enlist local people to help make your event a success
- Remember to thank everyone for all their hard work
When creating change, community is key
Positive change comes from a feeling of unity, and there are so many ways that you can bring people together — from street party fundraisers to local produce festivals. Connect with your audience now and organise an event that engages your community.
