A block party is a community event hosted on a neighborhood street by a group of neighbors, a non-profit organization, or an association. During a block party, the City closes the block to through traffic. Block parties build community, strengthen connections among neighbors, and showcase creativity to make a healthier (a more fun!) community.
The Play Streets program allows block party hosts to turn their street into a playground by borrowing a free kit of pop-up play items for their block party. This kit can include equipment for climbing and bouncing, cornhole, giant Jenga, a parachute, jump ropes, basketball hoops, street hockey, tether tennis, stilts, etc.
If you plan to request a Play Streets kit from the City, check if supplies are available on your preferred date before applying for this permit. To do so, you must fill out this form indicating your preferred dates. The Play Streets team will follow up with you to confirm an available date. They will then reserve that date for up to three weeks to give you time to collect signatures of support from other residents on the block. On the day of your block party, the City’s Play Streets team transports the equipment and sets it up.