Street Party Games: How To Entertain The Whole Road At Your Next Get-Together

Street parties are the one event where the age range runs from two to ninety-two and nobody has been briefed. That rules out anything complicated and anything that needs quiet.

We don't sell board games. We design and print greetings cards, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so every game here is a recommendation rather than our own product.

Below: the big outdoor games, the ones that work sitting at a trestle table, and a running order that keeps the road busy from lunch until the bunting comes down.

Big games for the road

• Giant Jenga and giant Connect 4 - constant use all afternoon, no supervision needed.
• A tug of war down the middle of the road, ideally one street versus the other end.
• Space hopper races and egg and spoon for the kids, with a wooden spoon and a potato if eggs feel optimistic.
• Welly wanging, into a marked area rather than at anybody's car.
• Skittles, boules or a rounders game on the widest bit of the road.
• A limbo pole with music. Reliably the photograph everybody shares afterwards.
• A cake competition with a judging table. Not a game, but it makes the whole road compete.

Trestle table games for all ages

• Herd Mentality - one simple question, everyone writes an answer, you score by matching the crowd. It works with a nine-year-old and a grandparent at the same table, which almost nothing else does.
• A picture quiz on the tables: local landmarks, old photos of the street, famous faces.
• A guess-the-number-of-sweets jar, running all day with a prize at the end.
• Bingo, with a neighbour on the microphone and small prizes.
• A 'how well do you know your neighbours' sheet with anonymous facts to match to houses.
• Pass the parcel in one enormous version down the middle of a table.
• Dominoes, cards and draughts for the people who want to sit down and chat.

Planning the day

• Apply to the council for the road closure early - many require six to twelve weeks' notice.
• Borrow trestle tables from a church hall, scout hut or school before hiring anything.
• Put one person in charge of each game, so nothing sits unused.
• Run kids' races early, the quiz mid-afternoon, and music at the end.
• Bunting the length of the road makes more difference to the photos than anything else you buy.
• Have a wet weather plan: a gazebo, a garage, or a willing neighbour's front room.
• Prizes should be tiny and numerous. Everybody wins something at a street party.

Keeping it multi-generational

• Seat older neighbours in the shade with a table game running near them - not at the far end from the action.
• Give teenagers a job: running races, keeping score, managing the music.
• Pair up ages for team games rather than letting kids and adults split.
• Keep one quiet table for people who'd rather talk than compete.
• Announce things loudly and twice. Half the road will be indoors making tea.
• Take a group photo before people start drifting home at five.

Shop party supplies

How to write it so it lands

• Chalk lanes on the road for races - it costs nothing and washes off.
• Put the quiz sheets on the tables before people sit down.
• One microphone or a megaphone changes the whole day.

Where to shop next

• How to host a games night
• Board games for a UK holiday cottage
• Dinner party games for adults
• Hen party games
• Best travel board games
• New Year's Eve party games
• Board games for big groups
• Board games hub
• Free feel good tools
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What games can you play at a street party?

Giant Jenga and Connect 4, tug of war, egg and spoon and space hopper races, welly wanging and limbo outdoors, plus table games like Herd Mentality, a picture quiz, bingo and a sweets-in-a-jar guess.

What street party games work for all ages?

Ones with no reading and no strategy: Herd Mentality, a picture quiz, bingo and giant garden games. They put a nine-year-old and a grandparent on equal footing.

Do you need permission for a street party in the UK?

For a road closure, yes - apply to your local council, usually six to twelve weeks ahead. Small parties on a driveway or a green often don't need one, but check with the council first.

How do you organise street party games?

Give each game an owner, run kids' races early, the quiz mid-afternoon and music at the end, keep prizes small and plentiful, and have a gazebo ready in case it rains.

Do you sell board games?

No. We design and print greetings cards, pin badges and party bits in the UK. Every game named here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.