7 Community Event Ideas to Bring People Together

Nothing brings people together like a shared goal and a vibrant community vibe.

Whether you’re organizing a local celebration, a charity fundraiser, or a neighborhood get-together, community events create connections, collaboration, and celebration opportunities. These gatherings are more than just fun — they’re valuable experiences that help people come together, share ideas, and establish stronger relationships.

Now, perhaps more than ever, we want (need) to spend time with others, but everyone seems to be back in their old habit of always being on the go. As an event planner, it may seem hard to bring your community, or even just your neighborhood, together. We're flying to your side with these seven fun ideas to bring people to your next community gathering.

Why do we have community events?

A community thrives when people connect and work together toward a shared purpose. Events that bring people together strengthen social ties, boost mental well-being, and promote local pride. They also provide a safe, inclusive space for participants to chat, collaborate, and celebrate diversity.

When you organize meaningful events—whether a street festival, park clean-up, or wellness fair—you give people a platform to engage, invest, and explore their surroundings. These experiences help build empathy, tolerance, and understanding within local communities.

Reasons to hold fun activities in your community include:

• Build mental well-being: Can’t we all use a mental lift? As humans, we crave human connection and need to feel connected to others. Having fun alongside other people is a great way to stimulate mental well-being and spark some much-needed joy.
• Create community: People move around so much these days, public events help bring “old” and “new” neighbors together, bringing everyone into the fold. Putting people into teams will help them mingle further.

• Build community pride: Each community has something it is really proud of, from local goose farms to giant butter statues and historical sites, but most residents don’t spend enough time enjoying what is right in their own backyard. Instill pride and respect for local parks, for example, by staging outdoor events (and maybe even cleaning them up a bit!).
• Introduce other people to your area: While certain events might be just for your block or neighborhood, sometimes you need a crowd! Events can bring a broader target audience to your location.
• Support local charities: Fundraising activities can introduce attendees to a charitable cause and promote volunteer opportunities.
• Just have fun: And that may be the best reason of all.

How can I make sure my community event attracts a diverse group of attendees?

The best way to ensure your community event is welcoming to everyone is to be intentional about representation, accessibility, and outreach.

Consider who lives in your community and design activities that appeal to different age groups, cultures, and interests. Partnering with local organizations, schools, and businesses can help you reach a broader audience. If needed, make sure your promotional materials are available in multiple languages, and consider offering free or low-cost entry options to remove financial barriers.

Accessibility is also key—choose a venue that accommodates people of all abilities and provides options for those with sensory sensitivities. The more inclusive your event feels, the more people will want to participate!

How can I get local businesses involved in my community event?

Getting local businesses involved is a win-win and they get exposure, and your event gets extra support! Start by reaching out to business owners with a clear proposal on how they can benefit—new customers? More sales? Social media followers? Understand what’s important to them, and craft your offering accordingly!

They might be interested in sponsoring part of the event, setting up a booth, or donating prizes. Restaurants and cafés could provide food samples, while retail shops might offer discounts to attendees.

What are some simple ways to market my community event on a small budget?

Marketing doesn’t have to break the bank! Start by tapping into local networks such as community Facebook groups, neighborhood apps, and bulletin boards at libraries or coffee shops are all great (and free!) places to spread the word. Partnering with local influencers, schools, and businesses can expand your reach. If you’re using Goosechase to run an interactive experience, encourage attendees to share their Missions on social media—user-generated content is gold for organic promotion. Finally, word of mouth is as powerful as always, so get your friends, family, and volunteers to discuss the event every chance!

7 Community Event Ideas that Bring People Together

Stoked about the idea of community events, but don’t have any actual ideas? Here are seven interactive experiences and community event ideas we’ve found that we're sure people will flock to:

1 Ya Gotta Regatta: Geese love water, and for good reason! What is better than splashing around in cool, refreshing liquid sunshine? Encourage residents to get outside and enjoy their surroundings by hosting a day at the local lake, pool, or river. Remind folks of the importance of preserving your natural environment.

Use eco-friendly party supplies and incorporate a trash pickup. Younger kids will effectively learn to take better care of their surroundings if they can enjoy them. Station food trucks along the shore so participants can enjoy delicious refreshments from local vendors between possible soakings. And, not that you need the reminder, make sure to have lifeguard support on standby!

2 Block Parties: Create an outdoor activity with all your neighbors for the pure purpose of getting to know each other. Bring in food vendors or have a huge potluck, let local musicians perform, and have plenty of games for the kids. You can even organize a treasure hunt with teams composed of family members or choose random groupings so everyone has fun meeting other people.

3 Noodle Around in Nature: Are there certain flowers, plants, trees, birds and animals that are unique to your area? If you don’t know, your neighbors probably don’t either, so set up a nature adventure where everyone learns more. Find a local nature conservancy, hire a nature guide, or organize photo safaris to bring back photos of your finds. It’s even better to tie conservation education to your public event.

4 Food Festival: Every area has a local food specialty, so host a food festival to celebrate your uniqueness. Any fun event becomes even more fun with amazing food and drink. We’ve heard of everything from giant pumpkins, garlic festivals, and chicken wing eating contests to the Waikiki Spam Jam – if there’s food, there’s a festival that revels in it. Set up food stations where attendees can try samples and bring in local producers to show off their wares.

5 Town Trivia: Build local pride with a town trivia night. Teams can compete at street parties to show off their local knowledge or build city-wide events. If the weather isn’t cooperating, create a community Zoom night, and invite a broad audience from homes, bars and gathering spots throughout the area.

Add questions about your location, like “How many geese summer on our lake every year?” (Our guess? Probably a few honkers too many...) Entry fees can go towards prizes or add a charitable element by fundraising for a worthwhile local organization.

6 Mileage Markers: Many areas hold walkathons or marathons for a particular purpose, but these often cover the same, boring route. Set up a new course around your town's high points and interesting locations, with special activities at each stop (you can even have local businesses sponsor each milestone).

Use Goosechase to build a custom walkathon experience, and get participants involved and engaged as they submit text, photo/video, and GPS check-ins along the route. Use the images afterwards in your community newsletter!

7 Show and Tell: Create events that showcase what your community offers. Small business shopping days, community garden walks, or giant multi-home garage sales will attract crowds and get them moving around your great town.

Utilize Goosechase to enhance any of these interactive experiences. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts created a Goosechase Experience to encourage festival attendees to reflect on exhibitions at a personal level. Many Missions had the built-in benefit of increasing foot traffic and guest engagement with the interactive activities.

Whether you want to build a strong community, pump up local fundraising efforts, or boost festival activities, Goosechase has plenty of ways to bring pizzazz to community events! Create your own ideas, or use our city-specific light bulb ideas like “Unique Las Vegas Scavenger Hunt Ideas” or “Top Toronto Scavenger Hunt Ideas” as a starting point for your unique event. We’ll help reduce time spent organizing events - no matter the event type, so you can focus on engaging your community.

What is Goosechase?

At Goosechase, experience is everything. Originally inspired by scavenger hunts, Goosechase is an online platform that enables organizations and schools to engage, activate, and educate their communities through delightful interactive experiences. Sign up and try creating a free recreational Experience, or check out our Pricing!