On Connect, we know the importance of community. All around the world, there’s plenty of different community and there’s a plethora of way to celebrate them. That’s why today I wanted to share with you a special kind of festivity we have here in Quebec, “La fête des voisins” or, the Neighbourhood party.
What is the Neighbourhood party?
“La fête des voisins” is a citizen initiative where people organized their own festivities to bring the neighbourhood closer together. While some cities finance those initiatives, all the festivities are organized by citizens only. Apparently, it would be present in 36 countries around the world!
It is normally held the first weekend of June. Participants say that after an event has been organized in their community, they can feel closer to their neighbours, and it improves their overall satisfaction for their neighbourhood.
2019, my first Fête des voisins
After reading about the neighbourhood party in the local newspaper, I thought it would be a great idea to make one. The city was giving a small budget to organize it, along with invitation papers, a cake, the visit of a police officer and a clown during the party and a small monetary contribution.
As it was our first time doing it, we decided to invite only our street. The event was a real success, and I can clearly say that it has brought our street closer together. There were more people talking to one another following the party.
2021, how to reinvent the party?
Because of Covid, the 2020 edition was cancelled. In 2021, it was brought back but it had to follow the sanitary rules present. So no in-person party or meeting. Also, because of this, there was no money contribution from the city. I’m not someone easily deterred so I started to think about how to bring smiles through the neighbourhood while socially distancing. I wanted something bigger, so I’ve included the whole neighbourhood in it, approximately 250 invitations were sent.
If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen my story where I’m walking with my kids to give out the invites. It was important for my kids to be included because they wanted to bring smiles to the neighbourhood as well.
But what was the party about? Well, I decided to organize a door decoration contest. We wanted people to decorate their front yard or door to make other people smile while walking around.
It’s all about giving back to the community
One thing that is really important is to help people around me. Have you heard the saying “Be the change you want to see in the world”? Well, that quote pretty much resumes my choices in life. I want to bring joy to the people around me.
With the Guiding Stars coming back in 2021, I wanted to share with you how being a Guiding Star last year has helped me organizing “La fête des voisins” this year. Because yes, there’s a link between those two!
There was a small gift card in the Guiding Stars package. With this incredible gift, I was able to give back to the community twice. First, everything I needed for this party was bought at small businesses around me. I also showcase the businesses during the event so people would know about them. For example, we had bagels provided for everyone from La Fabrique à Bagel.
And second, it allowed me to buy participation prizes for the neighbourhood. All participation prizes came from small businesses as well, like Figues et Romarin or Milles et Un Cupcakes.
What’s next?
Next year, I hope we’ll be able to hold something in person. I already have a plan for a cocktail in my round-about so people could gather, chat, and get to know each other.
And you, do you have some special festivities for your neighbourhood? Have you ever attended one?
