A block party is a large informal public celebration in which many members of a single neighborhood congregate to observe a positive event of some importance. Many times, there will be celebration in the form of playing music and dance. Block parties gained popularity in the United States during the 1970s. Block Parties were often held outdoors and power for the DJ's sound system was taken illegally from street lights. This was famously referenced in the song "South Bronx" by KRS-One with the line: A celebration is a joyous observation on the occasion of a special event: - Personal Level birth, etc. ... Neighbourhood is also a term in topology. ... Music is an art, entertainment, or other human activity which involves organized and audible sound, though definitions vary. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... A sound reinforcement system is an electromechanical system for accurately amplifying, reproducing, and sometimes recording audio, so that persons not near the original source may experience the sound as if they were. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

"Power from a street light made the place dark. But yo, they didn't care, they turned it out"

It is also interesting to note that many inner city block parties were actually held illegally, as they might be described as loitering. However, police turned a blind eye to them, reasoning that if everyone from the neighbourhood was gathered in one place there was less chance of crime being commited elsewhere.

In the suburbs, block parties are commonly held on holidays such as Fourth of July or Labor Day. Sometimes the occasion may be a theme such a "Welcome to the Neighborhood" for a new family or a recent popular movie. Often block parties involve barbecuing, lawn games such as Simon Says and group dancing such as the Electric Slide, the Macarena or line dancing. It has been suggested that Suburbia be merged into this article or section. ... The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. ... These fireworks over the Washington Monument are typical of Fourth of July celebrations In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ... Labour Day (or Labor Day) is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ... A member of the Airpork Crew barbecue team prepares pork shoulder at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. ... Simon Says is a game for three or more players (most often children). ... The Electric Slide is a four wall line dance. ... Macarena is a song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name. ... Line dance is a formation dance where a group of people stand in a line or in lines, and they all execute the same dance moves. ...

In other usage, a block party has come to mean any informal public celebration. For example, a block party can be conducted via television even though there is no real block in the observance. The same is true for the Internet.

The block party is closely related to the beach party. The British equivalent is the street party. Beach Party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films which often starred Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. ... In its conventional sense, a street party is just what it says: a party taking place on a road. ...

See also

• Party
• LAN party