Few things say “summer in Whitefish Bay” quite like a block party. Closed-off streets, folding chairs, kids on bikes and scooters weaving between card tables. It’s one of the more charming features of life in a village where most people actually know and interact with their neighbors.
How Popular Are Block Parties Here?
Very. Village Hall has issued between 127 and 138 block party permits annually over the past several years:
- 2021: 138
- 2022: 131
- 2023: 134
- 2024: 128
- 2025: 127
- 2026: 58 (and counting)
With 58 permits already issued so far in 2026 and peak season still ahead, the summer is just getting started. While summer dominates the calendar, a handful of requests come through in spring and fall each year — proof that Whitefish Bay residents don’t always let a little cool weather get between them and a good excuse to throw a party.
The Village’s Biggest Block Party
It’s worth acknowledging the largest block party that I can think of: Sounds of Summer, put on annually by the Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation on Silver Spring. The 4th of July and the Great Pumpkin Festival feel more like “Fests” to me than block parties, so I’ll give Sounds of Summer the nod, and each of these fabulous events are put on thanks to our Civic Foundation.
Typically, Silver Spring is closed from Hollywood Avenue to Santa Monica Boulevard. Live music fills the street, a food tent is set up, and the Civic Foundation handles the drinks.
Sounds of Summer is a good reminder of what a closed street and a little organization can do for a community. Your block party probably won’t draw as many people, but the spirit is the same. This year it will be held on August 15th from 6 to 10pm.
A Block Party Tradition Worth Knowing
While Sounds of Summer may be the village’s biggest, it isn’t the most storied. That distinction likely belongs to the Sheffield Block Party, an annual Fourth of July tradition on the 4800 block of Sheffield Avenue now in its 73rd year. What started years ago when a few friends decided they wanted to celebrate Independence Day together has grown into a multi-generational neighborhood institution.
There used to be a baseball game that has been replaced with a kickball game, but otherwise the party still flows similarly in the 2020s to how things were in the 1950s when it was started. The day is meticulously scheduled and includes a parade, plenty of food and drinks and an egg-throwing contest.
Even Johnsonville Brats has taken note of the party and last year sent 250 (or was it 249 for the 249th birthday of the US?) brats to the Sheffield crew. We were told there were many left over!
Photos courtesy of Nancy Trimble
COVID wasn’t able to stop at least some of the festivities of this block party. A modified version was held including masks. Bessie joined in on the safe theme.
How Do You Get a Permit?
The village makes it relatively easy. You can submit a Block Party Request online here. Make sure your request is submitted 30 days before the scheduled date.
The Rules
Some streets are off-limits. The village does not allow neighborhood block parties on its busier thoroughfares, including: Silver Spring, Santa Monica, Hampton, Oakland Ave south of Hampton, Lake Drive, and Lydell Avenue south of the cemetery.
The whole block or nothing. The Police Department requires full block closures — no partial closures. This is the nudge you need to finally introduce yourself to the neighbors at the far end of the street!
One block party request per household per year.
Village Trick-or-Treat night. No block parties allowed that evening. The Village Board voted back in 2015 to end Trick-or-Treat block parties at the recommendation of the then Police Chief Michael Young for safety reasons. In 2014, there had been 19 permits for Trick-or-Treat block parties.
Fourth of July. Parties are allowed, though you will have to supply your own barricades.
A Note on Being a Good Neighbor
As a PSA, our Police Department requests that block party hosts be considerate of neighbors when it comes to music volume. Not everyone on the block is necessarily a willing participant in your six-hour playlist. They also ask that the street be fully reopened and all items removed from the roadway by the time stated on the permit.
So, What Are You Waiting For?
With dozens of block parties already on the calendar and the heart of summer still ahead, Whitefish Bay’s streets are going to be busy in the best possible way. If your block hasn’t had one in a while, or ever, this might be the year to change that. Submit your request here.
Any other cool block party related traditions? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
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