Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in your HOA Community

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, and homeowners associations are gearing up for another festive occasion. If your association wants to commemorate the day with fun events, here are the best ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in HOA communities.

Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Your HOA Community

Social events help build a strong sense of community. And homeowners associations are known to throw such events to give residents a chance to get to know each other and enjoy each other's company.

Most HOAs focus on the more popular holidays like Christmas and New Year's Eve, but other days also deserve some attention. St. Patrick's Day, for instance, is an underrated occasion that people primarily associate with parades and wild parties. And while those are good ways to celebrate the Feast of Saint Patrick, your association can use plenty of other social event ideas.

If you need inspiration, here are the best and most fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in HOA communities. 

1 Get Into the Spirit With a Parade

If your HOA has enough room in the budget, and residents are willing, why not hold your St. Patrick's Day parade? Residents can design and decorate their floats, while kids can march in the parade wearing their best leprechaun costumes. Remember that you must secure permits from your local government for this, which will take some legwork.

But, if you want to save yourself the budget and the headache, you can always live stream a St. Paddy's Day parade at the clubhouse for everyone to watch, which is a more affordable way to watch a parade, and it keeps residents away from traffic and rowdy parade-goers, too. It's also great for communities not located in big cities where parades usually occur.

2 Throw a St. Patrick's Day Party

Nothing says "St. Patrick's Day" is better than a classic party, which is perfect for HOA communities that are just beginning to dip their toes in social events outside of Christmas and New Year's Eve parties.

Send out invites to residents so they can RSVP early. The party should include a traditional Irish dinner (corned beef, cabbages, soda bread, and potatoes quickly come to mind) and refreshing Irish drinks (green beer, anyone?).

Of course, the party would only be complete with some Irish music. Come up with a playlist of lively Celtic music to get residents on their feet. You can make the event more fun by renting a themed photo booth. Ask guests to come in their best St. Patrick's Day costumes to take it even further.

Consider serving kid-friendly meals such as meaty stews and shamrock shakes to include kids in the celebration. You can also set up a dessert-making station. Here, kids and adults can decorate their cupcakes and cookies with green frosting. They can also put their toppings on mint chocolate or matcha ice cream.

3 Organize a Community-Wide Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is ideal for kids in your neighborhood, but adults can still join the fun. To prepare:

1. Come up with a list of objects that participants will need to find.

2. Hide those objects all over the neighborhood.

3. Give every participant a copy of the list and a basket to put their collected objects into, and let the scavenger hunt begin!

Choose appropriate objects to hide to give the game a St. Patrick's Day spin. Examples include small potatoes, gold chocolate coins, toy shamrocks, and green-colored things. The person who finds the most objects from the list is crowned the winner and receives a prize.

4 Hold a Raffle

St. Patrick's Day is often associated with luck, so why not let residents test out theirs by holding a community raffle? You can offer tickets for free or a small fee, which can fund the prizes for the event. Residents should only have a set duration of time to get their tickets. Then, pick out a date for the grand raffle draw. You can have one big prize and a handful of smaller ones. To ensure the success of your raffle, remember to advertise it thoroughly.

5 Organize a Community Gardening Day

A community gardening day is a great way to bring families and neighbors closer together while encouraging them to exercise their green thumb. With spring coming in soon, this is the perfect time to plant flowers and prune shrubs.

Shamrocks are easy to take care of, last a long time, and can revitalize the look of any space you put them in. If you have a communal garden, you can even plant vegetables or shamrocks. Once the shamrocks have grown, each household can report them and take them home.

6 Host an Irish Movie Marathon

Another budget-friendly way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in HOA communities is to hold a movie marathon at your clubhouse. Many Irish-made movies or movies set in Ireland include "Brooklyn," "The Secret of Kells," "Song of the Sea," "Wolfwalkers," "Leap Year," "Sing Street," "Calvary," "Once," "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," and "Ondine."

Tips for Hosting Parties in Your HOA Community

Even while celebrations are in full swing, homeowners associations should remember the following:

Safety is a Priority 

Homeowners associations must do what they can to keep residents safe while celebrating St. Patrick's Day. If you're organizing your parade or scavenger hunt, ensure everyone follows safety protocols. Parents should always accompany children, and running should be highly discouraged. For parties, only serve alcohol up to a certain amount to prevent misbehavior. If you're holding a gardening day, ensure kids handle tools with others.

Follow Your Own Rules 

Homeowners associations typically have rules governing noise, parking, and trash. Holding a social event is not an excuse to ignore these rules for residents and the association itself.

Parties, for instance, will inevitably make much noise. If your association imposes quiet hours between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., consider ending the party at 10 p.m. or earlier. If the association doesn't follow its rules, then you can expect the residents to do the same.

 Have Fun in Your HOA Community This St. Patrick's Day

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with social events is a great way to unite people in your community. As you can see, there are many ways you can do this beyond the usual party or parade (though those are great options, too). Just keep safety in mind at all times to ensure everyone's enjoyment.