Gathering a group of people in one place is hard enough, but getting them to interact with each other is a whole other challenge. It gets even trickier when some attendees can’t be there in person and want a virtual option.
Luckily, there’s always a solution. This collection of community event ideas offers something for everyone. From pet parades to asynchronous digital festivals, you will find inspiration for your next gathering.
What are community events?
Community events are gatherings designed to bring people together for a shared purpose, usually encouraging social connections. These events can be cultural, educational, recreational, or cause-driven, and they often cater to specific demographics, interests, or locations.
It’s important to note that there are two types of communities:
- Online communities
- In-person communities
These two often overlap, as for people to be able to meet in-person, there’s always some type of digital touchpoint. It’s worth mentioning that many online communities remain digital and these can often be found in:
- 📢 Reddit (r/AskReddit, r/DIY, r/Fitness, etc.) – A forum with topic-based communities for any interest.
- 🌱 Facebook Groups (e.g., “Women Who Travel,” “Plant Lovers,” etc.) – Interest-based groups that bring like-minded individuals together.
- 💬 Discord (e.g., “Study Together” or gaming communities like “Minecraft SMP”) – Real-time chat servers for socializing and collaboration.
- 🎙️ Clubhouse & X – Audio-based communities where people engage in live discussions.
- And any social media platform that offers some type of group interaction.
- 🦋 Bluesky – the decentralized platform and popular X-alternative.
⭐️ Related: Bluesky Social Media Strategy with Examples
While in-person communities get people together for shared interests or activities that can only be done face to face. For example:
- 📍 Meetup groups (e.g., “New in Town,” “Young Professionals Network”) – Local groups that organize social events, dinners, and outings.
- 🏡 Neighborhood associations – Residents gather to discuss community development, safety, and events.
- 🎨 Hobby clubs (e.g., Knitting Circles, Photography Groups, DIY Workshops) – People connect over shared creative interests.
- 🚶 Outdoor groups – Organized walks in cities or nature trails, such as “Walk with a Doc” initiatives.
- 🍕Work events – external or internal meetings with the purpose of employees socializing.
In this article, we’ll address community event ideas for both in-person and online communities, and the mix of both, which can be achieved by adding a social wall to the mix.
How does a social wall fit in this community event ideas list, you ask? Well, it’s simple: Social walls are a great way to bring your community together by showing live content from your users, getting people involved, and getting the attention of both in-person and online attendees. They make for a fun and interactive experience.
If you still don’t get the concept, here are some examples that clearly show how a social wall can liven up a community event.
Charity community event idea
Humane Society of Charlotte planned a fundraising walk for the animals as a cheap fundraising idea. They managed to make it virtual without losing all those fun elements that connect people in an event — including a social wall.
Work community event idea
Internal events are key for building a strong company culture, but getting employees in different locations to participate can be tough. Insperity, a top HR solutions provider, took on this challenge during their annual Fall Kickoff event, bringing 4,500 employees across 18 locations together with a social wall. The result was over 800 posts from onsite and virtual participants, creating a shared experience that strengthened employee connection.
Try the only social wall made for events
Now let’s jump into the unique community event ideas featuring a social wall.
15 community event ideas
Here are fifteen community event ideas that you can pair with a social wall to get people involved and participating, and to bridge the gap between virtual and in-person gatherings.
1. Storytelling evening
Concept: Invite community members to share personal anecdotes, folk tales, or even ghost stories for a spooky Halloween activity.
Social wall use: Collect and display live social media posts, quotes, photos or videos from participants as they share their stories. Online attendees can post their stories directly on the wall!
2. Pet parade
Concept: Host a pet-friendly event where people bring their furry friends in costumes. You can pick a theme, such as Valentines, St. Patrick’s or anything relevant to the community, and have pets dress up accordingly.
Social wall use:Feature a “Cutest Pet Contest” where attendees upload photos using a hashtag, displayed in real-time.
3. DIY craft fair
Concept: Organize an event where community members showcase and sell handmade crafts, art, or upcycled projects. There can also be tables dedicated to knowledge exchange where experienced knitters/crocheters/painters share their knowledge.
Social wall use: Display user-generated content with behind-the-scenes photos of artists creating their work.
4. Local music & busker festival
Concept: You never know what kind of musical talent is out there—even in the people you wouldn’t expect. Give folks a chance to share their music—whether they’re up-and-coming artists, street performers, or even shower singers.
Social wall use: Stream real-time song requests, shoutouts, and reactions from the crowd.
5. Heritage event
Concept: People with diverse backgrounds are always happy to share aspects of their culture. Celebrate them in the community through food, music, and traditional performances.
Social wall use: Encourage attendees to share their ancestral stories and photos, creating a digital memory wall.
6. Eco-Challenge
Concept: Educate the community on sustainability with workshops, upcycling stations, and clean-up challenges.
Social wall use: Participants can share their eco-friendly pledges and progress photos in a live feed.
7. Community book swap
Concept: Let’s be real, we all have books on our shelves that are just sitting there collecting dust. Why not set up a book exchange event with discussions, poetry readings, and talks by local authors? Everyone will love it!
Social wall use: Display book recommendations and favorite quotes shared by attendees in real-time.
Concept: Organize a scavenger hunt where clues and tasks are revealed via social media posts. Or go old school and hide the clues around the venue!
Social wall use: Display clues, participant updates, and challenge completions in a live feed.
9. “Humans of [community name]”
Concept: Inspired in the famous Instagram account @humansofny, why not make something similar with the members of your community? Collect and showcase stories of people through short interviews and portraits. Everyone will be happy to get to know each other better.
Social wall use: Feature community-submitted stories and photos to create a live digital archive.
Feature all the humans in your community on a social wall
10. “Explain your job” night
Concept: I’d be lying if I say I know or understand what members of my community do for work. I’m a big fan of doing presentation nights, in which everyone explains a random topic or their controversial opinion about something. The same premise can be used for explaining everyone’s jobs, daily tasks, lunch times, etc.
Social wall use: Display a feed where people submit messages and shoutouts after understanding what others do for a living. Those who can’t attend can also submit their takes via Direct Posts.
11. Local business & entrepreneur spotlight day
Concept: These days, it seems like everyone has a side hustle. Highlight small businesses with pop-up shops, live demos, and networking. The entrepreneurs in the group are going to love the chance to show off their gigs and products.
Social wall use: Feature success stories, vendor highlights, and attendee experiences via social posts.
12. Random acts of kindness challenge
Concept: Encourage attendees to perform small acts of kindness throughout the community. You can also share a list of ideas that people have already shared, so everyone has a better sense of the challenge.
Social wall use: People share their good deeds or gratitude posts, inspiring others to participate.
13. “Before & After” community makeover day
Concept: Organize a day to clean and spruce up a local park, garden, or street. You could even see if there are any folks in the community who are going through a tough time and if everyone can agree to clean their house, do laundry, or mow their lawn to help them out.
Social wall use: Transformation photos from volunteers.
14. Local history walk
Concept: Have you ever walked around your area and found yourself wondering who lived there or what happened there 100 years ago? You could get in touch with a local historian and create a guided historical walking tour with QR codes linking to past community stories.
Social wall use: Attendees share their experiences and historical tidbits in a digital discussion. The wall could also serve as an archive for reports submitted by the community.
15. Community art mural collaboration
Concept: Why not invite some folks to help paint a collaborative mural in a public space? The best way to do this would be to let everyone use their imaginations and paint whatever their heart desires. If you’d prefer, you could also contact an artist and have them create a “draft” on the mural, and then let people color specific areas.
Social wall use: Showcase progress updates and highlight contributions from community members.
Why are community events so important?
Community events also reflect a broader shift in how people engage with experiences today. According to the Walls.io Event Engagement Index, connection and participation are the biggest drivers of event satisfaction. More than 55% of attendees say networking with peers is their main reason for attending events, while nearly 9 out of 10 expect opportunities to actively participate rather than just observe. These findings highlight why interactive formats—like social walls, live polls, or shared storytelling moments—are becoming essential elements of modern events.
Having a community that engages people in regular activities is pivotal to every aspect of a human’s health. Just check the stats:
- Mental health statistics show that individuals in neighborhoods with strong social cohesion have lower rates of mental health issues, regardless of the area’s economic status.
- Stronger neighborhood social cohesion has been linked to fewer depressive symptoms in older adults.
- A report on employee engagement reveals that companies with a highly engaged workforce achieve 21% higher profitability and 17% greater productivity compared to those with disengaged employees.
You’ve seen the facts, now it’s time to start engaging people with the community event ideas you just read!