A party with friends or family members is arguably one of the most fun events that you can enjoy during the summer. While the party seems fun and exciting, you would first have to organize the party properly in order for it to be safe, comfortable, and convenient for your guests. Here are some great ideas for throwing a summer party.
Schedule the Day of the Party
The first thing that you need to do when it comes to setting up a summer party is to schedule the day when the event will be held, which may look easy at first but can be quite complicated once you take a look at the weather forecasts for specific days or weeks of a month. There are some places in the United States and other parts of the world that still experience frequent rain even during the summer, and if you are living in one of those areas, then scheduling the day of the summer party can be difficult.
You would have to make sure that the day of the party would be sunny since a rainy summer party wouldn’t really be as enjoyable, especially if it is held outdoors. Fortunately, there are plenty of weather forecasts that you can check out online to see if it will be sunny or rainy for the day of the party. Of course, weather forecasts aren’t 100% accurate, but they will give you a better idea of what the weather will be for particular days.
Choose the Best Time to Hold the Party
Besides planning the day of the party, you should also plan out the best time to hold the party. In order to make your guests more comfortable during the event, you should choose the best time of the day when it is not too hot and not too cold outside. Mornings are arguably the best time in terms of temperature, but mornings would often be too early for a lot of guests. Another best time to hold the party is during the afternoon, particularly a few hours after noon and before the sun sets.
Plan Out Where the Party Will Be Held
The next step is to plan out where the party will be held. Of course, since it will be a summer party, a pool is a necessity. If you already have a pool at home, then it would already be convenient if you organize the party in your house since you don’t have to pay for rental fees anymore. However, if you don’t have a pool at home, it would be best to rent a private events place that has a pool that your guests can enjoy. It can either be an indoor or outdoor pool, but many people tend to enjoy outdoor pools more.
Create a Guest List
Now that you have decided when and where the party will be held, it is time to create a guest list. If you only have a small area for the party, picking the guests that you will invite can be pretty challenging, especially if you have plenty of friends and family members. You should invite the ones that are closest to you first or those that you have conversations with on a regular basis, and then if there is still space left for the list, you can invite other friends. If it is going to be a party for your child, you should ask him or her who will be invited.
Set Up a Cool Place for Guests to Cool Down
To make the party even more comfortable for the guests, you should also set up a cool place for them to cool down when the temperature in and near the pool gets too warm. A private lounge with air conditioning is ideal if you are looking for a place where you can organize the party. If the party will be held in your home, setting up a patio or living room with ample electric fans or air conditioners is ideal. In addition, you may also want to set up an outdoor tent near the pool so that guests can get some shade under the harsh sunlight.
Pick a Specific Theme
A themed party is much more fun than a regular party that doesn’t have a specific theme, and themed parties are usually enjoyed more by kids since they will be able to see characters, movies, TV shows, or simple colors they like. If there are more kids as guests at your party, then it is appropriate to pick colorful and vibrant themes that they will definitely enjoy looking at. But if there are more adults in the event, pastel colors, and other summer-appropriate colors are recommended to be applied to tables, chairs, and other items that are utilized in the party.
Rent Tables, Chairs, and Other Party Items
Instead of buying tables, chairs, and other party items, it is much more practical to just rent them. Renting many party items is considered practical since it is cheaper to rent those items rather than buy them per piece. In addition, once the party is over, you may not have enough storage space to store those party items, which could lead to more unused or rarely used items in your home. Even if you have the budget to buy many tables and chairs, it is better if you can just rent those so that you wouldn’t have problems when it comes to storing them in the future.
Use Eco-Friendly Utensils
If you want to help protect the earth, you should use eco-friendly utensils that are biodegradable and would last for a shorter period of time compared to plastic utensils. Fortunately, there are many stores online and in malls that offer eco-friendly utensils, so you wouldn’t have a difficult time finding them. Some of these eco-friendly utensils are made from bamboo or corn, and there are even a few that are 100% compostable, meaning that they can also help plants grow healthier. You may also get plates and cups that are made of paper to make the party truly eco-friendly.
You Can Get Catering for Less Hassle
To experience less hassle in preparing food for the guests, it would be better if you can just get catered food instead of cooking and preparing food on your own or with loved ones. Most likely, there are dozens of catering service businesses that you can contact in your town or city, so it wouldn’t be difficult finding one for your party. However, there are some catering businesses that prepare better food than others, and one way for you to know about them is by reading reviews for each business online.
Prepare Simple Dishes
If you have enough cooking skills to cook food for many people, it would be more convenient to prepare simple dishes instead of complex ones so that you can easily cook them and prepare them for your guests as fast as possible. Some of the simplest dishes and food items you can prepare include burgers, fries, and meat skewers. If you have a grill at home, you can use that to set up a barbecue for the guests. Preparing simple dishes would allow you to spend less time cooking and more time enjoying the party with loved ones.
Create a Summer Party Playlist
A summer party would be more fun if there is music in the background, so you should prepare a large set of speakers and a playlist that is perfect for a summer party. EDM (electronic dance music), pop, and hip-hop are arguably three of the best genres of music that the summer party playlist should have. Avoid slow and sad songs so that the positive vibes of the summer party wouldn’t go down. Keep your guests moving by providing them with music that makes them dance.
Get Rid of Bugs in the Party Area Using Citrus Scents
Bugs are fairly common in areas that have an outdoor pool. So, before starting the party, you should do your best to get rid of a lot of bugs in the party area. One of the most effective ways to keep bugs away is by using citrus scents, which insects like flies and mosquitoes don’t like. You can use citrus fragrances or diffusers and spray them in the party area a day and a few hours before the party begins. Then, you may also want to keep a bowl of cut lemons on each table that will surely drive bugs away from landing on the tables or on the guests’ food.
Make Sure that the Party Area is Clean and Organized
A day and a few hours before the party, you should check the party area and see if it is clean and organized. If it isn’t you can do the cleaning yourself using cleaning tools like dustpans, sweepers, and mops, but you can also ask other people like your family members or friends if they can help you with the cleaning. Then, you should begin organizing the tables and chairs for the party so that it would look better and more pleasant for the guests.
Keep the Drinks Cold
To quench the thirst of guests in the summer heat, you should keep the drinks cold at all times. You can easily do this by having a cooler that is regularly refilled with a new pack of ice. If you want to save money on ice, you can also put the drinks in the refrigerator, although this is not ideal if you are going to store a lot of drinks. While regular coolers are already great at keeping the drinks cold, it would be better if you can get electric coolers that don’t require you to refill them with ice regularly, as they can already keep your drinks cool for a long time.
Prepare Desserts for Kids
Besides the main course or lunch, you should also prepare desserts if there are a lot of kids at the summer party. These desserts can be as simple as chocolates and ice cream, but you may also prepare your own desserts if you have plenty of free time a few days before the party. Cold desserts like ice cream, frozen yogurt, popsicles, and sherbet are arguably the best desserts to have for summer parties. Those desserts are relatively easy to make, although you can buy packs or tubs of these cold delicacies in grocery stores.
Organize Games for the Guests
The summer party isn’t only about swimming and eating delicious food, as it can also be an event where games can be enjoyed by the guests. You can organize games that are more physical, like tug of war or sack race, although you will need to make sure that there is enough space to play these games. In addition, you may also provide board games for each table at the party so that guests that don’t have enough energy to play physical games have something less physical to play.
You may also check out our Guide to Picking Fun Games for Parties for more tips and recommendations.
Set Up a DIY Photobooth
There are some guests that want to preserve the memories they made at the party, and one of the best ways for them to preserve those memories is by taking a photo using their smartphones or digital cameras.
If you own a high-quality camera and several pieces of photography equipment, you can set up a DIY photobooth for your guests so that they will have a physical photo as a souvenir for the party. Of course, if you want to have same-day printing for the guests’ photos, you should have a photo printer ready. But, if you don’t have a printer, you can just print the photos a day or two after the party and then just deliver or send the photos to your guests.
Set the Mood of the Party by Talking to Guests
Right at the start of the party, you should already set the mood by talking to guests, which can then lead to them opening up topics not only to you but to other guests as well. Conversations usually make the party more fun for adults, while kids tend to enjoy playing games and joining in activities more. So, if there are adults at the party, you should try to talk to them and introduce them to other guests in order to start engaging and fun conversations.
Allow Guests to Bring Different Kinds of Stuff
If guests volunteered to bring stuff that can be used for the party, then allow them to do so, as this would enable you to save money on specific items that the party needs. Some guests may bring towels for guests, and some would even cook food that is suitable for groups. Allow your guests to help you in any way they can, as they also want to make the experience fun not only for the other guests but also for you.
Just Have Fun
As long as you are having fun, your guests will most likely have fun too, as the vibes that you will be giving off as the host of the party can sometimes be very contagious. You didn’t just organize the party for your guests to enjoy the food and activities, as you also organized the party because you want to enjoy your free time and unwind from the stress of work or school. Just have fun and enjoy the hours you will be spending at the party.
And those are just some of the best ideas we can provide when it comes to throwing a summer party. Follow the ideas and tops above so that you will have a well-organized and enjoyable summer party with friends and family members.