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Plan the Ultimate Outdoor Party

Make Sure to Decorate

Adding a few cost-effective decor pieces to your home can help transform it from its everyday feel into a summer party atmosphere. Decor can help set the ambiance of the party. Pick a theme or a color scheme for your outdoor party decorations and run with it. This doesn’t have to be expensive! Here are a few summer decor items that are the perfect addition to your outdoor party.

Hanging Outdoor Party Lights

You can buy cheap outdoor string lights, lanterns, and battery-operated candles to hang up on your back porch, party tent, or along your house. This can ensure that the backyard party keeps going even after the sun has set. 

Amazon

Solar Powered Outdoor String Lights

Brightech

Not only are they waterproof, but you don’t have to worry about finding a nearby electrical outlet, either. With six hours of direct sunlight, they will stay illuminated for another six hours!

Outdoor Party Lights

LPhianx

These waterproof lights allow you to create 20 different scenes for complete control over your party’s mood!

Outdoor Solar LED Decorative Candle Lantern

Sunnydaze

With a rustic farmhouse feel, these solar-powered lanterns create a warm ambiance for an evening dinner party.

Create Shaded Areas with Umbrellas

Buy large beach umbrellas to set up around your yard for a few shaded areas to cool off in. No beach needed!

Amazon

Fringed Outdoor Umbrella

PHI Villa

This 7-foot beach umbrella also provides UPF 50+ protection to block 99% of the sun’s harmful rays.

Solar Lighted Patio Umbrella

Best Choice

Keep the party going into the night with the built-in LED lights of this patio umbrella!

Party Favors

Go to the dollar section at Target, Party City, and other similar stores and create a party favor goodie bag. This is similar to what you would get at a birthday party as a kid, but make it catered towards adults. Add fun items like bubbles, party jewelry and accessories to wear, candy, and maybe even an airport-sized liquor bottle in each. This is a fun way to start the party from the moment your guests arrive.

Inflatables Aren’t Just for the Pool, Either

If you’re having a pool party, inflatables are great to lounge on. But even if you’re not having a pool party, inflatables—like giant pineapples or palm trees—can act as a fun chairs or themed decor.

Amazon

Giant Inflatable Unicorn

Jasonwell

Who wouldn’t want to ride on a giant unicorn if given the chance?

Giant Pineapple Float

Jasonwell

This extra-large float provides room for more than one person to relax on.

Inflatable Palm Trees

Aniann

More kid-sized than fully adult-sized, these trees are a fun option for a backyard birthday party!

Table Settings

Buy cheap table covers, flowers as a centerpiece (even if they’re fake from the dollar store), and whatever else matches the theme of your party to pull the space together. Or, go all out with fancy table and glassware. Just remember: you don’t have to pull out the good china for the occasion. There are many unbreakable and reusable glasses and dishes available to help you keep the mess to a minimum and avoid any unwanted accidents.

Clear Blue Dinner Plate Set

Nervure

Move over paper plates, there’s a chic new set in town. These lightweight plastic plates are a much more elevated version of standard disposable dinnerware and upgrade your party instantly.

Champagne Coupe Glasses

Crutello

Drinks just taste better in fancy glassware. It’s a fact.

Food is Essential

A good outdoor party is nothing without food! Everyone loves to eat, and it can be a great way to bring people together and share in a combined activity.

Bring Your Own (BYO) Food

Have everyone bring an item of food to share with the party—anything from fruit to a full meal. This allows you, the host, to not have the pressure of making everything and allows the guests to get involved in bringing the party to life. 

Enjoy Finger Foods

You can also stress that people bring finger foods to the party. If you’re planning to host the party before dinner, finger food can be great to curb appetites without getting too full before the main course. Plus, it allows guests to pick up some food and keep moving on to the next conversation or game. 

Sip On Drinks

With the summer heat, drinks are essential. You can also ask guests to bring drinks in place of food. Have fun with your beverages and try new, innovative recipes. (A great place to look for inspiration is Pinterest.) Find summer cocktails, fruity lemonades, mocktails, and other refreshing options to keep everyone hydrated. 

Stemless Wine Glasses

Elixir Glassware

Keep the glass, but ditch the accidents! These stemless glasses let you sip on your favorite beverage without having to worry about tipping, spilling, or breaking a delicate glass.

Unbreakable Gold Wine Glasses

WODOR

Keep the party looking and feeling opulent with these stainless steel wine glasses. No broken glass here!

Portable Countertop Ice Maker

Ecozy

No one likes warm drinks! Make sure to stay stocked up on ice with this ultra-fast countertop machine.

Serve it Up

Once you have all of the drinks and food ready, how do you serve it? It’s a good idea to keep the food inside to stay fresh and avoid any pesky bugs; it also allows people to grab their food and return back outside. You can also get pitchers for making large amounts of drinks so guests don’t have to wait for their individual beverage. 

Music to Liven Up the Party

Every great party is accompanied by great music. Liven up your event with music that keeps the party fun with genres that you know that your friends will like listening to. Don’t just go with your favorites. You may hate country, but if most of your guests love it, you’ll have to deal with it for a night. Cater to the masses. (Sorry!)

You can create your own playlist, look one up on whatever music streaming platform you have, or get a friend to create one. We all have that one friend who seems to have the best music taste. Ask them if they’re up for making the playlist and being the DJ for the night. If you happen to be that friend, even better!

Waterproof Smart Bluetooth Speaker

Cleer

With a 12-hour battery life, this waterproof Bluetooth speaker can go anywhere and keep the tunes pumping for any party.

Have a Water Balloon Fight

Just adults or with the kids, it’s a surefire way to feel young again.

Amazon

Reusable Water Balloons

SOPPYCID

All of the fun of traditional water balloons, except this mess-free version can be used again and again.

Keep it Fun with Outdoor Yard Games

Games can be a great way to add another element to a party. Free-flowing conversation is fun, but games can bring everyone together. Here are a few game options to try:

Giant Four In A Row

SWOOC Games

Just like your favorite Connect 4 game as a kid just, you know…made life-size.

Amazon

Tower Block Stacking Game

Everyone likes a nostalgic game. Level it up a notch by buying a giant game to put in the backyard. This allows for endless hours of entertainment.

Tip: Add an extra element to the game by writing truth or dare questions on every piece. With every piece you grab, you have to complete the truth or dare on it.   

2-in-1 Vintage Checkers & Tic Tac Toe Game

SWOOC Games

Why pack a game board when you can just roll one out in your backyard?

Giant Yard Pong

Jumbo Pong

Yes, just like the college classic, but this time you won’t be pulling any all-nighters.

Giant Tic Tac Toe Game

SWOOC Games

This extra-large game packs down into a tiny, portable bag that you can take anywhere.

Cool Off In The Shade With A Card Game

Need a break from the sun? Gather round with friends and family and pull out your favorite deck!

Dumb Questions To Ask Your Friends

Big Potato

Played just like it sounds, it’s a true test of just how well you know your friends.

Waterproof Playing Cards

Hoyle

Spending the day by the pool? Don’t chance ruining your favorite deck — you don’t even need to leave the pool to play another hand of rummy.

Claws Out Card Game

Claws Out

Easy to learn, this fast-paced color-matching card game is guaranteed to be fun for the entire family.

Create an Adult Slip and Slide

Create an adult sized slip and slide with a large tarp, soap, and water.

Document The Day With Disposable Cameras

Document the party in a physical way with disposable cameras. Have a few on a table for guests to snap photos with throughout the party. You can get them developed after the party ends and either keep them all or redistribute some out to your guests. This is a timeless way to remember a great night. 

Amazon

Reward Duckies

For this game, set up a baby pool in your backyard. Then, buy a bunch of little rubber duckies. Write on the bottom of two or three of them a small reward, like a $5 Starbucks gift card. Everyone gets to pick out a duck from the pool, but only a few will win a prize. This brings back nostalgic fair vibes.

Plan the Details

Once you have all of the fun parts of the party planned, it’s time to plan the details. Start with considering the details of the date. When do you want your party to start? Do you want a daytime party? Afternoon? Or an evening party that runs well into the night? Also, consider how long you want the party to last. If you’re fine with people staying till whenever, don’t put an end time down. However, if you want the party to end at a certain time, there’s no shame in putting an end time on the RSVP.

Also, consider your space. How many people do you want to invite while still making sure that the party doesn’t get too cramped? Do you want it to be just your close friends or do you want to allow your friends to bring their friends, too? Will you be sitting down to eat? Buffet style? Will there be games? Plan this out ahead of time so that guests know exactly what to wear. 

Figure out all of these details as you’re making the invitation. Speaking of the invitation, how are you going to invite people? You can go old school and print out invitations and deliver them to your friends or send out an e-invitation or Facebook event link.

Have a Blast!

Mix and match these tips in whatever way you see fit to plan the ultimate outdoor party. Remember to have fun and not get too stressed about planning the whole event. Your friends will be happy just to know they have an excuse to get out of their house!