When summertime rolls around it also brings with it days at the pool, beach vacations, and A LOT of outdoor events. One of the most common, inexpensive summer events are backyard parties. The weather is beautiful, your backyard is open (and more importantly free for your use), and the thought of burgers on the grill immediately gets your mouth watering. Just like any event, big or small, hosting a backyard party still needs to be planned and adequately prepared for. Mostly, you need to be prepared for the not so great side effects of summer; bugs, humidity, and storms that seem to pop up out of nowhere. However, if you prepare yourself for the downfalls as well, your party will go on as planned no matter what summertime throws at you. Below I am going to be listing 7 tips and ideas to help you plan a successful backyard party, rain or shine.
1. As much as you don’t want to hear this, always have a back-up plan in case the weather decides to rain on your parade (party).
Imagine, you just spent the last few days, weeks, or months preparing for this party, and on the day of, rain is pouring down and you have no plan to fall back on. The last thing you would want is for all of your hard work to go to waste due to the weather. Whether your back-up plan is a tent or moving the party indoors, make sure that you have a clear thought out plan to ensure an easy and smooth transition if the weather suddenly decides to go south.
2. Supply bug spray and sun screen for your guests.
The weather is gorgeous, your party is going exactly as planned; but your backyard is filled with grumpy guests who are getting eaten alive by bugs and slowly obtaining a nice sunburn. Most likely, your guests will not think to bring bug spray or sun screen to your party so having some available to them can go a long way. Especially, if there will be children at your event, make sure you have a nice supply on hand.
3. Add as many citronella candles are you can around your yard.
While bug spray can be very effective in keeping the bugs at bay, it never hurts to take extra precaution. Citronella candles are not only useful; they can be pretty inexpensive as well. By placing a few around your food and backyard, you can help keep even more bugs away from your party. Adding a citronella candle to a mason jar, some tiki torches, or just using a simple votive, can easily add some décor to your yard that is both cute and useful.
4. Put together a game area to entertain the kids at your party.
It can be pretty hard for an adult to enjoy themselves if their child is not. To make sure the adults are able to have some fun, you need to make sure that the kids are also having fun. Putting together a game area for them can easily help keep them entertained and distracted while the adults get to have their own fun. Simply putting out some cornhole boards, bubbles, balls, and more is an easy way to try to keep all of your guests happy.
5. Keep the provided beverages simple and straight forward.
While it is nice to enjoy a fancy cocktail every once in a while, a backyard party is not necessarily where they belong. Usually, the whole purpose of a backyard party, is to bring together friends and family in a relaxing environment. The key is to keep it as simple as possible. Place a few coolers around your yard containing beer, wine, and any other beverages you might be providing; and if you do want to put together a certain cocktail, prepare it beforehand. Pour your premade cocktail into some drink dispensers, set out any necessary drinkware, and let your guests serve themselves as they like. Remember, this party is for yourself as well, and it will be a lot easier to enjoy it if you don’t need to assist one of your guests every few minutes.
6. Put together a burger and hotdog bar.
Speaking of being able to enjoy yourself, instead of serving everyone yourself set up a burger and hot dog bar. Set out the needed buns, condiments, and sides before you start grilling so that everything is prepared as soon as the food is ready. To make it even easier on yourself, invite guests to bring sides, chips, and any other food to add to the mix. Once the burgers and hot dogs are cooked, everyone can grab themselves a plate and dive right in.
7. You don’t necessarily need seating for everyone, but make sure you do have enough tablespace.
If you are going for a casual and relaxing vibe, then providing seating for every single guest is not entirely necessary. People will be mingling, moving around, and basically playing musical chairs for the majority of the night. When it comes time to eat, however, you do want to make sure there is enough tablespace for everyone to enjoy their food at. Including a few cocktail tables around your yard can instantly add some extra room for guests to enjoy their food at. The cocktail tables will also help keep the party area spread out throughout your yard so that one area does not become too claustrophobic for everyone.
