A fabulous backyard party is a great way to spend time with family, friends, or work colleagues. Planning a party in your backyard can be overwhelming, whether it’s an anniversary, casual barbecue, or a holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving.
From food and drinks to music and playtime, you want to include all the elements of a memorable party. Maybe you’re conflicted about the décor or the food to serve your guests. This review will help you leave all your stress behind and plan a beautiful backyard party. The focus of this article is simple backyard party ideas that all your guests will undoubtedly love.
Design A Fun Party Sign
Jump right into the party mood by designing fun outdoor décor to brighten your outdoor space and make your guests smile. Try and create a fun party sign that directs people to various areas such as the dinner table, drinks station, etc. Also, include whatever pool games you have planned for the party, and remember to get pool supplies.
A sign is easy to make because you can use old reclaimed timber, albeit you need one long wooden post to act as the anchor. Then nail the reclaimed pieces on the post to make pointers and use a hand saw to shape them into arrows. Once you’re done attaching the timber pieces, label them using all-weather garden paint and finally hammer the post into the ground.
Opt for Easy Floral Decorations
This is one of the easiest simple backyard party ideas. Party table decorations require simplicity, so you should avoid something too extravagant and time-consuming to set up. Go for an easy display that you can set up in minutes, even minutes before the party.
Flowers are a simple way to illuminate your backyard party table, and by choosing the in-season variants, you also save cash. Arrange several matching glass vases or jugs to cover the entire dinner table. Then place a couple of stems in each jar or vase. Ensure you pick flowers that match the rest of your décor; you don’t want them to outshine your decor.
Build a Temporary Outdoor Awning
Building a temporary outdoor awning or awnings, depending on the number of guests, is one of the most thoughtful simple backyard party ideas. The awning offers shelter to your guests, especially if the sun is very bright. Build a temporary shade using an extensive piece of fabric that matches your theme, and maybe use bright fabric or ribbons to decorate it.
For support, you should use tall tent poles. Wood is perhaps the best material for this idea due to its aesthetic appeal. A large awning is not only an excellent retreat for your guests, but it can also keep your food and drinks sheltered from direct sun rays.
Set Up a Buffet Table
Setting up a buffet table away from the main dinner table is a vital element with regard to simple backyard party ideas. Allowing your guests to serve themselves food and drinks to their fill is a good idea. Ensure you have food warmers; you don’t want your guests eating cold food, and for the drinks, ensure they’re in transparent pitches so your guests can see what options are available. Also, ensure your dinnerware (plates, spoons, forks, etc.) is aesthetically pleasing.
Incorporate String Lights
If you party late into the night, you should consider having outdoor lighting to make your backyard well-illuminated and beautiful as the sun sets. Make use of sheltered areas like a glass patio enclosure or veranda so that you can be sheltered as evening approaches.
Decorate the area with string lights or strip lights, draping them from the outdoor beams or suspending them from branches of trees that are close by. You can call a tree company to trim the tree branches if they’re too extensive.
Incorporate Outdoor Rugs
One of the top simple backyard party ideas to make outdoor spaces comfy and inviting is adding outdoor rugs into the space. Not only do they link your backyard to your indoors, but they also help split your yard into spaces for different entertainment opportunities.
Outdoor rugs are cheap and can become part of your backyard space after the party. Pick rugs that fit the style and feel of your outdoors, like your hardscape paver floor making this something that will serve different purposes.
Add Pillow or Pouf Seating
You might not have the required number of seats to host over 20 guests. Therefore, one of the best simple backyard party ideas for such a scenario is adding pillow or pouf seating to your backyard. It’s a great idea, especially if your party involves kids; they love sitting on pillows and playing with them.
Even if the party is for adults, adding massive outdoor poufs or pillows is a great way to accommodate a large group. Try and find extra-large poufs, so your guests feel comfortable and ensure the material is water resistant to wipe spills easily.
If you’re using them in an open space, get a lawn mowing company to mow your lawn, you don’t want bugs creeping up on your guests. When the poufs are not in use, ensure they’re stored in a dry space to avoid ruining them.
Try Path Lighting
Path lighting is essential for a backyard party, especially if the party will run deep into the night. Path lighting helps warm up your atmosphere and provides much-needed landscape lighting so that your guests don’t trip at night.
Rather than calling paving contractors to dig trenches for wiring the lights, use solar path lights because you can remove them if you don’t want them in your yard after the party. Solar path lights don’t add up to your power bill and are available in many designs. Some solar lights don’t need to be switched on; they can sense the dark and automatically illuminate your paths.
Incorporate Table Lanterns
Also, consider lining your party table with lanterns to boost the atmosphere, albeit they should be covered because you don’t want to start a fire. Depending on the time of the year, lanterns can serve various purposes. For instance, for your summer backyard party, you can buy citronella-infused table lanterns to keep off insects like gnats and mosquitoes.
Also, you can purchase candle table lanterns to provide warmth for your winter backyard party. Not only that, table lanterns ensure that your backyard party can proceed late into the night, even after the sun sets.
Lay A Burlap Runner On Your Party Table
One of the top simple backyard party ideas for barbeque, birthday, or holiday celebrations is laying a burlap table runner. Chances are you were considering a table runner for your party; a burlap table runner is cost-effective and functional in any setting.
A burlap runner is flexible enough to match any party or style, and you can easily clean and reuse them. A burlap table runner can help you keep the table clean, giving you one less thing to worry about after the party. A burlap table runner can be laid on short or full-sized tables. Moreover, it’s easy to cut, so you can trim the edges so it doesn’t touch the ground.
Hire A Party Tent
If you’re hosting many guests in your backyard, you need to hire a party tent and decorate it. Typical party tents are large and have four walls and at least two ventilations that let in natural light. They’re more expensive than cabana tents, but if you’re hosting a large group, for instance, your extended family or wedding guests, it will offer the space you need.
Consider calling some paving contractors to install temporary pavers where the tent will be situated. You can also call lawn care fertilization companies to help your lawn grow so it’s not dusty inside the massive tent. Your guests will love the attention to detail.
Once the tent is set up, you can decorate it by hanging ribbons, chandeliers, etc. A tent not only provides shade against sun rays but will also come in handy in case it rains. You can make them warm at night by adding a portable heater. A large tent is ideal for parties because your guests can eat, drink, dance, and socialize.
Have a Glow in the Dark Dance Party
If you’ve ever attended a dance party, you might have come across glow-in-the-dark themes. Your guests will love dancing to their favorite tunes while adorning neon glow-in-the-dark clothing, stickers, wristbands, etc. Glow-in-the-dark materials are available in virtually all colors. Also, you can use glow-in-the-dark sticks in your backyard, creating a hazy effect that’s certain to get all your guests in a party mood for the whole night.
Set Up a Drinks Bar
As your guests interact, they need to be sipping on something. This is why you should consider having a drink station. Don’t overcomplicate it; get creative and use readily available materials. For instance, you can transform a potting work bench into a wine bar or stock standard beverage tubs with several beers. Some of the drinks you should have are alcoholic drinks (beer, wine, vodka, gin, whisky) and juices for non-alcoholic adults and kids.
When serving drinks at your backyard party, you should use acrylic glasses or plastic tumblers in case of spills. In the drink station, have an ice box for those who love their drinks cold and also lots of fresh drinking water to keep your guests hydrated.
Themed Music
One of the best simple backyard party ideas is having music that suits the occasion. You can get outdoor speakers if you don’t already have them or use a large Bluetooth speaker to play tunes at your backyard party. Curate a playlist that transitions from calm and serene to lively and energetic. You can also ask your guests for song suggestions so that they feel involved in your party. Also, consider getting a microphone and a screen for karaoke. You might be surprised at how much your guests let loose with various music options.
Plug-in A Couple of Box Fans
If your backyard party is during the summer or going into the night, one of the best simple backyard party ideas is having a couple of fans in your party area. Why? Fans will help regulate the heat from the sun; at night, they can help repel bugs even when the fans are set on low. Also, fans help prevent flies from contaminating your food. Therefore, buy or hire a couple of box fans and hang them on your patio or large tent.
Grill and Barbecue
Since a backyard party is outdoors, this already sets the tone and mood for casual food. Perhaps the best way to enjoy simple food is by grilling it. Therefore, you need a massive outdoor grill where your guests can gather around and drink beers or fruit juice as the food gets ready. For instance, you can grill chicken, shrimp, steaks, burgers, sausages, hotdogs, etc. If you don’t know all your guests or you know some who are vegan or vegetarian, try and be inclusive and grill vegetables, veggie kebabs, and veggie burgers for them.
Invest in a Fire Pit
Another pick for simple backyard party ideas is a fire pit. You can create the perfect atmosphere with a DIY fire pit surrounded by several low outdoor chairs or benches. This will especially come in handy during the night, whether your party is during summer or winter. Gathering around a fire not only keeps your guests warm it also gets them in the mood to share their life stories. If you have kids at the party, you can teach them how to roast marshmallows.
To sum it all up, there are many simple backyard party ideas you can implement that your guests will love. However, it helps to implement neutral ideas to ensure all your guests feel comfortable. For your next party, try implementing some of the ideas listed above.
