(BPT) When summer party season arrives, your guests will be happy to eat the grilled food you serve and down gallons of iced tea, but will they recall your party after Labor Day? Every good host wants to throw a bash guests will talk about all summer and remember long after the first snowfall. A themed summer party can be just the ticket to ensure your summer celebration has everyone clamoring to be on the guest list for your next big event.
Here are tips for staging a summer celebration to remember:
A summer without sports would be like a beach vacation with no water! A sports-themed party is sure to have broad appeal, whether you opt to focus on a single sport or incorporate several favorites. Sports-themed decorations are a good start, but to really make a statement, rent some bleachers from your local party rental store, add in some concession equipment like popcorn and cotton candy makers, and throw in some backyard-sized versions of your favorite sports games. You can rent basketball tosses, pitching games and more at your local rental store.
Summer has three of the year’s most patriotic holidays. Red, white and blue bunting and other decorations are musts for patriotic celebrations, but don’t stop there. Consider incorporating other all-American features in your event, like a barbecue cook-off with all the rentable fixings you need, and favorite summer lawn games like ring toss and lawn darts.
Great weather and freedom from school can make anyone feel like dancing, so why not host a backyard dance party? Rent a dance floor, add in a jukebox and a karaoke machine, and you’ve got the basis for a summer dance-off featuring summer-themed music. Include a misting fan or two to help keep dancers and spectators cool.
Shaved ice, ice cream, fruit salads, popcorn – seasonal snacks are as much a part of summer as sunshine and hot temperatures. Why not heat up your backyard event by turning it into a celebration of summer snacks? Slice some watermelon, steep some iced tea in the sun, and rent a variety of snack machines to make cotton candy, popcorn, frozen drinks and snow cones.
Your party should be hot but your guests don’t have to be. Rental stores carry a wide range of items that can help party-goers cool off, from dunk tanks to misting fans, and inflatable water slides to snow machines. Visit your local dollar discount store to stock up on water pistols, squirters, water balloons and buckets (for reloading), and invite guests to have a cool backyard water battle.
Summer is blockbuster movie season, so why not bring a bit of the excitement of the cinema to your own backyard? Rent projectors and screens, some theater seats and velvet rope and stanchions to turn your yard into an open-air theater. Turn on the popcorn machine and pop in a DVD of last summer’s hottest blockbuster for a night of movie madness.
