13 fun outdoor garden party ideas
Perfect for spring and summer, a garden party can be a great way to bring friends and family together outside for special occasions, games, BBQs, picnics, summer water sports or chilled gatherings. Let’s go through some fun outdoor garden party ideas to inspire your next get-together.
1. Kids’ birthdays
Games like pin the tail on the donkey, whack the pinata, hide and seek, races, tag, duck, duck goose, pass the parcel and more are perfect for the garden – especially when kids love to run and chase. Not only that, you can have trampolines, water slides, hire bouncy castles, and create fun obstacle courses to keep everyone entertained.
2. Summer game tournament
When the weather heats up, a summer game tournament using paddling pools and slides will guarantee fun for all the family. Use timers to give it that competitive edge. Water guns will also bring out the most competitive players! It’s probably best to have someone sit out and referee, someone who is happy to sunbathe and oversee without getting wet to time and record points.
One idea is, using water guns and water bombs, teams could do duels by standing back to back, then walking three spaces forward before turning around to see who can hit each other first. Other games can be tennis, croquet, badminton, football and frisbee.
3. Turn your garden into a resort
Have some summer fun by turning your garden or backyard into a little holiday resort. A paddling pool (or a swimming pool if you’re lucky enough to have one) next to some sun loungers will create the perfect holiday vibe. Add some exotic plants in pots around with lights on the decking for the evening. Put up signs and chalkboards to show the drinks and food menu specials. Have a summer holiday playlist going in the background and when everyone closes their eyes, the sounds of splashes, drinks clanging, laughter and summer music will have them not being able to tell the difference!
4. BBQ and buffet
The good old BBQ is a clear winner for a garden party. Get the grill on and have the spread of all spreads for an amazing garden party. Think hotdogs, burgers, ribs, skewers, banana splits, salads; cheese, sausage & pickled onion sticks, watermelon, fruit salads, pizza, sandwiches, party food and cake. The list goes on! Just make sure you have tablecloths pinned down, napkins, hand sanitiser, bins, plates and plenty of cutlery to keep guests happy and clean.
5. Cocktail making
Why not invite friends over for some cocktail-making fun. There’s so many drinks to get creative with and if you know a bartender or cocktail connoisseur in the friend group, then have them organise it or help out. A few YouTube videos should suffice, though. All that’s left is to create those recipe & instruction cards and have all the ingredients and cocktail equipment set out on an outdoor table (preferably in the shade), and then enjoy your thirst-quenching creations on sun loungers or comfy outdoor chairs. Adults only for this one, of course.
6. Afternoon tea and picnic
We don’t know about you, but when we think of afternoon tea, the garden immediately springs to mind – it’s the perfect setting! Picnics are also a lovely idea for a garden party, and they can work brilliantly for both kids and adults. All you need is some lovely afternoon tea sets, a picnic blanket, a wicker basket or hamper to create an authentic atmosphere, with delicious nibbles and drinks.
7. Garden camping and glamping
You could hire a glamping tent for your garden or get out your own tent for some outdoor camping fun. Set up a fire (if you can) and get all ‘kumbaya’. Just by being outdoors, you can connect with people by sharing campfire stories, songs and jokes. And being in the garden, you get the benefit of being able to easily top up drinks, grab any layers, cushions and blankets, get to the toilet and make snacks.
8. A garden festival
A brilliant idea that many have done is turn their garden into a festival. This especially works perfectly if you have a large garden with a bar and know some musical people. Grab those guitars, invite those musicians and singers, and you’ve got yourself ‘Garden Calling 2021’.
9. Create your own garden cinema
Just by putting up a simple white sheet (or using a white wall) you can create your own garden outdoor cinema with a projector. Just grab the popcorn, drinks, snacks, cushions, and blankets, and create the perfect scene with fairy lights, candles, and lanterns; you’ll have yourself an amazing garden party. Depending on the vibe you want, you could even have a drinking party for a film or TV show. With Game of Thrones, a drink for every time Jon Snow gives a brooding look?
A movie night garden party idea
10. Wine tasting and cheese boards
Fancy yourselves some wine connoisseurs? Or, maybe you just like to think so. Either way, this can be a fun garden party by having friends over for some wine tasting, and why not add some mouth-watering cheese boards as the perfect accompaniment.
11. A garden baby shower
Gardens make for perfect baby shower settings – summer ones that is! Baby showers are great for fun games like guessing whose baby picture is whose. You could have all the guests’ baby pictures up on a board or hanging on ribbons from a tree for people to guess. Have a baby name suggestion box. Make a baby-themed spread on an outdoor table and make sure there are plenty of seats.
12. Spring Easter egg hunt
Spring and Easter is the perfect season for a garden party and an egg hunt. This can work for both adults and children. You could split teams up and have them compete by timing each team to see who collects all the eggs in the shortest time. Have everyone on one team hide at least one egg so everyone gets a go, making sure the other team is indoors or not looking.
13. Family variety show
Especially if you have a great platform and decking or balcony, you can create your very own family variety show – even make it seasonal. From kid comedians, dad getting out the guitar, mum juggling, to little ones putting on a dance act, the garden party doesn’t just have to be about sitting around and drinking. It will be fun to create an outdoor stage with lighting, props and decorations too, something to get the whole family involved with.
So, there you have it. Garden parties can take many different themes. What’s important though is that with all the organisation and planning, that you don’t forget about your home, garden and driveway security. Have one less thing to worry about, especially when you have visitors and kids playing at the front, with secure and robust driveway gates to keep pets, children and vehicles secured in. Contact our friendly and experienced team here at The Expert Gate Company to see what we can do for you.