6 Backyard Party Ideas for Summer
With the population having been in lockdown and social restrictions for the last 18 months, it’s not been easy to get together with friends and have some normalcy. What better way to celebrate now that restrictions are starting to lift than with a bit of a backyard party.
The weather is getting nicer and nicer, and people are starting to spend more time outside. I thought it would be fun to come up with a list of Backyard party ideas. For all my readers in the states, just to let you know, we are still very limited on how many people can be in one place in Canada. Only 8% of the population has a second shot. Needless to say, we are ready to get our party on once we can.
Now back to this list of unique ideas. I started to think about what types of parties might be fun. Something easy that anyone can take part in, be it participating or watching the excitement.
Nothing too crazy as we are just coming out of hibernation, and I don’t want to overwhelm anyone. Asking people to jump right into a hard-core theme party might be asking too much. Let’s start the summer with an easy theme, and we can advance to the more hard-core theme parties toward the end of the summer.
As a preface, if you do not drink alcohol, you can still participate in these parties. Be creative with what you like to drink, even if it’s water. Add some lemon or lime, get crazy and add some cranberry juice. Whatever tickles your fancy.
Party Ideas
Charcuterie party – At this party, have each guest bring a small plate of their favourite charcuterie tray. If you are not sure about what should go on a charcuterie tray, have a look at this blog post from corkdining.com. It is the history of Charcuterie boards and why you should drink wine with them. You could also have each person bring a wine to pair with their plate. Take it a step further and have everyone dress up in something that pays tribute to the French. A barret, perhaps? You can make this party your own.
Beer and Brat’s party – Have each guest bring 8 Brautwursts (or however many you want). They need to explore the stores in your area and see who can create the best sausage/brat concoction. They can dress them up however they’d like; just bring the fixings for everyone to try it the same way. You also have to pair a beer or cider that brings out all the flavours of your creation. You can give out prizes to the person whose brat is the best. Perhaps a beer hat? I feel like you should have potato salad at this party. Add that to the competition if you’d like!
Playa Backyardo Party – I have to say that I stole this title from a friend. She texted me one night that they had just finished eating at playa backyardo. I found it very funny. You could do so much with this theme—different types of tacos, margaritas, guacamole, churros. You could have a Mexican fiesta with friends. Break out the sombreros and dance salsa, or you could just eat chips and salsa, whatever makes you happy.
Hail Caesar! I know my son would love this party! You can dress up in togas if you like or you can have a competition of who can make the best Caesar. I am not a Caesar drinker. For any of my friends in the states, Caesars are a bloody mary, but instead of tomato juice, they use clamato juice. Personally, neither one is for me, but you do you! They can be spicy, sweet, come with a beer chaser. You name it, it’s game on time, and you and your friends need to get creative.
How about a Lobster Bake? Order in some fresh lobster, boil some water and start crackin’. Get a long table, cover it in a table cloth, melt the butter, put on your best yellow raincoat, and dig in. To add an eastern flair, you can play Great Big C over the loudspeaker. I must apologize; they are the only Newfoundland/east coast group I know. I’m sure whatever streaming service you use will have something if you type in Newfoundland music.
Last but not least, a good old-fashioned Bar B Que. Break out the backyard games, bean bag toss, washers, smash ball. If you have older kids, you can have beer pong or flippy cup. Have teams and a little tournament—anything to get people back together and to socialize.
I am looking forward to getting together with people and laughing and joking again. These are just a few ideas that you can use to get people back in the groove. It’s summer, and we should all be outside enjoying the nice weather. Those who live where it’s nice all year round don’t just do this in the summer. Pick a party for every month. Those of us who have a few months of nice weather should plan one every one or two weeks.
I think it’s fair to say that everyone’s mental health has suffered a bit in the last 18 months. Let’s help lift each other up, and see the light in everyday life. If you have a driveway, backyard or neighbourhood park, you just have to ask your friends to meet you there. Do not drink in a park though, that’s just wrong. Let me know if you decide to try one of these ideas. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Enjoy those long summer nights!