Backyard Summer Party Ideas

When summer is just around the corner, it would be fun to host a summer soiree with close friends and family. It’s the perfect time to bring that patio furniture up and running again, fire up the grill and have fun. Make a memorable backyard summer party with these ideas, and have fun preparing it with your husband and kids!

1. Turn up the music

Make sure you provide some tunes to keep the party upbeat. Though we’re 90’s babies, we love tuning in to a bit “oldies” like Cher, Stevie Wonder, Michael Learns to Rock, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and the Rolling Stones. Then, we’d play some newer, upbeat tunes from Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Ed Sheeran for the younger generation. Well, the choice of music is up to you. Plan your music that will run for five hours, since most parties don’t last longer than that. And please, don’t crank up the speakers. No one would like to stay in a place where a speaker is blaring. The best setup would be getting four or more speakers, spread them out and set at a lower volume.

2. Create a burger bar

Not everyone likes onions and pickles in their burger, so let everyone dress their burger according to their taste. Place a separate table and let it serve as a burger bar. Put the buns, the burger patties, cheese, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickle relish, and jalapenos separately on platters. Put the condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayo, and cheese sauce in a cute condiment display. We like to take it up a notch for a touch of glam by ditching the typical plastic squeeze bottle and place the condiments in individual labeled stainless steel buckets with a serving spoon for each. Serve fries on the side too! Make sure you also serve some paper plates, napkins and some hand wipes for your guests.  Also make sure you buy hydrogen peroxide ahead of time to clean well.

3. Serve a refreshing lemonade mint julep

lemonade mint julep

Upgrade your usual lemonade by making a lemonade mint julep for the grownups. Use lemon, mint, bourbon, and sugar to make up a refreshing summer cocktail, and let your friends enjoy while lounging in your backyard. Let someone serve as a barista to make the mixture right.

Here’s how to do it: First, make a simple syrup out of water and sugar. Place some fresh mint leaves and one shot of bourbon in the bottom of each glass, then muddle the mint leaves. Add the simple syrup in equal amounts to each glass then muddle the mint leaves again. Place ice in each glass and pour fresh lemon juice. Top it with sparkling water, a fun straw, a slice of lemon and more mint leaves.

4. Provide portable tacos

Who doesn’t love tacos? Personally, I can survive with eating tacos as breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. That’s just how I love them cooked on my favorite source! And since that’s one of my favorite foods, I like to serve it at every party we host. But because tacos are messy and you may need to sit down to properly eat it, one solution for that is to serve portable tacos. Get some lunch-size bags of Fritos or Nacho Doritos and Cool Ranch Doritos, and let your guests add taco fillings directly to the bag of corn chips. Serve some ground beef (browned and seasoned to your preferred taste), shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced cucumber, sliced jalapeno, and your preferred taco sauce and cream. Then, provide them with a plastic fork. This way you can serve and eat tacos with less mess!

5. Make a watermelon keg

If you’re too busy to play as a bartender, try making a unique drink dispenser by using watermelon! It’s an epic DIY dispenser that your guests will surely post on Instagram. We think it’s really awesome, plus it’s one less thing to clean up after the party! Go to the market and find a large watermelon that is relatively flat at the bottom (or simply chop off one end slightly to get it to stand upright. Chop off the top – straight or in a zigzag pattern if you’re feeling fancy – then spoon the juicy watermelon inside. Don’t let it go to waste and make a punch or a fruit shake out of it. Scrape out the watermelon until it’s cleaned inside, then drill a hole about two to three inches above the bottom. That’s where you’ll attach your spigot. After that, you can fill it with your cocktail blend or the alcohol-free punch that you like.

6. Serve refreshing berry-infused water

Infused waters seem like a trendy way to drink water nowadays! We usually infuse lemon and cucumber to water to add a healthier and more refreshing twist to water (and also because we’re trying to lose weight). But we found a fancier alternative: lemon, strawberries, and rose! Yes, rose petals! We have a rose bush in our garden so we gave it a try. It made a pretty pink drink that looks elegant!

Fill a jug with water, sliced lemon wedges rose petals and a handful of strawberries (or raspberries or any berry of your choice). Infuse it in the fridge for a couple of hours, and serve it straight from a transparent jug or pitcher (because you want your guests to see what’s infused in the water). We used a small sieve to pour into glasses so the petals and fruit pieces won’t fall into the glass. Enjoy!

7. Build s’mores bars

A nighttime backyard party, or any other outdoor bash, isn’t complete without s’mores. Find a cute cupcake display stand with three layers, and set up the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolates on each layer. Provide some marshmallow sticks and set it on the side. And because things can get sticky, prepare some hand wipes as well.

8. Provide entertainment for the kids

While the grownups are content with laying back, drinking sangria, and chatting, the young ones are full of energy to burn. Provide plenty of blowing bubbles, or make a giant bubble wand made of hula-hoop and a plastic pool full of bubbles. And since it’s summer, you can lay down a Slip n’ Slide or an inflatable pool for on your backyard. All the little kids would surely have the time of their lives, while their parents are bonding with you. You may also buy some cheap disposable cameras and let them serve as photographers.