How To Host A Fool-Proof Summer Party
How To Host A Fool-Proof Summer Party
It’s somehow already June, and after a couple of days of scorching sunshine (and more than a bit of sunburn), we’re back to dreary English weather again before we have even managed to stick the barbecue on.
While the weather seems to have given up on this year, we are keen to make up for the months of being locked in our homes and socialise with our families, friends, and neighbours.
So, we’ve come up with a few ideas about how to host a fool-proof summer garden party, come rain or shine. Read on to find out how to beat the summer showers and get your barbie on whatever the weather!
Provide Shelter
The best way to avoid a torrential downpour is an outdoor shelter. If you have a large marquee or even a tent, get it out now! If you don’t have a marquee, and hiring one is out of your budget, you can make temporary shelters quite easily with some rope rigging and tarpaulin.
Simply hang it from tree branches or other upright structures in your garden, such as children’s swings, fences, or even the roof of your house, to make a roomy lean-to against the elements! You can even get creative with other things you have lying around the house – have a few old swimming floats or a blow-up paddling pool? Why not hang them up to make a temporary roof structure?
Another fun option is to make a theme of it. Tell everybody to bring their own tent, arrange them in a circle, and sit out with a campfire in your sleeping bags! If you have a spacious vehicle that you like, such as a retro camper van, you could even make it into a party ‘feature’ and cook your barbecue on the camper stove!
And of course, if all else fails and you don’t have any security concerns, you can always leave the house open for your guests to come and go as they please. Just lock away any valuables and close off any rooms you would prefer to keep private.
Offer Warmth
When you’ve thought of a way you can provide some shelter, the next step is warmth. The barbecue will give some heat out, but past about 10:00, chances are, some of your guests will be starting to get cold, especially if some of them are older, or have young children.
Simply leaving out some blankets in a hamper or some ‘free-to-use’ coats will make your guests a lot more comfortable when the fire starts to die down and the evening draws in!
You could also light an extra chiminea, or offer people hot water bottles as the evening starts to cool down. Many people will be very appreciative of your effort and hosting skills, and the extra comfort will take your night from ‘nice’ to ‘heavenly’!
Create Entertainment
Want to ensure your guests are too busy having fun to feel cold? Invest in some sparklers for the children and fireworks for the adults! They’ll soon forget about their cold hands when they’re admiring the light display!
Another great way to stay entertained and warm is to get dancing! Why not hold a musically-themed barbecue? You could pick an era, such as a 60s, 70s, or 80s themed night (costumes optional), or maybe you could hold a karaoke contest! When people are up on their feet, they will generate their own warmth and have more fun!
Make Fantastic Food And Drink
The food is what really gives a party its flavour.
Summer food is refreshing because it uses a medley of both hot and cold foods, often in different styles and flavour profiles. You might not think the put a strawberry salad with a lamb kofta at home, but at a barbecue where everything gets mixed up on your plate, you have a chance to try a variety of new and fresh combinations.
The ‘pot-luck’ party is rapidly becoming popular in the UK and you can see why! Asking each of your guests to contribute a dish not only reduces the stress and hassle for you as a host, but also provides a range of different styles of cooking for everyone to experience! Every family has their own ways of cooking, and this makes pot-luck parties an exciting place for any food fanatic.
If you decide that you want to do a pot-luck party, the best way to plan it is to decide what you feel are the absolute necessities of a meal and just do that. You might choose one or two types of canapé, a starter, a main, and a dessert.
Or perhaps you and your friends eat less, so you do just a main and dessert, and leave the rest to them. Choose the absolute minimum that you feel fits your friendship circle, your budget, and your lifestyle. And anything else is a bonus! No stress, just good, simple food.
Organisation, Organisation, Organisation!
Here comes the part where hosting can be either a nuisance, or a lot of fun; a well co-ordinated event is all in the organisation.
If you decide to do all the cooking yourself at the last minute when you have just come home from work, it will likely be a hurried, stressful nightmare. But break up the jobs you have to do little by little, and it becomes much easier. Ask your friends to each bring a side dish, do some baking with the children when you’re playing with them, put the bread machine on before you go to work, and double the quantity of salad that you use for your lunch and keep some aside for later.
By staggering the amount of work you have to do, it becomes much less stressful, leaving you time to get ready and enjoy the party instead of pulling your hair out!
Have Fun!
Whatever your hosting style, everyone can agree that a party only runs smoothly if the host is enjoying themselves. So don’t rush it, don’t stress, and let your hair down a little. When you’re having a good time, so are your guests.
Article by Caterquip
