Ideas for Your Summer Party
Here are some ideas if you are struggling for inspiration for a summer party or want to do something a little different.
This is probably not a shocker, but hot dogs are fairly cheap and great for both adults and kids. They are super easy to buy in mass, easy to customize and provide lots of different toppings and condiments: cheese, tomatoes, onions, relish, mustard, pickles, guac. The list goes on and on. Tie it all up with a nice, soft hotdog bun. It is even really easy to find vegetarian and vegan hotdogs so you have options for those who aren't interested in meat.
Having a taco party with all kinds of topping and fillings is a great way to satisfy a large group of people efficiently while keeping things interesting. You can have both soft and hard shells, different protein like grilled chicken, shredded chicken, shredded beef or pork, etc. Other options include beans - refried beans are a particularly good option - as well as different kinds of shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes. You'll also want to have sour cream, guacamole, and salsa at the ready.
Consider taking your summer party to the beach. If you have blankets, sunscreen (and maybe an umbrella), as well as a cooler that you can fill with food and drinks, you are all set. You'll have the water, the sand beneath your feet, the possibility of activities like tossing around the frisbee or playing beach volleyball, and depending on the beach, the potential to have a nice bonfire. There is nothing like the beach if you want to mix things up relative to your backyard.
Ice cream is an obvious choice for summer, and you should consider including it no matter what, but having an ice cream sundae bar really takes things up a notch. The key is the crazy number of toppings you can add to spice things up, so get a decent ice cream but keep the choices to chocolate and vanilla. Then you can get sprinkles, candies, m&m's, chocolate syrup or sauce, fudge and other sauces, marshmallow fluff, regular marshmallows, whipped cream, fruit, and on and on.
Building a fire pit in your backyard and having guests huddle around it at night is a great option for creating a congenial atmosphere. You can add drinks, of course, along with any food you'd like to cook over a fire. Hotdogs are a great choice and, of course, s'mores. Everyone loves melting marshmallows over a fire, then adding it to a graham cracker with chocolate, everything melting together with the gooey warmth of the marshmallow. Even if you just have the firepit and drinks, this is one of the best low key backyard party ideas imaginable.
That's right, it's not just for trendy restaurants. Hotter weather sometimes brings lighter appetites, which is perfect for tapas. Tapas are spanish-inspired small bites that can be warm or cold, and are somewhat synonymous with appetizers. They can be as simple as cheese, olives on a toothpick, and cured ham, or more complicated like croquettes and pan tumaca (combination of bread, olive oil, tomato, garlic, and salt).
This is really only scratching the surface of a summer party, but hopefully it inspires you regardless of how you decide to entertain.
This is probably not a shocker, but hot dogs are fairly cheap and great for both adults and kids. They are super easy to buy in mass, easy to customize and provide lots of different toppings and condiments: cheese, tomatoes, onions, relish, mustard, pickles, guac. The list goes on and on. Tie it all up with a nice, soft hotdog bun. It is even really easy to find vegetarian and vegan hotdogs so you have options for those who aren't interested in meat.
Having a taco party with all kinds of topping and fillings is a great way to satisfy a large group of people efficiently while keeping things interesting. You can have both soft and hard shells, different protein like grilled chicken, shredded chicken, shredded beef or pork, etc. Other options include beans - refried beans are a particularly good option - as well as different kinds of shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes. You'll also want to have sour cream, guacamole, and salsa at the ready.
Consider taking your summer party to the beach. If you have blankets, sunscreen (and maybe an umbrella), as well as a cooler that you can fill with food and drinks, you are all set. You'll have the water, the sand beneath your feet, the possibility of activities like tossing around the frisbee or playing beach volleyball, and depending on the beach, the potential to have a nice bonfire. There is nothing like the beach if you want to mix things up relative to your backyard.
Ice cream is an obvious choice for summer, and you should consider including it no matter what, but having an ice cream sundae bar really takes things up a notch. The key is the crazy number of toppings you can add to spice things up, so get a decent ice cream but keep the choices to chocolate and vanilla. Then you can get sprinkles, candies, m&m's, chocolate syrup or sauce, fudge and other sauces, marshmallow fluff, regular marshmallows, whipped cream, fruit, and on and on.
Building a fire pit in your backyard and having guests huddle around it at night is a great option for creating a congenial atmosphere. You can add drinks, of course, along with any food you'd like to cook over a fire. Hotdogs are a great choice and, of course, s'mores. Everyone loves melting marshmallows over a fire, then adding it to a graham cracker with chocolate, everything melting together with the gooey warmth of the marshmallow. Even if you just have the firepit and drinks, this is one of the best low key backyard party ideas imaginable.
That's right, it's not just for trendy restaurants. Hotter weather sometimes brings lighter appetites, which is perfect for tapas. Tapas are spanish-inspired small bites that can be warm or cold, and are somewhat synonymous with appetizers. They can be as simple as cheese, olives on a toothpick, and cured ham, or more complicated like croquettes and pan tumaca (combination of bread, olive oil, tomato, garlic, and salt).
This is really only scratching the surface of a summer party, but hopefully it inspires you regardless of how you decide to entertain.