Life is a Party

Embrace the sheer fun of summer by celebrating its essential basics: grilling, good friends, and awesome weather. A backyard, a rooftop, or a community center all make perfect spots to throw a rollicking outdoor party.

PARTY BASICS

Yard games like a potato sack race, watermelon seed spitting contest, water balloon toss, duck duck goose, tug-of-war, and jump rope.

PARTY UPGRADES

Fill a kiddie pool with VERY soapy water (use dish soap!) and make a huge bubble area complete with Hula-hoops, two giant strings on a stick, and bubble wands. Make your own photo booth by hanging an oversize frame on a tree from both ends. String beach balls together to make a fun garland. Play games like ring around a lawn flamingo. Organize a water balloon toss.

OVER-THE-TOP IDEAS

Set up a cozy tent with pillows and blankets underneath for a break from the sun, or hang gauzy curtains to achieve both a whimsical look and some much-needed shade. Make an over-the-top s’mores area with a line of sternos—use marshmallows, graham crackers, and your favorite full-size candy bars.

WHAT GUESTS CAN BRING

Outdoor games, fireworks, sparklers, water toys, watermelon slices and cut-up fruit, chips, dips, drinks, and plenty of ice.

GET GUESTS INVOLVED

Ask guests to help set up games and a tie-dye station, make the slushies, and pass the tofu skewers as an appetizer. It can get lonely all by yourself at the grill, so find someone to hang with you while you are grilling and hold the platter for the finished food.

WHAT TO WEAR

Light and easy clothes, tank tops, Daisy Duke cutoffs, swimsuits, shorts, sundresses, and sunscreen.

THE TABLE

Dress up any outside picnic table with a brightly colored cloth. Use yellow, orange, or blue runner fabric with thick stripes. Use sand toys as vases for flowers.

THE FLOWERS

Brightly colored blooms, or sunflowers in all different hues. Gloriosa daisies and coreopsis.

THE DRINKS

Plenty of water, sodas, and juices. Fill a Radio Flyer wagon with ice and nestle your drinks inside.

PLAN AHEAD

• Three Days Before: Freeze ice cubes for the mojitos; make your peanut sauce.

• Two Days Before: Make the barbecue sauce, vinaigrette, and all of the ice cream sauces.

• One Day Before: Brine the ribs and marinate the tofu; assemble the sundae bar; pre-scoop ice cream.

HOST CRAFT PROJECT

When people arrive, hand out a welcome gift consisting of a small sand bucket filled with sunscreen, mineral water mist spray, cheap sunglasses, and lip balm.

ACTIVITIES

Tag, Frisbee, monkey in the middle, red light green light, red rover, scavenger hunts, ladder golf, corn hole, What time is it, Mr. Fox?, horseshoes, bocce ball, kick the can, capture the flag, badminton, croquet, Slip’N Slide, limbo, paddle board, or pool games like Marco Polo and world’s craziest dive.

PARTY PROJECT

Tie-dye! Set up a tie-dyeing station; consult online resources beforehand for helpful tips. Provide a rainbow of dyes, rubber bands, and instructions printed out on tie-dye stationery you can order in advance online. Before the party, tell people to bring a favorite white piece of clothing for their custom-dyed garment.

GIFTS FOR GUESTS

Goodie bags for the kids—sand buckets filled with sidewalk chalk, squirt guns, cheap sunglasses, Kool-Aid, bubbles, sparklers, freezer pops, candy, Frisbees, balloons, and glow sticks. For the adults, fill buckets with sunscreen, moisturizer, beach towels, water bottles, and mani-pedi kits.

KEEP THE PARTY GOING

Host an all-night disco dance party with props and a disco ball hung from a tree.