Creative Summer Party Themes
Summer is definitely the best time of year to throw a party, wouldn’t you agree? The weather is nice, the kids are out of school, the days are longer…it’s just a perfect party-throwing time of year!
The beginning of summer is typically marked by a fun Memorial Day party or picnic. The middle is, of course, celebrated on July 4th, our Independence Day. And the season is rounded out by the last summer celebration of the season, Labor Day.
I think, however, that three celebrations throughout the summer are just not enough! This is prime party season, everyone! We need to take advantage of it! Here are some fun, and maybe some might say quirky, theme ideas for summer parties:
- Christmas in July – everyone loves Christmas; a joyous time to spend with friends and family, exchanging gifts and feasting on traditional foods. Why not host a Christmas party in July? You can go all out and put up a tree, string lights, place fake reindeer in your yard, and even display your Christmas village. Just have fun with it!
- Summer Olympics – I say, why wait for the Summer Olympics to come around every four years? Host a Summer Olympics themed party now! Obviously you can’t compete in all the games the Summer Olympics usually has, but sports such as volleyball, tennis, basketball, table tennis (ping pong), and synchronized swimming would be fun for your guests. Have judges and medals (of course) to make it more authentic.
- Ice Cream Party – have all of your friends bring a half gallon of their favorite flavor. Rent a chest freezer from a local appliance store. Be sure to provide plenty of toppings (candies, syrups, nuts, and whipped cream), ice cream cones, bowls, and spoons. This is a fun and yummy way to enjoy a summer evening with friends! See below for more on this fun theme.
Ice Cream Party
With summer in full swing, I’m sure a lot of us are looking for a way to cool off. What better way than to enjoy and ice cream cone or ice cream sundae with a group of friends? That’s right, an ice cream party! There’s no reason a tasty dessert can’t be the theme of a party. Here are just a few tips on how to throw the best ice cream themed party ever:
When inviting your friends, be sure to instruct them to bring a half gallon of their favorite flavor of ice cream. Everyone has their own preference, and by having your guests bring their own favorite, no one will be left without a treat.
Next, contact local appliance rental stores and find a chest freezer you can rent for the day. With each of your guests bringing their own favorite flavors, you’ll run out of room quickly in your own freezer. Most appliance rental stores will deliver and pick up the chest freezer — no hassle for you.
Since your guests are providing the “main entrée,” you’ll be in charge of providing yummy toppings to go on all of the ice cream sundaes. Be sure to purchase lots of different candies, syrups, nuts, and whipped cream. You’ll also want to provide ice cream cones—traditional cake cones, sugar cones, and waffle cones. And of course you’ll need plenty of deposable bowls and spoons.
This party theme concept is a fun and tasteful way of spending time with your friends and cooling off on a summer evening. And you never know, you may even feel courageous and try a few new flavors yourself!
Luau Drink Recipe Ideas
Guess what season it is? Luau Season! That’s right, put on your Hawaiian shirts, pull on your grass skirt, and get ready to limbo! Tiki torches light the way, the smell of roast pork lingers in the air, and your colorful rum filled drink is starting to make you giddy! Ahh, the luau, what a fun summer celebration…
Here are a few easy tropical drinks to prepare and serve at your next luau party:
Mai Tai (Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger spiced rum
- 1/2 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger coconut-flavored rum
- 1 teaspoon grenadine syrup
- 3 fluid ounces pineapple juice
- 2 fluid ounces orange juice
- 1 cup ice cubes
Directions
In a cocktail mixer full of ice, combine the spiced rum, coconut rum, grenadine, pineapple juice and orange juice. Shake vigorously and strain into glass full of ice.
Blue Hawaii (Goodhouskeeping.com)
Ingredients
- 4 cup(s) ice cubes
- 1 cup(s) pineapple juice , chilled
- 1/2 cup(s) blue curaçao
- 1/2 cup(s) light rum
- 1/2 cup(s) cream of coconut
- 4 slice(s) pineapple
- 4 maraschino cherries
Directions
In blender, combine ice, pineapple juice, blue curaçao, rum, and cream of coconut and blend until mixture is smooth. Pour into 4 glasses. Garnish with pineapple slices and cherries.
Lava Flow (About.com)
Ingredients
- 1 oz. light rum
- 1 oz. Malibu® coconut rum
- 2 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 small banana
- 2 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice
- 2 oz. coconut cream
Directions
Blend the 2 rums and the strawberries in a blender to form a smooth paste. Pour this mixture into a tall (Collins or Hurricane) glass. Rinse the blender. Blend the banana, the coconut cream, and the pineapple juice in blender with crushed ice until smooth. Pour this mixture into the glass with the rums very slowly and watch as the strawberry mixture oozes its way to the top along the sides of the glass creating the flowing lava effect. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and paper umbrella.
View More Luau party ideas and drink recipes…
Host a Summer Party for Your Kids
For children, summer is a fun time of year—no school, no homework, full days of sunshine and playing with friends. Sometimes though, summer can seem to go on for-evvvv-er for children, simply because certain friends that they’re used to seeing every week at school won’t be seen again until the next school year starts up.
A great solution to this dilemma is to throw a party for your little one and all of his or her friends right smack-dab in the middle of summer! This way, all the children get to see each other, share how they’re summer has been so far, and talk about what the next school year may bring.
I would suggest a pool party, if you have access to a pool (supervision definitely required), or some kind of cookout or picnic where the kids have plenty of room to play games, have fun running through sprinklers, and tire themselves out by the end of the party (the parents will greatly appreciate this!)
Serve easy foods like hamburgers and hot dogs, potato chips and pretzels, fruits and veggies, and cake and ice cream. Don’t try to structure the party too much; really, this is just a chance for the kids to get together and run wild, having fun with each other and re-kindling their friendships.
This will also be a great chance for the parents to get together and get to know each other, forming their own friendships, and maybe making further plans for the year. In fact, hosting a party like this, where all of the kids and the parents can spend time together, is a wonderful way to form trust when it comes to who your kids are spending their time with and what kind of environment they may be in if/when they go a “play” at a friend house.
And besides, who doesn’t love any excuse to have a summer party?!
Recipe: Spicy Armadillo Eggs
Like hot peppers with your sizzling summer sun? At your next party, try this delicious appetizer with a zing! Similar to jalapeño poppers, but surrounded by MEAT!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound shredded jack cheese
- 1/2 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound hot sausage
- 1 1/2 cup pancake mix or, make it yourself
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 package Spicy Shake N Bake mix, or make it yourself, adding 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 20 jalapenos
Directions:
The peppers can be fresh or canned – drain if canned. Substitute for milder cherry peppers if you wish.
Slice the peppers in half lengthwise down one side and scrape out the seeds.
Take out 1 large bowl and 2 shallow bowls. Mix the pancake mix, sausage and cheddar in the large bowl. Place the beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Pour the spice mix in the other shallow bowl.
Stuff each pepper with shredded jack cheese, then stick the halves back together.
Grab a handful of the sausage mixture and wrap it around the pepper, forming it in the shape of an elongated egg.
Dip it in the egg bowl, then roll it in the spice mix and coat it evenly.
Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake all at 350F for 25 minutes or until crisp.
View more fun spicy fiesta recipes, including a primer on the types of hot peppers …
Theme Party of the Month: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
You don’t have to go to Hogwart’s School to find out how to put together a great Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows party (or your favorite Harry Potter book or movie). With the final movie out, it’s time to honor everybody’s favorite wizard — both for kids and adults, too! Here’s all the magic ingredients you need, such as ideas for great invitations, food, decorations, gift bags and games.
Invitations: Sure, you can buy invitations for your Harry Potter party. Or you can pull some magic out of your sleeve and get creative! Try this fun party invitations craft (let your child help if it’s her party.)
Buy light brown/parchment style paper, or make your own by immersing plain white copier paper in cooled tea, then allowing to dry (it will get just slightly crinkly, which is perfect for this invitation.)
Now either write the party information on each piece of paper, or type something up on a text document and print off copies. Yes, there is such a thing as a “Harry Potter” font — Google for a whole host of varieties on this theme, then choose the one your child likes best. You can also copy and paste Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry or Ministry of Magic letterhead; place this at the top of the document for authenticity and a touch of fun.
Decoration Ideas:
- Set up a natural-straw broomstick in one corner of the entryway; keep the entryway semi-dark for a spooky, old-fashioned effect and add a lantern or two to light the way (for safety, use flameless candles).
- Use Kool-Aid or other food colorings/drink mixes and/or flavored sodas to create spookily-colored “potions.” Have children sample these for their party drinks. They’ll be squicked-out — but curious! — to try “extract of thymus,” “left leg-shrinking potion,” “deadly nightshade” or “dragon snot,” but will be pleasantly surprised to find they’re actually drinking lime punch, lemonade or strawberry soda.
Read more ideas for this party …
Sales and Coupon Codes for Online Party Merchants
Birthdayexpress.com – BIRTHDAY11 – Save 10% on your order over $65. Discount is applied before taxes, shipping or duties, and can not be combined with any other offer. Use coupon code at checkout. Good until September 30, 2011.
Shindigz.com – VSNVH7 – Free shipping on your order of $65 or more. Order is for ground shipping in the continental US, and can not be combined with any other offer. Expires at the end of Thursday, July 21th, 2011
Birthdayinabox.com – Personalized invitations for 0.99! – No coupon required.
Next issue in mid August. See you then, and thanks for reading!
