Picnics can be some of the most relaxing things in the world, especially if you’re with the right people. But certainly, not all of them are created equal. What makes some so memorable and others just another brick in the wall? Let’s find out.
People rave about summer picnic parties for good reason. They usually involve pools, drinks, and lots of fun activities like pool volleyball. Those who don’t like getting wet can just sunbathe by the pool and enjoy drinks. But hosting the perfect summer picnic party is no walk in the park.
As the host, you know you have to make all the arrangements and plan it out to the T so that your guests can have the time of their life. In this blog, we’ll discuss some tips on how to make your next summer picnic party a walk down everyone’s memory lane rather than a bore-fest.
On to the Invitations!
The first thing you need to do is decide who you want to invite. This depends on the context of the party. Is it a neighborhood picnic or a school picnic? Is it a company-paid picnic for a specific department or all its employees? Whatever the case, you must have a final list of people you want to invite.
Next, you should prepare a vibrant invitation for the lucky invitees. This could be pop-out cards with a cute message handwritten inside or a digital card sent via email. The latter is certainly more convenient, but no matter the case you can use an online graphic design tool like PosterMyWall, which has dozens of picnic invitation templates, to craft your invitation cards in a few clicks.
Decide the Activities
Once you’ve sent out your invitations, it’s time to decide what activities you want to arrange for the much-anticipated picnic party. This would probably include several things and would require a planner. For instance, from 3-5 pm, you could have a pool party with lunch and drinks.
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Then from 5-7 pm, you could have a karaoke/dance party. Then from 8-11 pm, when people are tired from all the dancing and singing, you could have a nice relaxing barbecue or a bonfire.
We highly recommend barbecues not only because of the delicious food but also because it’s a great bonding experience. And since they’re so popular among people, you might have to insert a BBQ flyer with your invitation to entice people.
Make All the Necessary Arrangements
Now that you’ve planned it all out, it’s time to do the hard work — make logistical arrangements to ensure your plan goes like clockwork. If you’ve invited 30 people, have seating arrangements for all of them by the pool. You’d also need to have a large enough space to accommodate that number of people.
As for the activities, you’d have to make arrangements for them too. For example, hosting a karaoke would need a karaoke machine. And what if it malfunctions in the middle and is a buzzkill for everyone? In that case, have a spare one ready to be arranged from a friend or a shop if things go south.
And how could you forget about food and drinks — that’s the main highlight of any picnic. A good idea is to have a food preferences checklist sent along with your invitations that has to be sent back via RSVP. Knowing what food people would prefer and if they’re allergic to anything specific would help you craft a menu that caters to everyone’s tastes.
What’s a Picnic Without Decorations?
A good picnic is one with heavy decorations. It’s nice to have a theme and have everyone dressed up according to the theme. Just let everyone know about it beforehand though, so they can prepare their costumes and dresses. But beyond that, you need to buy decorations for that specific theme and set it up.
For instance, if you’re going for a Halloween theme, you’d need a dozen carved pumpkins, a couple of scarecrows, and maybe a smoke machine for a dark but ambient atmosphere. If you’re going for a Star Wars theme, you could have a couple of fake lightsabers so that people can have a team-vs-team fun fight inside the pool.
Having a Kid’s Corner is a Good Idea
When throwing a picnic party, you have to consider the possibility that some parents may not be able to come because they can’t leave their children unattended. Of course, you wouldn’t want them missing out just because they couldn’t hire a babysitter, right?
That’s why it’s important to have a kid’s corner with a dedicated babysitter to take care of all the kids while the adults party. Be sure to mention this arrangement on your invitation so that guests know about this arrangement.
Also, make sure you have plenty of toys and healthy snacks for the kids for the duration of the picnic. If it’s a family-friendly picnic, you won’t need a kid’s corner anyway and the kids can join in on the fun with the adults.
Just be careful if a pool is involved because the kids would naturally want to jump into it. To solve that problem, you could have a kid’s pool so they don’t miss out on all the fun.
Safety is a Must!
Beyond all the fun and games, hosting a picnic party is a lot of responsibility. What if someone gets a severe allergic reaction to one of the foods/snacks? What if someone has had too many drinks and goes into a coma? Or what if a kid falls down the stairs and hurts himself? You must be prepared for any emergency and have a first-aid kit.
But that’s not all, you must have a list of all emergency department contacts such as the fire department, the nearest hospital’s contact number, the police, etc. This will give you an upper hand in case of an emergency and you won’t be scrambling for answers.
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Some Parting Words
Hosting the perfect picnic party can be a lot of work, but if you’ve planned everything to the last detail, there’s no reason to be concerned. Just don’t forget to take a lot of pictures and post them on your social media. They’ll be a great reminder of one of the best times you’ve ever had.
