With summer quickly creeping up on us, it’s time to get thinking about different gatherings you might want to host in your garden. Whether you’re blessed with ample room for alfresco dining and entertainment or have a smaller space to cater for your nearest and dearest, there are plenty of events you can host this summer season.
Dust off your outdoor furniture, dead the garden weeds and get ready for a summer of fun gatherings that will be sure to earn you the title of ‘hostess with the mostest’. Highlighted below are a few ideas to get you started on planning your social calendar for the upcoming warmer months.
Gatherings You Should Host This Summer
Prepare Your Outdoor Space
Before you start party planning, getting your outdoor space ready for multiple guests is crucial to the success of your summer gatherings. Tackle an overgrown garden with a trim of the lawn, neatly finishing the edges with a strimmer, and plant some new flowers to add pops of colour across the green space.
Consider the lighting in your outdoor space so that your party can continue once it gets dark. Add outdoor garden lights to dimly lit areas to create a warm and welcoming ambience for your guests. String fairy lights across the decking where everyone will be chatting and eating and include solar lanterns as small decorations.
Sporting events
Nothing brings people together quite like international sporting events. With plenty taking place this summer, seize the opportunity to host screenings of the biggest matches or events.
Set up an area of your garden with a projector or TV screen, enough comfortable seating and blankets whilst keeping the drinks flowing to get everyone in the patriotic spirit to support Team GB for the Paris Olympics.
Or give each guest their own country to support when the Euro 2024 tournament is on, providing flags, themed snacks and drinks and multiple screens for viewing.
Garden Tea Party
Host an authentic tea party, complete with finger sandwiches and antique teapots, for elegant celebrations or occasions like birthdays and bridal parties. A tiered cake stand is perfect for displaying the afternoon’s delights, or quaint vintage crockery with paper doilies will achieve the same effect.
Include the classics such as egg & cress sandwiches and the traditional British scone with jam and cream. Or include different, more exotic flavours to the menu such as arancini balls and showstopping citrus fruit cakes.
Greet your guests with a selection of teas upon arrival, ranging from early grey to chai, and personalise the experience with named placeholders arranged on the tables.
DIY Festival
We all know how hard it is to get our hands on Glastonbury tickets – they may as well be gold dust! So, get your flower crown out and charge up the speakers as you prepare to host the summer’s best DIY festival in your garden.
Stock up on everyone’s favourite drinks, making sure to cater for those who prefer a non-alcoholic option, and set up a large BBQ stall for everyone to flock to after a little too much dancing.
Choose a BBQ that’s big enough to cook for all your festivalgoers, ensuring you have plenty of plates and cutlery to go around too. Take inspiration from food vans you may have encountered at a festival in the past or stick to the classic crowd-pleasers: burgers and hotdogs.
Summer is a wonderful time to share quality moments with friends and family and make lasting memories together. Let your creativity shine by transforming your outdoor space into a welcoming oasis of laughter, good times and delicious food.