Host a Backyard Beach Party

It’s summertime, which means that people are thinking of all kinds of beach party ideas! When it comes to beach party themes, many people stick to the obvious and host beach parties that take place on beaches. Don’t live near a beach? Not to worry! Great ideas for a beach party can be used in other settings as well. All you need is a little water and maybe a sandbox (if you have one) and you can throw a backyard beach party instead!

A backyard beach party simply means that instead of bringing guests to the beach, you’ll bring the beach to your guests! There are plenty of ways to easily transform your lawn into a beach. Here are some terrific backyard beach party ideas to get you started:

• Invitations: Send out fun beach-themed invitations to your friends to let them know about this event. Be creative and use phrases like “Catch the Wave!” or “Don’t Miss This Coco-nutty Time!” on your invitations. However, be sure to also explain the “backyard beach” element of the party. You could write something like, “We’re bringing home the beach!” or “You’re invited to [your last name] Beach!” Make sure to tell people to bring their bathing suits!

• Food: The food that you serve should go along with the beach theme of your party. Serve anything that you might bring the beach, such as sandwiches (ham and cheese, PB&J, etc.) and snack foods such as vegetables, pretzels, and chips with dip (hummus, salsa, guacamole, etc.) If you want to get extra creative, you can cut the sandwiches into smaller, surf board-shaped sandwiches by cutting off the crust and then slicing them into long, petal-like shapes (ovals that are pointed at the top and flat on the bottom). You should get about 3-4 surf boards per standard-sized sandwich. Cutting the sandwiches into this shape specifically will ensure that you create fun shapes without wasting a lot of sandwich! Fruit-kebabs are also a simple, beach time dessert. Just slice any variety of summery fruit, like pineapple, kiwi, banana and mango and slide them onto small, wooden skewers. Feel free to add a yogurt dip, too!

• Drinks: Serve fruity drinks like pina coladas, daiquiris, mai tais and margaritas. Make sure to have a good selection of beer (a beach favorite) as well! Be sure to have plenty of non-alcoholic drinks available, such as lemonade, soda, tropical fruit juice and “mocktails” (virgin versions of the adult drinks). Also, fun, brightly colored paper cups, straws and drink umbrellas make great additions to a backyard beach party!

• Decorations: Make a sign to post outside your home or at the end of your driveway that says something like, “This way to Johnson Beach” with an arrow pointing toward your backyard. Prop up surf boards around your backyard and light tiki torches. You can also get ocean-blue paper table cloths or table skirts that will create “waves” when the wind blows. Play some surfer music in the background like the Beach Boys or Sublime (you’ll find a summer playlist here). You can also hang up a sign where the drinks are being served that says “Surf Shack Bar.” Rather than have your guests sit in typical lawn chairs in your backyard, set up beach chairs and stick some umbrellas in the ground. If you happen to have a sandbox, set up umbrellas in the sandbox to create a beachy atmosphere.

• Activities: Set up fun, beach-inspired games for your guests to play during your party. Some ideas are volleyball, Frisbee, paddle tennis, and soccer with mini-nets. If you have the space in your backyard, a bonfire complete with s’mores is a great way to end the evening.

These backyard beach party ideas are all fantastic ways to create the perfect ambiance for your backyard beach party. Even if you incorporate a few of them, you'll be well on your way to a fun and beachy backyard party!