Keep Guests Cool at Your Summer Party
Beat the Summer Heat at Your Next Gathering
Beat the Summer Heat at Your Next Gathering
Let's face it. No one likes to show up to a party where the festivities consist of getting sweaty, sticky, and uncomfortable. As a party host, it's your job to create a cool environment for your guests to enjoy. However, that doesn't mean that every summer party should be hosted indoors to keep things from getting to overheated. Get creative using these tips to keep guests comfortable at your super "cool" party this season.
1. Throw Some Shade Up
Image source: Apartment Therapy
If you have a sunny backyard, it may not be easy to provide much shade protection during your summer party—unless you're a DIYer that is!
Keep an eye outside on your next day off to see how the sun hits your yard and for how long. If you feel like the sun beats down on your ideal party space, create your own shade canopy.
Go to the nearest fabric or home goods store and look for decorative, partly sheer fabric. Place your fabric on the ground and hammer in wooden stakes at the four corners of your fabric. If you're not concerned about preserving the fabric, use a nail to attach the fabric to the tops of the stakes. This will help create ambiance and an ideal space to congregate under.
If it seems like an especially windy day, try hammering one stake into the ground and attaching multiple pieces of fabric to the top of the stake. Pull each piece of fabric out in a different direction for a tee-pee effect.
Tip: You can also use bed sheets for a DIY canopy!
2. Set Up a Hydration Station
Image source: Rustic Wedding Chic
Depending on what type of party you're having, you may be serving adult beverages. In that case, consider extending your beverage area with a "hydration station." In fact, you might want to set one up just to keep all guests cool, hydrated, and healthy.
Load up on garnishes like celery, cucumber, lemon, watermelon, and strawberry. Have an iced pitcher of water and encourage guests to dress it up with your fixings. You can also toss in other additions like shots of electrolyte water, sports drink ice cubes, and coconut water shooters. These fixings are sure to get your guests smiling and make them more likely to reach for a hydrating glass.
3. DIY a Misting Area
Image source: Instructables
Every summer festival, carnival, or busy theme park knows the importance of the misting tent. Nothing is more refreshing than a mist of cold water on a hot day, making the misting tent a popular hangout spot at busy outdoor events.
Bring the misting fun to your summer party with a few easy supplies. Grab some tubing and a few misting nozzles for an easy misting set-up.
If you don't have the time to put this rig together, consider putting a sprinkler in the front yard with a sign that encourages guests to join in the fun. This is a great way to get adults to go out and play. Make sure to have towels available for guests who weren't expecting to get wet at the party.
4. Provide Cooling Foot Baths
Image source: The Red Tent
Yes, this idea is a little crazy. This is for the party guests whose dogs are barking—so to speak—and who are eager to cool down.
Arrange a seating area where each chair is accompanied by a bucket of cool water. Your guests can sit and socialize while their feet soak in a foot bath. Add some flower petals to give it a spa-like feel. Provide towels for them to wipe their feet afterward. At the very least, it's a great conversation starter for party guests who want to get to know each other.
If you want to turn this cooling opportunity into a game, make an "I Dare You" area of the party where guests can cool down and take part in a fun game of sorts. If you go with the "I Dare You" route, add plenty of ice cubes to the bucket, set up an ice cube toss game, and even test guests to see who will do the "Ice Bucket Challenge."
Tip: Set the area up by a spigot or hose to change out the water as needed. But be sure to keep it far enough away from the main party area not to flood the grass with disposed water.
5. Freeze a Bit of Fruit
Image source: Party Patisserie
Just about anything can be tossed into the freezer and turned into a cool, refreshing snack. Consider putting whole pineapple and watermelon slices on popsicle sticks and placing them in the freezer the night before the party. Take them out during the hottest point in the day and watch your guests enjoy the best and healthiest popsicle they've ever had.
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![Jillian Shea]()
Jillian Shea is a freelance writer and gardening guru based in Wallingford, CT. Her specialties include DIY, natural living, and organic growing practices. When you don't see her outside digging in the dirt, you'll likely find her grazing in the kitchen.![H.R. Helm]()
H.R. Helm is an accomplished DIY craftsman. He has been DIY since childhood and is now a septuagenarian. He is experienced in wood and metal construction, having designed and built several houses and metal buildings. He built every permanent building on his current homestead and did all the plumbing and electrical work. He has several years experience as a professional cabinet builder, and he is an accomplished auto repairman, having operated an auto repair business for many years. He currently has a home shop where he sharpens and rebuilds saws, repairs lawn mowers, mobility scooters, hydraulic jacks, and anything else that comes along. He also builds custom tools for metal working. Invention prototypes are another of his many accomplishments. He owned and operated a manufacturing business building Compact Utility Vehicles for homeowner use. H.R. enjoys making jams and jellies during fruit season along with cooking meals. He is committed to outdoor cooking in a Bar-B-Q pit he welded together several years ago. He maintains fruit and nut trees along with helping his wife with a vegetable garden. He farmed commercial garden produce for several years. It helps to have over 50 years of farming and ranching experience. Employment/Education Highlights ASE Certified Master Auto Technician Certified Welder Cross country truck driver -- over dimensional freight Design Engineer/Project Manager for injection molded plastic company Bus Driver/Substitute Teacher Inventor with two patents (weight training – anti-rollback for manual wheelchair) BS in Industrial Technology
