When warmer days begin to make an appearance after a long winter, many of our clients start to prefer outdoor events to indoor ones. May is often a month with ideal weather for outdoor activities.
No matter where you’re planning your event, make sure to spruce things up with some outdoor activities. Here are 15 ideas to entertain your guests at your outdoor event.
1. Local Food Trucks
Every event must have food. This doesn’t mean every event must have a formal, sit-down meal, but there should be food incorporated into your event in some way.
A great way to plan food for an outdoor event is by hiring a popular food truck. You know that food truck that always has a line too long to stand in? Hire it for your event so people have the opportunity to have the food to themselves and better yet… for free! Food trucks are always a hit, and they tend to be very cost effective as well.
2. Drone Flying
Set up a station for people to fly drones and scope out the entire venue and beyond. It’s a unique and adventurous way to capture your guest’s attention and leave a lasting impression on them.
It’s not every day that you have the opportunity to fly a drone and learn about how they operate. Plus, you can leverage the beauty of your setting with in-depth exploration. This is more suitable for an event full of adults, not children. And bear in mind that not all areas allow drones, and even if they do, some require a permit. Do your homework beforehand to make sure that you’re familiar with and complying with all local regulations.
3. Photo Booth
You can never go wrong with a fun photo booth, and that goes for indoor and outdoor events. Don’t forget to supply fun props and spunky music for people to listen to while they strike their poses. This is a great way to live in the moment and have a strip of memories forever.
If you’re planning on hiring a photo booth company, book them far in advance because they tend to fill up fast. However, you can also DIY your own photo booth, and it will be just as fun! Just make sure you have a great background and savvy photographer.
4. Music and Dancing
Music and dancing can break down inhibitions and take your event to the next level of fun. Just make sure it’s a good fit for your party; music and dancing might be better suited for certain events such as weddings, graduation parties and anniversary soirees. Know your audience and decide accordingly.
A night of dancing can be accomplished with a DJ or a band. Don’t forget to plan songs ahead of time and decide if you’ll be taking song requests from attendees.
5. Outdoor Picnic
We love the idea of an outdoor picnic for baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, Mother’s Day parties, engagement celebrations and so much more. It’s a great way to be low-key and still make the setting gorgeous.
Outdoor picnics are fun to set up, and they often bring on nostalgia. You can go full glam with fancy dinnerware, classical music, and wine or keep it casual and relaxed with brown bags, sandwiches, and soda.
6. Ring Toss
A game anyone can be good at, ring toss is classic, fun and simple. It also facilitates plenty of mixing and socializing. Ring toss is cheap and easy to set up, and it appeals to all ages. Group kids against adults, employees vs. bosses, gals vs. guys. Ramp up the competition by offering prizes for the winners.
7. Oversized Board Games
Many popular games now come in an oversized version and are very popular entertainment pieces at events. People love to play the original version, but they love to play the giant version even more because of the novelty. Oversized games can also double as decorations for your party.
Some oversized games that you can rent include Pick up Sticks, Battleship, Connect Four, axe throwing, chess, Jenga, checkers, basketball toss, cornhole, Twister, Human Hungry Hippos, and more.
On a budget? You can even make some of these games yourself. Use painted wooden dowels for Pick up Sticks. For checkers, use a checkered blanket or tablecloth or backyard pavers as your base. For your checkers pieces, use paper plates or black/red Frisbees.
As party planners in Dallas, Los Angeles, and DC, we love hosting outdoor events. Contact us if you’d like some help making your next event a hit. We’ll shoulder the planning and execution so that you can sit back and enjoy.
Just remember that if you’re seeking event planning services in Los Angeles or Dallas, you have a wider net for choosing a month for your outdoor event. It’s practically summer and fall all year long in LA, and Dallas has more warm days than cold. But if you have your heart set on an outdoor event in the DC area, you may have to be strategic with your planning.
Nature provides a remarkable setting for having fun and making memories. Why not take advantage of it as we head into summer?