This past year has been a whirlwind for the entire world. Learning to adapt to new social norms has been a challenge for everyone. If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us it’s that we can still have loads of fun right in our homes – or backyards. Here are a few tips to help you organize the perfect backyard picnic chez vous.
1. Pick a Picnic-Friendly Menu
The core of any good party is always the food. When planning a picnic, you have to consider that your guests won’t be seated at a dining room table with three different types of forks. Try to choose foods that are easy to serve and eat. Think sandwiches, hors d’oeuvres, and other finger foods. Everything you serve should also be cut and easy to add to a dinner plate. You should also consider the weather. If it is a hot day, avoid hot pasta dishes and favor cold pasta salads instead. If the weather is cooler, try including warm eats and desserts like s’mores.
2. Create a Comfortable Seating Plan
A backyard picnic is slightly less formal than a traditional dinner party, so you can get very creative with seating options. Fluffy pillows and plush blankets can be used to make hard chairs comfier and can even be tossed on a picnic blanket. The perfect backyard picnic should include a variety of options to accommodate all your guests and add to the general style of your event. Utilize outdoor seating like hammock chairs and patio chairs paired with some pillows and beanbag chairs. A backyard picnic is a less formal event and the atmosphere should be comfortable enough for your guests to lounge around in.
3. Plan Backyard Games
Is it even a party without a slew of games? Part of the beauty of enjoying the outside is playing games that allow your guests to maximize their time spent outdoors. You can add activities like swimming, Marco Polo, mini-golf, bobbing for apples, and potato sack races to your list of party events. Spread your games out throughout the event to keep your guests entertained from beginning to end.
4. Set Up a Playlist
Every good party needs a great playlist. Invest in a small Bluetooth speaker so you can control your jams throughout the event. To help you narrow down your playlist ideas, decide on the theme of your party and create a playlist with songs that fit the theme. You can cruise Apple Music for an expertly curated playlist or create your own personalized one instead. You can even allow guests to sync their devices and control the tunes for a while. It could even make for a really fun game. Guests can take over control of the music and have others guess what the song is.
5. Include Some Shelter
Though everyone is coming to enjoy a beautiful outdoor event, the weather doesn’t always cooperate. You don’t want your picnic to be ruined by some unexpected rain. Instead, plan a few spots that offer some shelter in case some light rain begins to fall. A cover over a pergola or a pop-up tent can be just the backup you need to save the day at your perfect backyard picnic. You should also include a few waterproof blankets so your picnic seating will be saved if there’s a little rainfall.
Perfect Picnic Solutions
A backyard picnic usually means disposable plates, cups, and utensils. If you can’t avoid one-time use products, try to choose compostable products so you can minimize your garbage and plastic waste. You can still throw a perfect backyard party with some amazing foods and drinks without creating too much waste. Another pro tip is to fill a cooler with ice to keep drinks cold. This can be a huge lifesaver when the party begins. You can also invest in food net covers to protect your spread from mosquitoes, flies, and wasps.
The best way to ensure your perfect backyard party goes off without a hitch is to plan ahead and make sure you have all of your bases covered, from food to entertainment to the weather. Your guests are sure to have a blast at your perfect backyard picnic this year.
