Party Planning
- Theme Party Ideas
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Beach Party Theme
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Need
some fun ideas for your Beach Party? |
A beach party theme adds extra
fun to summertime parties. There are numerous activities for all
ages. Your party can take place on the beach, by the pool, in
your backyard. Have everyone bring towels and bathing suits and
be ready for a splashing time.
The key to pulling off a coordinated
event: Evoke your theme throughout the affair. Whether that
theme is as general as a season or a feeling, or as specific as
a special flower, it should be the subtle thread that ties
everything together. Your location, invitations, flowers, menu,
cake, and favors should all cleverly reflect one common concept.
Then, get as creative as you can!
Invitations:
Even if you plan your party for an intimate group of family and friends,
consider giving them a sneak preview of the fun by sending invitations.
Attach a computer generated or hand written tag to a
shell or a pair of inexpensive
Neon Sunglasses.
Use curling ribbon, satin ribbon, or pipe cleaners to attach.
Send an inexpensive
Beach Ball invite, complete with party details written in
permanent ink (deflate for mailing) will ensure that you won't have any
no-shows!
What to Wear:
Have family and friends dress for the beach…swimsuits, shorts, tank
tops, muscle shirts, sandals, cover-ups, and don't forget the sunscreen.
For those who are
unprepared for the festivities, have extras like:
Sunglasses ,
visors,
Beachcomber Hats , flip flops, and suntan lotion on
hand!
Neon Sailor Hats or
White Sailor Hat
will be a sure hit for your summertime parties.
A colorful
Fun At The Beach Hat is also a winner.
top
Decorating
Ideas:
Never underestimate the power of
music
to set the tone for your party. You'll almost feel the warm ocean breeze
if the sounds of the Beach Boys, Bob Marley or Jimmy Buffet are filling
your backyard.
Setting a table with the
party ware,
including the tablecloth, cups, plates, napkins, and cutlery is the
fastest way to create a focal point in your decorating.
Colorful
Plastic Shell Plates
are great for BBQ & Beach parties, or serve your
meal on a Frisbee lined with a
paper plate.
Decorate your serving tables with a
Centerpiece you make from cucumbers, green peppers,
pineapple, citrus fruit wedges, Boston fern & assorted flowers.
A lovely addition to any table.
Make a
Watermelon
Whale or
Watermelon
Basket &
fill
with the season's freshest fruit. They are fantastic edible
decorations for your food tables.
If you don't live close to the beach, or have a backyard swimming pool,
create your own splash! Set up your own backyard beach by filling a few
kiddie wading pools with water, hauling out the sprinklers, and setting
up a water slide. Lay a sheet of water
poly vinyl by the pools, and cover it with mounds of
inexpensive sand and lots of plastic beach toys.
Decorate the backyard with beach props…beach towels,
beach
umbrellas, surfboards,
beach
balls, volleyball set, flippers and snorkels, pool
goggles,
Pails And Shovels,
and beach
toys and rafts, driftwood, and the
ultimate beach mood setter…a
Inflatable Palm Tree .
Games
& Activities
Heat up the fun while playing games to help guests stay cool. Play:
Volleyball
Frisbee or wet sponge football
Water balloon toss
Garden-hose
limbo or use one of these limbo kits:
Bamboo Limbo Kit,
Flowered Limbo Kit .
Horseshoes
Crochet
Luau Party Game
Add to the excitement at your event with
this Luau Game. Its Hula Bender, great for ages 5 and up. Game
includes Spinning Wheel and 6' colorful plastic game board.
Backyard
Bucket Brawl (a wet version of musical chairs, starting with one
tub or large bucket filled with cold water for each guest)
Tug-of-War
(with the wading pool in the center) You
will need the following items:
Rope - 20' long
Rope - 6' long
Bandana
or some kind of cloth
Divide your guests into two equal teams.
Choose a large grassy or sandy area to play this challenge. Place
the 6' rope on the ground in the middle of the chosen area. Have
teams line up in single file on either side of the center line, arms
length apart. Tie the bandana or cloth in the center of the 20' rope
and place over the center line. Each player grabs the tugging rope
and at the signal tries to pull the first member of the other team
over the center line
Beach Blanket Bingo
- spread out the beach blankets and play a game of bingo, using
sea shells for markers on the bingo cards.
Squirt-Fish Tag
Have a sandcastle or sand sculpture
building contest. The most creative builders can be rewarded
with the summer's hottest beach novel, suntan lotion or a
"Greatest Hits" Beach Boys CD. Those lacking in sandcastle
building skills can choose to be buried neck-to-toes in the sand!
Have a Contest for:
"whitest legs", "best contrast", "cutest
summer freckles", "best tan from a bottle",
"most likely to land a role on Baywatch", "most sun
savvy", "itsy, bitsyest bikini", and "least
likely to age prematurely". Be sensitive to the feelings of the
recipients, and make sure that everyone wins a prize during the
course of the party. Award fun
beach
related prizes (sunscreen, Chapstick, beach
toys &
Beach Favors)
Pass the Coconut
- The players sit in a circle with one player holding a coconut.
The
music
(a Hawaiian tune) begins and the coconut is passed around
the circle until the music stops. The player holding the coconut
when the music stops is out. The music begins again and the play
continues until there is only one player left.
Hula Contest, use
Hula Skirts &
Luau Music .
Hula
Hoop Contest.
Piñatas are
always fun, I've never seen a child turn down a chance to take a
swing for a sweet treat.
Favors
& Prizes
Food Ideas:
Serve easy to prepare summer-fun beach food. Decorate your serving
tables with a
palm
tree centerpiece made from cucumbers, green peppers,
pineapple, citrus fruit wedges, boston fern & assorted flowers.
Seaweed
Salad
1/2 cup Caesar
dressing
1 large or 2 small bunches romaine, torn into bite-size pieces (10
cups)
1 cup Caesar or garlic-flavored croutons
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground pepper
Pour
dressing into large salad bowl. Add romaine; toss until coated with
dressing.
Sprinkle with croutons, cheese and pepper; toss.
Makes 6 servings
Seashells &
Cheese
(for the kids)
2 cups uncooked seashell macaroni (7 ounces)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded or cubed Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Cook macaroni as directed on package.
While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low
heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is
smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling,
stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.
Drain macaroni. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into
ungreased 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or
until bubbly.
Makes 6 servings
Trader's Punch
2 cups orange juice
2 cups lemon juice
1 cup grenadine syrup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 1-pint (12-ounce) bottles ginger ale, chilled
Fresh berries or sliced fruit
Mix fruit juices, grenadine and corn syrup;
chill. Just before serving, add ginger ale
and fruit. Makes 4 quarts.
Fruit
Slushi
Use your kid's
favorite strawberry drink mix to cool off with these fun and fruity
ice cubes.
1 envelope
(2-quart size) strawberry-flavored soft drink mix
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups water
1 pint (2 cups) strawberries, stems removed, or frozen whole
strawberries
2 bottles (1 liter each) lemon-lime soda pop
Mix soft drink
mix, sugar and water. Pour into divided ice-cube tray. Place 1 whole
strawberry in each cube. Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight. To
serve, place frozen fruit cubes in glasses. Fill glasses with soda
pop.
Makes 8 servings
For dessert, serve:
- Frozen bananas on a stick dipped in
chocolate
- Snow cones
- A delightful summer berry "fruit
pizza".
Fill a cooler or metal tub with ice, and
load it with plenty of soda and bottles of water. As an alternative,
offer guests virgin daiquiris and fruit smoothies complete with mini
umbrellas! Beach pails make terrific serving bowls!
Serve kids their food in individual beach buckets. Use a paint pen to
write each child's name on a bucket, and fill each pail with a juice
box, wrapped hot dog, goldfish crackers, fruit kabob and beach ball.
Allow them to take the shovel and pail home as a favor…they'll never
forget the "best-ever backyard beach Bar-B-Que" hosted by your
family!
TIPS:
Don't forget to stock up on lots of ice--plan on approximately 1 pound
per guest for the party!
Be prepared for backyard bugs before they bite! Scatter
Citronella Stick Candles around the backyard to keep any unwanted pests at
bay.
If the weather doesn't cooperate on the day the party is planned, move
the party indoors. Crank up the heat and the music. Allow the party to
proceed as planned…just don't add the water!
Above all else, be flexible. What we most crave when we fantasize about
a beach setting is the permission to be lazy and carefree. Relax and
enjoy the summer fun festivities!
Related Theme
Ideas
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