14 Awesome Outdoor Entertaining Ideas

Let Guests Serve Themselves at a Drink Station

A self-serve cocktail or drink bar enables guests to feel right at home. When friends arrive, encourage them to help themselves so you're not running around all day serving drinks. Set up a bubbly bar complete with a few juice options and sparkling wines. Pro tip: Make pretty ice beforehand by freezing juice in an ice tray and adding some edible flowers. Make sure to keep drinks cold with small picnic coolers or ice buckets.

Mix Up a Big Batch Cocktail

Make a batch of sangria, margaritas or punch and let guests help themselves! Less time spent bartending means more time sipping cocktails and mingling. Assume each of your party guests will drink 1 1/2 alcoholic drinks per hour. Hosting 25 guests? Mix and plan to serve 2 1/2 gallons of a pitcher-style cocktail to ensure the drinks keep flowing with the least amount of hosting effort. One of our favorite cocktail solutions is to set up a ready-to-drink DIY margarita station so everyone can create their own concoctions. For the non-drinkers, be sure to provide at least one festive non-alcoholic drink option, like sparkling lemonade, minty iced tea and fizzy water with fruit garnishes.

Choose a Fun, Easy Dessert

Serve something easy for dessert, like a chocolate tasting board! Put out a variety of chocolate flavors, along with fruit and nuts and let everybody graze. Just a little something sweet: an attractive bowl of gourmet candy, some berries and whipped cream or cookies from the local bakery are sure crowd pleasers that ensure guests will leave happy.

Add Ambiance with String Lights or Lanterns

Don't leave guests in the dark! Add a little ambient lighting with stylish, inexpensive string lights and lanterns. You can hang string lights anywhere—the deck, the fence, even tree branches. Include hurricane lanterns or tealights, either hanging or on the ground or table. Flameless candles are a wonderful, safe option for adding light to your dining or coffee table. They give off the same warm glow as traditional candles, with no fear of wind, fire hazard or spilled wax—and are also safe around kids and pets.

Make it a Summer S'mores Night

Gather everyone around the fire pit for a DIY s'mores night! Set out all the fixings: marshmallows, cookies, graham crackers and a variety of chocolate flavors and let everyone create their own s'mores masterpieces. Don't be afraid to get creative! For example, try a churro-inspired s'more, one of our new favorites. It's made with Partake Snickerdoodle cookies, Hammond's Churro marshmallows and Ghirardelli caramel milk chocolate. We've also compiled a whole collection of s'mores combinations for inspiration.

Set Out a Few Outdoor Games

Outdoor games are great for breaking the ice and keeping the mood lighthearted. Plan fun things to do between meals, for both day and night parties. A game of cornhole or life-size Jenga is always a crowd pleaser for all ages. For an all-adult party, capture those college memories with a game of giant beer pong on the lawn!

Keep Pesky Bugs Away

Insects are the ultimate party crasher. One great tip to keep mosquitos away is to empty any standing water lurking in your yard. Fans are also a great way to repel mosquitoes; they're weak fliers, so even a fan set on low can create enough airflow to keep them away. Light citronella candles throughout the party space—they have a pleasant smell and are a natural mosquito repellant. Keep flies and other bugs off food by investing in a few attractive mesh food domes that cover dishes while not in use.