Summer is a great time for gatherings with friends, family, and neighbors. Whether you’re wanting an adults-only night or hosting a summer backyard party with families and kids, all you need is a theme and great company and you’ve got yourself a good time! Not only are summer backyard party ideas ideal for getting together with friends, family, and neighbors, but it’s also the perfect excuse to show off your latest landscaping projects you’re so proud of. From the ideal outdoor kitchen for hosting a barbecue to an intimate fire pit for late-night wine tastings, the options are limitless.
In this guide, we’re giving you summer backyard party ideas to make the most of this summer! Be inspired and turn your backyard into the place to be this season.
Family Summer Backyard Party Ideas
Summer is the perfect time to spend with friends, family, and neighbors. Who doesn’t love a big backyard party filled with families all enjoying each other’s company and having a great time? To help kick your summer into high gear, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite summer backyard party ideas for families that everyone will love such as:
- Summer camp parties
- Ice cream socials
- Potluck picnics for friends, family, and neighbors
- Outdoor barbecues
Summer Camp Parties
What better way to celebrate summer than with a summer camp party theme? This backyard summer party idea is one of our favorites because it has things for everyone to enjoy. Have a backyard pool? Dive in and cool off just like you’re back at the lake! Not to mention, this gives you the perfect excuse to add some backyard pool landscaping ideas for summer for the ultimate enjoyment space. Other activities like face painting and backyard lawn games are fun for people of all ages!
As the night progresses, why not gather everyone around that outdoor fire pit idea you added to your yard like it’s your own backyard campfire? The possibilities for fun are endless and everyone loves a throwback to fantastic summers at camp!
Ice Cream Socials
Next on our list of summer backyard party ideas for families comes ice cream socials. What better way to beat the heat than with a make-your-own-sundae bar with different flavors of ice cream and lots of toppings? Not only is this a perfect summer backyard party for adults and kids, it’s easy to set up and doesn’t leave you with a huge cleanup after, either!
Potluck Picnics With Friends, Family, and Neighbors
Just because you’re hosting the summer backyard party ideas doesn’t mean you have to be left handling it all on your own. A potluck picnic with friends, family, and neighbors takes the stress out of preparing food for everyone while also giving everybody the chance to show up with their favorites. Potluck picnics are always a hit, just make sure everyone gets their containers back!
Outdoor Barbecues
Last, but not least on our list of summer backyard party ideas for families is the classic outdoor barbecue. There’s hardly a more popular outdoor get-together that everyone will enjoy. Not only is a backyard barbecue fun for everyone, it’s also the perfect time to put those new outdoor kitchen designs to good use! A beautifully-done outdoor kitchen can create the perfect spot for everyone to gather, talk, and have fun. Set the kids loose in the yard and it’s a party everyone will love!
Summer Backyard Party Ideas for Adults
We love a good family party, but sometimes the adults need some time to themselves. Bring on the summer backyard party ideas for adults! Call the babysitter or tuck the kids into bed and enjoy the evening with your friends and neighbors. Some of our favorite summer backyard party ideas for adults in Upstate NY are:
- Saratoga track season party
- Summer bridal showers
- Wine tasting party
- Fiesta night party
Saratoga Track Season Party
If you live in the Capital Region then you know that summer means track season at Saratoga! What better way to enjoy a summer backyard party for adults than a post-racetrack get-together? From horse race-themed appetizers and cocktails to just hanging with your friends in your beautiful backyard space, this is an easy backyard summer party idea you’ll all enjoy.
Summer Bridal Showers
Know someone getting married in the summer or early fall? Next up on our list of summer backyard party ideas is hosting a cute bridal shower. Summer bridal showers are perfect for light, refreshing cocktails, simple appetizers, and a relaxing vibe. Show off those backyard makeover ideas you completed earlier this season and host a bridal shower no one will ever forget!
Wine Tasting Party
A perfect idea for an adults-only summer backyard party is a wine tasting. Wine tasting parties don’t have to be stuffy or pretentious; they can be a lot of fun! Gather your adult friends, family, and neighbors for a night of good wine and great company. Have everyone bring their favorites and explore them together. After the sun goes down, having an outdoor fire pit or lighted water feature as part of your patio landscape design ideas keeps the party going and sets a total vibe.
Bonus Tip: NVS Waterscapes, a division of NVS Landscapes, will build you the water feature installation of your dreams. From pondless waterfalls to beautiful fountains, we’ll give you the perfect water feature installation to enjoy during those summer backyard parties!
Fiesta Night
Last up for the adults-only summer backyard party ideas is fiesta night! Sure, this could be modified a little to be inclusive for the kids, too, but an adult fiesta night sounds like a blast filled with good food, plenty of drinks, and fantastic company. Hit the music, throw together that bean dip you’re famous for, and off you go!
We hope this guide was inspiring and gave you some awesome summer backyard party ideas to try this year. When it comes to hosting the perfect summer backyard party, it’s all about the company. Put together a great theme and you’ve got one for the books! Don’t forget, though, that it’s also the chance to show off your beautiful landscaping! Ready to turn your backyard into the central party spot this summer? Give us a shout and our Capital Region landscape professionals will be in touch to create the entertaining space of your dreams.
Looking for some more backyard landscaping inspiration? Check out these guides for ideas:
