Bring the Beach to Your Party

Whether a party is for a child, a teen or an adult, or if it’s a birthday or celebrating a life event, a beach party is easy, cheap, and fun. You can make your own beach party themed party even if you live miles from any water. You can create your own shores in the backyard, or even in the living room of a sixty story high rise. All you need are a few simple items to give your guests the feeling of hot sand and salty air.

Food

Beach food is simple no matter where you have your party. An outdoor area can include a grill for hot dogs and hamburgers with bags of chips and some potato or macaroni salad. Inside, make the hamburgers and hotdogs on the stove, but the accompaniments remain the same.

Games

The games you can play will depend on where you have your beach party. If you have a yard, set up a volleyball net for a traditional beach game. A Frisbee and/or beach ball flying through the air is all a part of the beach environment and play. Games for small areas use the items already on hand like everyone’s flip-flops. Have them put them in a pile, and give your guests two minutes to get as many pairs as they can put together. The one with the most pairs wins. Outdoor fun can include games like water glass relay, or an obstacle course. Create a toned down version of the outdoor games by putting a hardboiled egg on a spoon and doing an egg relay. If you are outdoors, have plenty of water balloons ready so your guests can get the real life feel of the surf splashing them. For small child parties, or to keep the younger crowds busy at adult parties, give them a basket full of colored chalk and let them decorate the driveway or sidewalks. The chalk washes right off with a hose.

Décor

Save empty bottles and place paper napkin “notes” in them. Spread beach towels on the ground/floor. Buy a “Sounds of the Ocean” mood tape and play it in the background, even with other music playing. Make custom invitations shaped like bucket and shovel, starfish or picnic basket and let guests know to wear bathing suits, sunscreen, sunglasses, sandals or flip-flops, bring beach towels and any other beachwear they’d normally use at the beach. Sit on lawn chairs around the living room, or the backyard.