If you’re to question random people around about their favorite season every year, many of them would probably say the summer season. That’s because the summer season is the best time to go outdoors, bask under the sun and get more vitamin D, wind down with cold tropical beverages, hang out with friends, and soak at the beach or in the pool. The summer also indicates that the schools are closed, leaving the kids, teens, and young adults free to make their summer plans, as well as sleep and wake up late without thinking of classes the next day. Overall, summer has always been associated with happiness and festivities. This article will discuss the 11 tips on planning the perfect summer pool party.
One excellent way for you and your family or friends to enjoy summer is by throwing a summer pool party. Imagine hanging around with your favorite people at the pool, drinking juices, dancing with the beat, and just simply having fun. The idea sounds heavenly, right? What’s more, pool parties are open for people of all ages, regardless if you have kids, babies, or even senior adults who just wish to enjoy the pool.
If you’ve never hosted a pool party before and you wish to throw one now, here are 11 incredible tips to help you plan the perfect summer pool party:
- Have A Theme
When it comes to pool parties, a theme isn’t always necessary because the kind of party itself is already a theme. But, having a specific theme can also add more fun to the event’s whole concept. So, if you’re up for it, you can check out some awesome pool party ideas and see if you’d like to have a Hawaiian pool party, a pirate theme, a mermaid theme, or a bubble party theme. Your theme will also be the basis of your decorations, menu, and summer tunes to play during the party.
- Prepare The Stage
Whether you settled for a theme or not, you need to prepare and set your stage—the swimming pool. Remember that the pool is the focal point of the party, so make sure to clean up everything. Mow the lawn, get rid of debris in and around the pool, and trim the hedges. You can also pressure-wash your patio when necessary, then, get rid of all the leaves and grass trimmings. Keeping your pool and the areas around the pool clean will make the pool area look clean, presentable, and safe from hazards or slips.
- Send Off The Invitations
There won’t be a pool party in the first place if you don’t have guests. So, after you’ve set up the stage and figured out your pool party’s theme, it’s time to spread the word and invite your favorite people to be your party guests. You can choose whether to invite them through text or email, or you can send out invitation cards for the party.
Either way, make sure your invitation is filled with all the necessary information your guests need to know. It should include the date, time, venue, and theme of the party. You can even include the food menu and outfit motif so they’d have an idea if you’re having an all-adults pool party or an open-for-all-ages party that includes kids or seniors.
It’s also vital that you let your neighbors know about your upcoming pool party. This way, they’ll be prepared, especially if you’re expecting so many guests coming and there will be many cars parking on the street. If you’re planning to blast some loud music or noises, make sure to give them a heads-up, too, to avoid any noise complaint, or, better yet, just include them on the party guest list!
- Buy Crazy Summer Decorations
Your decorations are essential in setting the party’s tone and theme. Your pool party would simply look bland and ordinary if you didn’t incorporate any decoration into it. So, you can go crazy and wild with your decorations, and have all the summer accessories you can think of.
You can also plan your decorations based on your theme. For instance, if you’re having a Hawaiian pool party, you can have giant pineapple lanterns, tropical flower garlands, hula hoops, and more. If you’re planning to keep the party going until the late evening hours, you can have tiki torches, fairy lights, and lantern lights.
When choosing inflatables, don’t forget about your theme. Choose unique pool floats according to your theme. It doesn’t matter if your evening is for children or adults, floats will fill your day and convey a high mood. For a fun evening, choose brightly colored floats that really match your theme. You can place the floats both around the pool and in the pool․ You can have inflatable palm trees, flamingos, beach balls, and other props you have in mind. These decorations will also work as great photo props in your party pictures.
Overall, you can be as free and as creative as you want in your decorations, as long as they can boost the summer feel of your party.
- Keep Your Guests Hydrated
Summer is the hottest season of the year, so you can expect that whether your guests will be dancing or not, they’ll need some cold drinks to cool themselves. So, make sure you stock up with loads of refreshing beverages and add more varieties.
If it’s an open-for-all-age party that involves kids, make sure you have cold soft drinks, water, tropical juices, fruit shakes, and milk teas. Meanwhile, adding a beer cooler and other alcoholic beverages would be a fantastic idea if you have an all-adult pool party.
To enhance the experience, you can even create your own tiki bar at the poolside your guests can go to for some fancy drinks. But, if you think that some of your friends wouldn’t want to get out of the pool to grab some drinks, having a floating bar would be nice and something that your guests will surely love.
- Have A Nice Display Of Tasty Snacks
Just because it’s a pool party, it doesn’t mean you’ll only focus on serving salty junk food. You need to ensure you’re serving the right balance between salty junk food and healthy food. Otherwise, some of your health-conscious party guests may start disappearing out of sight.
To have a satisfying display of snacks, make sure to prepare small slices of fresh fruits on a plate. For a fun touch, you can slice various fruits and mix them all to have a fruit salad. For the salty food, you can have corn chips, pretzels, potato chips, and popcorns. Don’t forget to add dips, like guacamole, hummus, and salsa.
Just remember that the more variety of snacks you’ll have, the better!
- Plan A Vigorous Menu
Those displays of snacks will suffice if your party lasts for a couple of hours. But, if you’re expecting the party to last longer, especially if your guests are having the time of their lives, you might need to prepare meals as well. Since pool parties are about relaxing and chilling down, you don’t need to pressure yourself to host a luxurious and elegant dinner party.
You can fire up the grill on the poolside and cook barbeques for your guests. You can also prepare hotdogs and hamburgers as they’re some of the crowd-pleasers when it comes to party food. Just make sure you also have an option for your vegan guests, so you might as well have veggie burgers on the line.
- Have Some Cute Pool Floats
Your pool would also look a lot better with pool floats on it. Not only do they add decorations to the party, but they’re also functional for your guests. You can go with the classic unicorn floats, as well as flamingo, pizza, and ice cream floats. Now, your guests can lounge on these cute pool floats and take pictures as much as they want. If you have kids at the party, make sure you also prepare some pool noodles, lifejackets, and arm floaties, not only for fun, but also for their safety.
- Don’t Forget The Party Playlist
Having fun and upbeat summertime playlist will surely set the mood for the party. So, prepare a playlist and fill it with all the summer music hits that’ll keep your guests dancing and swimming nonstop.
If you’re up for it, you can even hire a DJ, and they’ll be in charge of blasting all the latest hits nonstop. Plus, a DJ can also entertain some shoutouts or music requests, which will keep your guests engaged. To feel the music more, it’s also a good idea to invest in high-quality outdoor speakers.
- Set Up Cozy Lounge Chairs On The Pool Side
You might be having a pool party, but you can expect that some of your guests are probably not planning to go for a swim at all and just simply enjoy from the side. So, to cater to their needs, make sure you also set up some cozy lounge chairs on the poolside so they can have a space to recline, work on their tan, and just chill down in different positions.
Even your guests who are lounging at the pool might also take breaks and would appreciate some relaxation on the poolside. Aside from chairs, don’t forget to prepare some large umbrellas for their shade, especially if the sun’s too hot.
- Plan Pool Party Games
Now that you have food, drinks, props, music, and party guests, you can ensure your party is going to be epic. But, if you still want to boost the party experience, you can prepare some pool party games to keep your guests happy and engaged.
You can have a water balloon fight, squirt gun wars, beer pong, tug of war, pool volleyball, and so much more. However, be mindful of your guests who are on the poolside and would prefer to stay dry. If some of the games involve a lot of water splashing, make sure to play somewhere a bit further from the sunbathers to ensure they don’t get wet.
Ready To Get This Summer Pool Party Started?
Now that you got these incredible tips in perfect planning a summer pool party, it’s time to get started! And, after all the planning and preparations, don’t forget to have fun and make epic summer memories with your guests.
