How to Throw a Beach Party - Canopy Tent Advisor

Beach parties can be incredibly fun, but how do you implement one?

Well, it’s not as difficult as you may think. There is an endless number of ways for organizing a beach party, but they all follow the same general pattern.

And below, we’re going to introduce you to that pattern by giving a step-by-step guide on throwing a beach party!

Table of Contents

Step 1. Find the right beach

First of all, you need to find a beach to throw your party at. The beach shouldn’t be too far from the guests you are intending to invite, be decently large for the group, and have clean water for swimming.

Not only that, make sure that the beach has no rules against parties in late hours, alcohol, or other activities that you may be planning.

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Step 3. Make a guest list

The number of your guests will greatly impact the planning stage – after all, you need to know how much food and drinks to prepare and when exactly to host the party. Not only that, but you need to consider the personalities of your friends to organize the right games and pick the right music.

Make sure to invite people that will be enjoying the interaction with each other. If you invite friends who are in a fight, your party may come to an unpleasant end.

Step 2. Choose time and day for your party

Next, choose when exactly to throw the party. Consider not only the schedule of the guests but weather conditions. For a beach party, you’d want to choose a sunny day without substantial amounts of rain or wind.

With that being said, since weather can change unexpectedly, consider having a backup plan – for example, continuing the party at home.

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Step 3. Plan party activities

Next comes making a list of activities to keep the party going.

Since you and your guests will be spending most of their day on the beach, plan some games that can be easily played on the seaside, such as volleyball. Include activities for less athletic guests as well – it may be simple things like karaoke or sandcastle building.

Speaking of karaoke, you also need to plan a playlist for the party. Pick music that will keep the people excited and energized. If running short on ideas, ask the guests for some suggestions. Consider having internet access on the beach so that you or your guests can change the music on the go, but do prepare a playlist to keep things simple.

Also, make sure that you have a music device that can work at the beach. If it’s battery-operated, bring a couple of spare batteries to keep the music going.

Step 4. Get party furnishing & decorations

Needless to say, you need to get some tables and chairs for your guests to have their meals and rest at, as well as decorate the site to impart the desired vibe to the party. Decorations aren’t that necessary, but if you are feeling up to it, get some beach-themed decorations like paper umbrellas for drinks or tiki torches.

Step 5. Start preparing food & drinks

What party without some eating and drinking, right? Well, coming up with a menu for your guests is perhaps the most difficult part of beach party planning. We’ll give you a general overview of what you can do and leave the details at your discretion.

Food

You have 3 options for food preparation – make it yourself, order it, or organize a potluck.

If you’ve got the time and energy, making the food yourself is a rather good option. You won’t have to rely on the quality of the food delivery service, and you will also keep things under personal control.

On the other hand, ordering is the quickest and the most hassle-free way of managing the meal aspect of a beach party. However, you need to make sure that you are ordering food from a trustworthy service. If it’s appropriate, ask the guests if they can pitch in for the cost.

As for a potluck, it’s great when it comes to satisfying the diverse preferences of your guests. In a potluck party, everybody is bringing their own food. They are free to bring anything they want, but you may want to ask them to bring something that’s easy to eat without utensils and that doesn’t need cooling.

In addition, you may want to make sure that the guests don’t all bring the same food. And finally, you may prepare a few of your own main dishes, as well as desserts.

If you will be making or ordering food, make sure to find out whether your guests have any dietary restrictions or allergies and prepare dishes accordingly.

Drinks

With drinks, things are a little bit easier. Provide a variety of alcoholic beverages and also don’t forget about alcohol-free drinks like iced tea, juices, punches, and, of course, water. Again, the preferences of your guests may vary, so make sure to ask them about it. They may also bring their own beverages if they want.

When it comes to serving food and beverages, perhaps the best option is to go buffet-style. Set up a few tables under a shaded tent and place dishes and utensils on them so that the guests can eat or drink whenever they want.

Don’t also forget to bring some portable coolers to keep perishable foods and drinks fresh and cool.

Step 5. Calculate the amount of necessary food

Figure out how much food you will need to keep the guests satisfied. For some perspective, you may provide each your guest with:

12-16 ounces of bone-in meat or 5 ounces of boneless meat.
4-5 ounces of vegetable or potato dishes.
2-3 ounces of rice dishes, pasta, or beans.
1 handful of salad.
2 pounds of ice.
An amount of alcohol allowing to have 3-4 drinks every 2-3 hours.
1 slice of pie or cake.
5 ounces of ice cream.

Step 6. Send invitations to the guests

Now, it’s time to invite your guests. You may phone them, send them thematic email invitations, or maybe set up an event on Facebook.

Make sure to provide your guests with instructions on things like parking information, beach rules, or anything else they should know about.

Step 7. Keep the party going

When the day comes, you should:

Greet your guests.
Introduce your guests to each other if necessary.
Frequently check on your guests.
Follow your plan.
Ensure that people can leave when they wish.

Make sure not to disturb wildlife during the party. And once it’s over, pick up all the trash left behind. And yeah, don’t forget to take all the stuff you’ve brought!

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Jack Anderson

Jack is a noteworthy survival expert whose experience with the wilderness dates back more than a decade. He is a writer who creates useful guides to surviving challenging situations, giving his readers the benefit of all that he has learned in his own travels.