The best garden party themes

It’s summertime and the best season for parties. Throwing a party outdoors is one of the best things about this season as the sunshine lasts way out into the evening. If you don’t have space at home for a party inside, throwing one in the garden doubles up your floor space so everyone can get involved.

This isn’t the season to be playing real money poker on your kitchen table, it’s time to get outside in nature with all your favourite people. But what theme should you choose? We’ve got a huge list of ideas that you can pinch – we won’t tell anyone.

Best garden party themes

Tropical Paradise

Summer doesn’t always mean guaranteed sunshine but with this theme, it’ll certainly feel like you’re in the tropics. It’s a loose theme so when it comes to decorations, you can have as much or as little as possible.

Think bright colours, birds of paradise and palm trees. If you’ve got any cacti or exotic-looking plants, these need to be brought to the forefront. If you’ve got any brightly coloured glasses or crockery, they also need to be front and centre.

If you’re into getting extra decorations, why not get some brightly coloured straws or anything with a flamingo on it? This is a super fun theme that revolves around sunshine so if something feels a bit tacky, you’re heading in the right direction.

And finally, you’ve got to have Club Tropicana on your playlist at least twice for it to be considered a true tropical party.

Summer Solstice

This theme is for those who love to connect with mother earth and nature. You can go full hippy vibes if you want so more is definitely more.

If you’re going the whole hog, there’s got to be lots of sage burning or you could even consider making a herb bonfire. This is the typical celebratory tradition that goes along with the solstice – and it smells a lot nicer than a normal bonfire.

You can toast marshmallows, get out lots of candles and lanterns and connect with the nature around you. Think of lots of earthy tones for your colour scheme and floaty dresses and shirts to wear.

Festival

If you didn’t manage to get tickets to your favourite festival this year, why not make one instead? This is a theme you can totally make your own and have fun with. You can go really out there with the decorations and staging for this one.

One thing you’ll definitely be needing is a sound system of some kind to really get the party started. Some fireworks for the final song of the night wouldn’t go amiss either.

When it comes to props, a bubble gun is always a good place to start – no one ever grows out of playing with bubbles. You can have some festival-style cups and kegs of beer for that truly authentic feel. Glow sticks are another item that no one can get enough of so you could hand those out too.

Feeling adventurous? Why not set up your own tent to party in? it’ll make you feel like you’re at a festival and might save you from your neighbours making any complaints.

Line Dancing Bonanza

Line dancing is something that can get everyone up on their feet – even if they have two left. The best part about line dancing is that no one has an excuse not to get involved as the moves are told to you as you go along.

You can look these up by yourself or hire someone to do it if you’ve got a couple of extra pennies hanging around. This is the perfect theme for people of any age as it’s great to get the kids involved as well.

As for what to wear, that’s even easier. All you need is some form of denim and a cowboy hat and you’re ready to go. Extra points are up for grabs if you have the cowboy boots too!

Vintage Tea Party

If you want your party to have an air of sophistication, why not opt for a tea party? This is great if you don’t want to be up until the small hours, you can host in the late afternoon, and everyone can be gone by dinner time.

Think pastel colours for the theme and cute little teapots and teacups to decorate. A floral tablecloth would really finish off the look.

When it comes to food, it’s all about the cakes so get your apron at the ready. Scones are a necessary and delicious way to keep to the theme. Don’t forget the jam and cream!

And you don’t have to stick to drinking tea if you fancy something stronger. Teapot cocktails are the ultimate way to enjoy a tipple whilst still looking refined.

With all these different themes to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Which one is your favourite?