Backyard Party Ideas for Celebrations in New Orleans

Oct 24

Backyard parties can be great fun for the entire family, from the youngest to oldest. No stress, no need for elaborate decorations or fancy clothes, just good old-fashioned family fun. Nothing formal, stuffy, high tech or stressful. You can spread out in your backyard instead of cramming a lot of people into a small, hot kitchen or a cramped, crowded living room.

You don't need an elaborate back yard. There's nothing wrong with lots of grass, flowers, shrubs and foliage, as long as the surrounding area is kept fairly clean. You'll need tables and chairs if your group is large or elderly.

Otherwise, you can keep it even simpler by using blankets or low tables, like an outdoor picnic! Smaller kid-sized tables or loungers might be a good idea too.

The food served at outdoor parties should be as appealing as the surroundings.
We’re fortunate in the New Orleans area to have warmer temperatures year-round, so easy-prep food options like skewers of chicken or tropical fruits will be enjoyed by just about everyone.

If you’re more traditional and prefer to grill up some burgers and hot dogs, keep in mind that grills should never be placed where the kids are hanging out, and never left unattended.

Entertaining guests at backyard parties can be as simple as bringing out a Frisbee or setting up a game of badminton or croquet. Set those up in an out-of-the-way corner of the yard.

For kids, the easiest way to set up a fun backyard party is to have a large party canopy bed and filling it with games and planned activities (perhaps supervised by a teenager you hire for the afternoon.) They can make balloon animals, weave baskets with clothes, create a magic square or serve cookies in a covered wicker basket.

When you really want to please the kids and keep them occupied for hours, consider renting an inflatable bounce house or inflatable water slide from the folks at About to Bounce Party and Rentals. (https://www.abouttobounce.com/)

They’ll deliver and set up your bounce house or water slide – preferably on a grassy surface (not the rocky sections of the yard!) There will need to be an outlet within 50 of the unit, or a generator since a blower is required to keep air in the inflatable for the entire time. (If unplugged they deflate.)

There are many sizes and themes for the water slides and bounce houses. You need to keep the space in mind but even more important, the ages and sizes of the kids. You don’t want to put big kids and toddlers in the same unit at the same time. It’s just physics – when a larger body and smaller body collide, the larger one usually wins!

For smaller kids – under age 7 or so – look for inflatable units with low walls and easy access for parents to help and keep an eye on what’s going on.

The ideal group for inflatable fun is kids aged 8 to 12. You'll have a wide variety of themed bouncers, slides, and interactive games to choose from. They’ll enjoy the bright colors or maybe themes from superheroes to princesses to cartoon characters. Many inflatable combos come with slides, basketball hoops and obstacles. This will make for an exciting party for the kids, for sure.

Be sure to investigate rental policies and safety tips before renting inflatables for back yard parties. https://www.abouttobounce.com/rental-policies/

Adults love backyard parties that have something to do with their favorite books or television shows. One idea is to provide a scratch off fun game for everyone to play at the party. It's also fun to provide the guests with a clue to a hidden photograph or novel. Guests can learn to guess the location of a certain item in the photograph and then they can use a clue to find the location of the item and find out if they've won a prize. This is the same idea used for treasure hunts during special events like the Super Bowl.

Backyard party ideas don't have to be limited to food and drinks. Have guests decorate the backyard with colorful flowers in bright and vibrant colors. It is an excellent way to liven up any yard. Ask friends and family to help you create a colorful flower garden on the spot where you'll hosting the party. Then, you can sit back and relax while people start to plant. When it's time for the party, the visitors can take a seat on the grass and watch you prepare dinner for them.