As a chance to remember fallen soldiers and welcome in the summer, we have plenty of great reasons to make Memorial Day special. The long holiday weekend takes some stress off our shoulders and gives us quality time for hanging out with friends and family. There’s no excuse for skipping the opportunity to throw the perfect Memorial Day party. We’ll help you jump into the summer season the right way with these festive and fun ways to plan a spectacular event.
1. Pull Out the Paint and Start Decorating
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, an occasion where veterans and loved ones honored military members by decorating their gravesites. Keep the tradition going on a grander scale by injecting the spirit of the American flag into your backyard bash with various DIY adornments. Using some red, white, and blue paints, you can turn almost anything into Memorial Day decorations!
Making decorations can be a creative chore for kids, letting you make one of the more time-consuming sides of party planning a non-issue. Have them spray paint some old Mason jars to hold flowers, hang red and blue paper chains around the house, or arrange colorful bandanas into a table cloth. American flag paper plates, plastic cups, and other store-bought items are inexpensive and easy. But DIY ornaments add intriguing personal touches that you can also use for the next event.
2. Offer Star-Spangled Snacks and Desserts
An apple or cherry pie is an American classic and summer staple, but it’s easy to give any sweet treat a patriotic theme with red, white, and blue ingredients. A simple blueberry and strawberry fruit salad is a great way to fill out space on the table, as are these delicious ways to decorate your Memorial Day lunch lineup:
- Top sheet cakes with vanilla frosting, raspberries, and blueberries
- Make vanilla cupcakes with patriotic tri-colored liners
- Add red and blue M&Ms to popcorn, cookies, and Rice Krispie treats for the kids
Take stock of who will be attending before settling on a menu. There are a million great ideas for people who love cake pops, ice creams, sorbets, and more, so try to serve food items that will leave the fewest leftovers.
3. Create the Ultimate Burger and Hot Dog Bar
Do what you want any other day of the year, but you have to grill on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Put hot dogs and hamburgers on the menu and supply a long line of toppings for guests to build their plates. A slider party is even better since you can load more on the grill, play around with flavors, and put them on Hawaiian sweet rolls for an added flavor boost. But don’t forget to add a few veggie burgers to satisfy any herbivores at the table.
4. Mix Up Red, White, and Blue Drinks
While the grill supplies the food, make sure you serve plenty of drinks to keep your guests cool. There are tons of Memorial Day party ideas to quench anyone’s thirst, from red, white, and blue sangrias and cocktails for the adults to raspberry and blue raspberry drinks for the kids.
If you want to keep the drinks simple, some ideas to dress them up include putting them in Memorial Day cups or replacing parasols with flags. And don’t forget one of the most popular party ideas — jello shots! Whip up some red, white, and blue molds, and use cookie cutters to make fun Memorial Day-themed shapes.
5. Don’t Forget to Celebrate the Summer Season
With the sunny day setting the scene for the backyard barbecue, take the chance to celebrate the unofficial start to summer with refreshing drinks and seasonal food choices. Break up the patriotic snacks and desserts with fresh watermelon salads, American pie, and potato salad, an essential at any barbecue. For drinks, consider some crisp mint juleps, Long Island iced teas, strawberry daiquiris, or blackberry mojitos to help your guests beat the heat.
6. Set Up Games and Activities
Outdoor games and activities are critical if you want to sustain a Memorial Day party for an entire afternoon. A well-placed slip-n-slide can help corral the kids, and there are tons of classic lawn games for adults to enjoy while sipping on drinks. Croquet, bocce ball, horseshoes, and cornhole are great for guests of all ages, and a game of beer pong is perfect for pulling out the most patriotic of potables — Budweiser, Coors, and PBR.
7. Rent an Experience for Your Memorial Day Party
Don’t feel like you have to stick to the backyard this Memorial Day weekend. Hosting the party elsewhere can allow you to take it to a whole new level.
Do you want to throw a killer poolside party but don’t have a pool at your house? Rent a nearby Airbnb with a pool and a game room for a night and toss a Memorial Day party there! Even better, jump on renting a sailboat or pontoon to serve up food and have fun out on the water.
As a tribute to the summer, a picnic or party in the park will give you a lot of space to soak up the sun and have all kinds of activities. Contact your city’s Parks Department to rent a pavilion for the day. Just make sure you clean up after yourself and follow liquor laws and other limitations for public spaces.
Plan Your Post-Party Cleaning with Anita’s
If you follow these Memorial Day party ideas, your event will go off without a hitch. Unfortunately, that may cause you some frustration down the line if you aren’t ready.
The better the party, the bigger the mess, and the last thing most of us want to do after a long day of hosting guests is clean up after them. Hiring a professional service for a post-party house cleaning can give you some much-needed relief when the dust settles and help you recover in the best way possible.
Don’t let the dreaded cleaning task stress you out and ruin your weekend. Request a booking with Anita’s today, and start planning a Memorial Day party to remember!
