Festival inspired looks for your summer garden party
The August bank holiday is nearly upon us and with it comes the summer festivals, full of music, activities, food and fun. For those of us who weren’t lucky enough to get tickets this year, you can still throw a festival-style garden party for your family and friends. All you need is the right accessories, food and music to create a weekend that will stay in people’s memories.
In the spirit of the festival season, we are ready to share our tips and ideas on how to throw a festival-themed garden party at home.
Chill out nooks
Teepees and wigwams are perfect for festival-style garden parties and our is a stylish way to shelter and keep cosy during both your festival gatherings. An iconic part of any British festival is pitching your tent and sleeping under the starry skies so if the weather is fair, why not sleep in the great outdoors?
Our Cream Sun Shade Canopy with Fringing is a stylish way to shelter from the sun’s rays. The canopy, also available in green is an ideal option to relax alfresco on your own, in the company of your family or with your friends. Why not try wrapping the canopy with our Solar Edison String Lights for cosiness, turning them into an area to serve food, or even creating a chill-out area for guests?
Children will also love playing underneath the boho chic canopy and it is also the ideal option to relax alfresco on your own or in the company of your family or with your friends.
Pop-up gazebos are a common sight at festivals and are ideal to provide shade for food and drink, as well as guests. The Gardenesque Small Green Pop-Up Garden Gazebo is this summer’s festival must-have and makes for the perfect spot for a relaxed conversation. Spread blankets and cushions around the garden for people to sit on which will add a sociable touch to your lawn and allow small groups to mingle.
Festival Furniture
To create a truly awe-inspiring festival atmosphere, use your garden furniture to create different zones and party plans in your outdoor space with bright cushions, blankets and beanbags.
Our Repton Picnic Style Wooden Table and Benches Furniture Set is great for sociable seating arrangements, whilst sipping a cool drink or eating al-fresco. Whether you're hosting a music, food or sporting festival at home, our Lyndhurst Rocking Chair With Padded Cream Cushions is exactly what you need for a laidback festival vibe.
A flower wall makes a perfect festival photo backdrop so why not pair it with our Lyndhurst Rattan Double Cocoon Chair With Cushions for the ultimate photo or selfie backdrop? When the euphoria is over and the sun sets, carve out a little chill-out nook with our Paxton Swinging Egg Chair With Cream Cushion which will sway you into a relaxing state of mind with its distinctive sculptural shape.
Feast
Festivals are full of mouth-watering food stalls and the scent of cooking in the air. Prepare tasty treats on our Portable Kamado Ceramic Grill Barbecue and prepare easy-to-eat food like hot dogs, BBQ ribs, roast chicken, burgers and salads which are always popular choices.
Home-made pizzas are an extremely popular choice for festival feasts and our Outdoor Gas Pizza Oven is a great social way to cook. Your guests can choose their toppings on arrival and have their custom pizza brought to them within minutes to eat in the evening sun.
Fill a wheelbarrow or trug with ice and place all your beer and ciders inside it to keep guests hydrated. It is also a good idea to have a basic selection of mixers for your guests such as cola, lemonade and fruit juices.
Glow up
Find that evening festival feel with the Hoole Cast Iron Fire Pit Bowl to set the night alight. Imagine sitting beside a roaring fire and laughing with friends and family on a cool starry night, this can become a reality with our Wakehurst Outdoor Fireplace with Wood Storage which is a statement piece for any garden. If you have a smaller footprint, you can still achieve the festival vibe with the Hoole Chiminea Log Burner to gather around in the evening. Please use both wisely, especially in hot and dry weather.
Heat an all-night party with our outdoor patio heaters. The Luna Outdoor Electric Steel Heater will stop the cold from preventing your guests from enjoying the festival nightlife and can be placed around your seating area as people wind down.
Lighting is one of the most important and effective ways of decorating a festival space. Different lighting styles will provide good illumination and highlight different areas of your garden. Our Edison LED Solar Pathway Lights will frame pathways within your garden whilst lanterns such as the LED Solar Hurricane Lantern (RRP £19.99) will add a warm subtle glow around seating areas.
Festoon and fairy lights are also common at festivals and you can recreate the look with our White Solar Bulb String Lights or 200 LED Solar String Lights. Solar lighting is not only eco-friendly but adds a twinkly charm that makes your garden pretty after dark.
Set the scene
Decorate your garden with colourful tones, flags are a common sight in festival crowds so style your outdoor space with bright patterns and bunting to recreate the experience. Bunting is the ultimate festival decor and looks on trend when hanging from pergola structures, up in the tree and along fence panels. Easy to make, you can craft it from paper, bed sheets or old hessian and fabric samples to match your festival theme.
Pair with colourful, chilled summer partyware such as plates, cups and napkins for the ultimate summer feeling. Outdoor rugs and picnic blankets will be comfy and protect against wet grass, whilst cut flowers in glass jars will make the perfect table centrepiece as your guests eat and socialise.
Outdoor bean bags complete the festival look and provide your guests with maximum comfort when they perch for a quick chat.
Entertain
Entertainment comes in all shapes and sizes however, if you don’t have musicians in attendance, why not create a playlist based on your festival favourites to mimic the adrenaline rush as the headline artists come on stage? Ask your guests for playlist requests or their favourite band beforehand, so you can cater to everyone’s tastes, no matter the age.
Outdoor cinema screenings have come back into vogue and risen in popularity in recent years so why not also screen your blockbuster? A great party idea, find a spot that’s dry or sheltered in your garden to avoid wind and rain, it also has to be somewhere away from the bright street or indoor lights. To create the screen, all you need is a white sheet pinned to the washing line or to a fence or wall weighted down and a 3000-lumen projector to watch your favourite film.
Or why not play some outdoor games? Favourites from childhood include Hoopla, Hook a Duck and Jenga.
Festivals are a fantastic way of bringing people together and with our ideas, we hope that you have a gathering to remember this summer!
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