After spending almost half of the year with little to no physical interaction with other people like workmates, friends, and other family members – it’s finally summertime and everyone is wanting to go out in the sun. With recovery cases speeding up, businesses finally reopening, and the whole world adapting to the “new normal” – where people observe safety protocols like social distancing – most are thinking, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a small gathering now. Besides, it has been quite a long time since anyone has ever seen other people aside from the ones they live with.

While social gatherings are still not really encouraged due to the risks of contracting the virus, it is no secret how important human to human interactions are for a person’s well-being and mental health. This is why health sectors have come up with protocols to follow should anyone plan an event with people they do not live with.

So if anybody is looking for ideas for a get-together, for birthdays, or a weekend barbecue, here are some suggestions for throwing an outdoor party social distancing style!

OUTDOOR SETUP

Ventilation plays a huge role in not catching the virus, which is why it is highly suggested that any social gathering is best set up outdoors. This way, everybody is breathing fresh air and not recycled ones from air-conditioning units. The reason being the air will dilute other particles people breathe out; so should any attendee be asymptomatic, the air anyone breathes outdoors will only contain very small quantities of the virus, giving your immune system a better fighting chance.

However, doing events outdoors does not mean the risk in catching the virus is at zero percent, it is just lower than if a party would be set indoors where air is confined.

BACKYARD DECORATIONS

Everyone loves a party, but it can be quite challenging to make your event unforgettable. When you add some personalized finishing touches, you can create a celebration that’s distinctly all your own. Custom personalization not only creates for a visual dynamic space, but one that you and your guests will surely remember for many years to come!

Pick a Theme

Picking a theme, even if it’s just a color theme, is probably one of the most important things to do when organizing your event. Once you choose a theme, the decision making process goes smoothly in bringing the whole celebration together. Make sure that when you choose a theme, you stick to it so your party maintains a pace, tone, and overall look.

Build a Balloon Garland

Building a balloon garland can sound quite intimidating. Truth be told, this is actually less complicated than you can imagine – even without hiring professionals. Check out this party balloon garland instruction video here to see how easy it is!

Add Easy DIY Decor

Don’t underestimate your potential in creating lovely party decorations! Save your money for more important party essentials and decorate your event beautifully on a budget. Consider doing DIY signages so your guests do not miss the route to your fun party, or a DIY backdrop out of paper and fabric strips for your photo booth area, and even centerpieces crafted using recycled mason jars!

Include Personalized Letter Boxes

Personalized Letter Boxes are eye-catching custom party pieces perfect for any event. The best part? This beautiful decor comes with multiple pieces of every letter in the alphabet so you can spell anything out to match your celebration. You can definitely get a little more creative with words and letters and bring the A game to your outdoor decorations!

   

You can totally incorporate these Personalized Letter Boxes to add creativity and glam to your celebration. This will set the mood and make great backdrops for any celebration and even make excellent props for your photo booth!

HAVE A SANITIZING STATION

Setting up sanitizing stations in different parts of the party area is also one way to ensure that the risk of catching the virus remains small. Have one stationed in the entrances to the party area, one near the food station,one on the dinning tables, as well as the bathrooms.

Make sure there is always hand washing soap in sinks, and paper towels for drying hands, as sharing and reusing cloth towels is discouraged.

       

SAFE AND FUN

Just because the party's outdoors, it does not mean people should be carefree about the space they are moving around in. Still observe social distancing or leave a 6-feet space between guests especially if they do not live together. An easy option is to set up tables far apart and measure the distance between them to ensure sufficient space for social distancing.. You can also assign a table per group of people that live together to make sure nobody poses as risk to other guests.

For activity ideas, think of the ones that do not involve touching things or people. Some great games the organizer can propose are trivia games or charades. They are safe but definitely still fun! Here are some other trending social media games you may check out, too!

     

You can also add a thrill to your celebration and add a pop of fun by including party cannons. When to use party cannons, you ask? Honestly? Anytime you want to celebrate! Look for a Party Cannon Kit that offers more confetti mix and already includes two different kinds of contents: confetti and streamer cannons making your event undeniably more fun, entertaining, and picture perfect (no filter needed)!

  

MASKS ON OR GO HOME

While the air everyone is breathing outdoors may be fresher, diluted, and less contaminated; you can also impose the rule of wearing masks for added protection, as studies have shown that it reduces transmission. Should a guest arrive without a mask, the organizer or host can have spare masks ready for them to use and let them know of its importance to keeping the event safer for everyone.

You can even make it more fun and interesting by giving out a prize to the guest who wore the best-designed face mask!

BYO OR SINGLE SERVES

When it comes to food and beverages, it is best that they are packed separately for each person, to avoid contamination. For drinks, the host can have a separate cooler for each group or for each table, or they can ask the guest to bring their own preferred drinks to avoid touching and sharing.

Should the event be a barbecue, take note that one must avoid sharing utensils. The grill is okay to share, as fire kills viruses and bacteria, however having to share utensils and different people touching these utensils poses a risk for transmission, which is why it is discouraged.

KEEP THE PARTY SMALL

Lastly, a key to reducing the risk of a viral transmission, is to also reduce the number of attendees for one’s event. This way, it is easier to plan the seating arrangements, as well as easier to observe social distancing protocols, since there is more space where guests can move around in.

WRAPPING UP

If you’re planning a special occasion to celebrate, then we hope this guide will help give you the confidence in creating a safe gathering while making memories with the ones you love. It is still important to note that all of us should follow the regulations set out by our local authorities as they are truly the ones adept in handling our current situation. Having to isolate oneself for a long time can be quite depressing, but the world is adapting and this “new normal” is definitely a ray of hope.