If you've had a garden party/gathering can you help me with logistics and planning?

[Noodge]

Any pointers if you have done this?

Just moved into a house but I previously lived on this street albeit not for long so I know a few of the neighbours. I have family living on the next streets and people know them so I am not a totally new face.

Most of my friends live in my university town which is an hour and a half ish away.

I am planning a housewarming/gathering for summer. I have a decent sized garden so hopeful it can mostly be outside. Will invite friends, family and neighbours.

Would like it to be a daytime thing although it might go on into the night as some friends will probably ask to stay over. I've got one spare double room, one small bedroom with a double bed, and another spare room I could buy a cheap bed for just for now (and two sofas if necessary).

Questions I am pondering are;

Do I just buy a generic selection of booze and soft drinks and ask people to just bring what they want to drink? Usual gatherings among my friends we often chip in with a dish too, is it CF to ask people to do this for this type of event?

I have already planned to install a friend behind a BBQ (It's one of his favourite activities so no problem there!) what works best for these? I have a couple of vegan friends and some GF friends too.

Would an invitation best read as 'housewarming' or 'garden party for housewarming' ? 'Housewarming' to me conjures up images of teens and 20 somethings getting drunk out of their minds once one of them gets their first flat but that might be just my experience!

Some neighbours are very elderly. Some are party animals. Some are 'normal' studious people who enjoy a few glasses of wine. I think I will need to buy a few comfier outdoor seats for the older ones and what music should I have, just a selection?

I am not expecting a huge turnout just due to distance but I will say people are welcome to stay over (and I am nervous that too many people will want to do this and I will have no space for them). Family and friends who live closer will come and hopefully neighbours.

I live alone, no children, if that's a consideration.

If you've done this type of thing can you give me any experiences/hints/tips?
Thank you!

Sounds lovely!

We often throw parties in our house/garden and depending on the occasion we will either provide all food and drink, or ask people to bring their own contribution. Even when we say bring nothing people tend to bring stuff, so I think it’s totally ok to ask people to bring stuff.

My advice would be to keep things simple. Like, just do sausages and vegan sausages on the BBQ and get a load of buns. If anyone wants something different they can bring it. Dips and crisps etc, you could make big bowls of homemade potato salad and coleslaw cheaply and easily?

I’ll usually cover basics and say something like, ‘we have plenty of sausages for the barbecue, some salads and a supply of xyz drinks, but feel free to bring what you’d like to eat/drink’.

Sparklers are always fun to have at a garden party once it gets dark, regardless of the time of year. Glowsticks fun too, both cheaply available and always go down well.

Re your spare rooms, I’d just go first come first serves and approach those whose attendance you value most first.

Have fun!!!

Thank you so much, that is so helpful. Great idea regarding the sparklers. I can definitely put some salads together (& try to make these all vegan/GF so everyone is happy).

We do a street party garden party every few years.
Normally we say bring what they like to drink and bring desert of some sort.
We organise main bbq and sides.

I’d add to that don’t go buying lots of garden chairs unless you have space to store them and think you’re likely to have future use for them. You could maybe borrow some or even ask guests to bring their own.

Also, you mentioned elderly neighbours. You could maybe tell them in advance you’re having a party and tell them they’re welcome to drop by for a glass of wine. They might not accept but it’ll hopefully show them what a nice person you are 😊

That's a good idea too regarding puddings. Thank you. I doubt I'll feel like baking as well as preparing everything else.

Hi Op sounds great to me! You sound very hospitable bc I always put a closing time on the invitation eg 7 to midnight nowadays so people don’t stay for hours and hours but I am getting old I guess! 😄

After what seems like a life time of hosting the things I would suggest are:

A couple of nice big bowls of non-leafy salads go well with barbecued main item eg a big cous cous salad with roasted veg or a big bowl of asparagus salad with mixed grains (or carrot salad is more budget friendly) and they keep better and are handled and eaten more easily by people who are standing up while eating rather than large green salad leaves. They also keep fresher for longer and don’t wilt. A bamboo spork for guests is useful.

We tend to go for beef kebabs for guests that are pre-marinaded and cook more evenly on the barbecue than burgers or sausages.

It’s great you have one ft dedicated person on the barbecue who doesn’t get drunk or distracted as that is essential 😆

Also have a couple of helper friends dedicated to serving drinks, attending to the less mobile guests, answering doors, clearing bottles, collecting rubbish, finding coats etc, as you can’t be in all places at once.

But best to provide as many chairs and cushions and picnic rugs for the younger guests as possible; you can hire stackable chairs quite cheaply for the less mobile ones.

Do you have a plan B for inclement weather eg an emergency canopy or something?

I always fill up plastic garden trugs full of ice, or a clean wheelbarrow, attach a bottle opener to the handle with long string or thin elastic and and place beer bottles in one and water bottles and soft drinks in another for people to help themselves.

Put out lined plastic bins well signed for rubbish already separated in to plastic, paper cups etc.

Always serve far more veggie dishes than meat dishes as the omnivores eat both!

Arrange your dishes on one end of one table and have clear space for dishes brought by other people along with plenty of serving utensils.

Completely agree with wording that a pp suggested; eg we are serving this but any complementary savoury dishes welcome! That stops people bringing too huge a variety of things.

I tend to always keep control of puddings but you can ask people to just bring those and hope for the best!

I tend to bake meringue rings a couple of days in advance and keep them well wrapped up in Tupperware. Then prepare whipped double cream the day before with icing sugar and a bit of alcohol 😃. Then wash and prep berries the morning of the party and assemble last thing!

Make a load of mango or citrus sorbets and put in freezer as an alternative.

Make sure the lighting is right in your garden way in advance with string lights for atmosphere and safe lanterns etc but make sure wobbly slabs and steps are properly lit as it is guaranteed that someone will fall down one if not while talking, drinking etc and you are liable if so!

Provide blankets and throws for when it gets chilly later on.

Strongly advise do NOT offer tea or coffee but offer one thing to finish; or you will be at it all night! A hot toddy or an Irish coffee or mint tea but just one choice!

Always remember to put cutlery, napkins and sauces at end of food tables rather than at the beginning as they are easier to juggle that way.

Have the number of a taxi company prominently displayed for anyone who has over done it!

Have fun!

I would say on your invitation to the further away guests that there are a number of beds/sofas available and they will be first come first served, but people should let you know so that you can inform others if they need to book a hotel.

Also... remember that food for the vegans will need to be cooked on a separate BBQ.

My top tip is a few garden weeding flexi tubs (new and clean) filled with bags of ice and some water from the garden hose to chill wine and beer outside. These things

https://www.redgorilla.red/collections/gorilla-tubs%C2%AE

100% agree with tying a bottle opener to a fixed location as it will go walk about.

Loos can be an issue depending on the number of people and size of garden, think about whether it would be worth hiring a portaloo for outside and routes through the house to the loo. For example if the loo is closer to the front door than the back door maybe better to have that as a route to avoid people trailing garden mud etc through the house. If you have downstairs and upstairs loos, decide whether you are happy for both to be used or just want to restrict visitors downstairs. Don't forget extra loo roll and extra towels - hand towels get nasty if lots of people are using them in quick succession - depends on your numbers of course.

For the elderly people it's nice to have a side table or something on which they can rest a drink while they eat rather than juggling or having to bend to the ground. We have a few outdoor martini tables like this but you can find much cheaper online.

https://abigailahern.com/products/ravenna-pedestal-table