This blog post is the perfect inspirational guide if you are a summer baby and currently planning your own birthday party or if you are planning a party for someone else this summer. These ideas could also be used as inspiration for summer wedding receptions, anniversaries or any kind of celebration that you are preparing for.
Summer Garden
First up, a traditional English theme; a summer garden. It’s no secret us Brits love to get outside in our gardens as soon as the sun comes out. We fire up those BBQs, apply the sun cream, and crack open a cold one as soon as we can, so when we were brainstorming party ideas, we couldn’t leave this one out. For this theme, we’re thinking whimsical countryside flower arrangements (those you’d typically find in your garden or on a local walk), a buffet selection brimming with fresh salads, BBQ meats, and Eton mess, and garden games. Don’t forget the Pimms and the ice-coolers too!
If you love this theme but are hosting your party indoors, you can still provide the same food and drinks, just dress your event space accordingly with some fresh flowers and bunting!
Cocktail Evenings
One of the best things about British summertime is sitting outside with your friends sipping on a drink of your choice without a care in the world. So, we thought, why not re-create this at your next party. Prosecco arrival drinks are a little been there done that now, whereas cocktails add an element of fun and point of difference to your celebration. Plus, for those non-drinkers, mocktails are a much nicer alternative than orange juice or elderflower cordial.
Why not personalise your cocktails to either the theme of your party or create a bespoke cocktail that captures the personality of whoever’s birthday it is? This will certainly give your friends something to talk about!
Festival Theme
This one might be more suitable to our younger audience, but we know plenty of people across various age groups that go to music festivals! Theme your party around your favourite music festival, whether that’s Reading Festival, Download or Glastonbury, or simply bring a festival theme to your chosen event space.
In terms of décor, you could be quite rustic and set up hay bales for seating, colourful bunting and wooden signage telling your guests where to go/welcoming them in. Live music would work best here for a true festival vibe and maybe ask your guests to dress appropriately too?
Afternoon Tea
Another quintessentially British party theme, and perfect for summer, is an afternoon tea! This particular party idea would work really nicely with a smaller group as you can serve the food on beautiful afternoon stands on the middle of each table rather than say a buffet which would suit a large group better. The tables would be all laid up with table cloths, linen napkins and pretty flowers to really elevate the experience.
Bright Colours
Nothing says summer party than bright colours. Think bold pink, orange and yellow. Happy colours that make you immediately think of summer and being on holiday. It’s up to you how you decide to use this theme for your party, whether you choose beautiful, bright flower arrangements that do all the talking, or perhaps you buy balloons or streamers that dress the space instead. For your catering, is there anything better than a finger buffet, reminiscent of a “picky bits” tea on a hot day?
Holidays
For our last summer party idea, we thought we’d have a bit of fun! Summer is the season of holidays, so why not bring a holiday-theme to your party? There are a number of fun ways you could incorporate this into your party, for example, you could choose your favourite holiday destination and then theme your party around this – could be quite fun and easy to theme your food around? Or, you could go for a generic beach holiday vibe and play on this instead. Whatever you choose, holidays are about relaxing and having fun and so is a party!
Interested in hosting a party with us either last minute for this summer or for summer 2027? Please get in touch so we can secure a date for you! Our email is info@thejazzcafe.co.uk and we’d be happy to host your next celebration.
