A Guide to Festival Themed Parties

One of the many things we’re missing this summer is music festivals. You can’t beat the thrill of an Irish festival – the music is pumping, a cold drink in hand and the sun cream and wellies at the ready. We think we’ve found the perfect replacement, festival themed parties! 

We may not be able to go to festivals now but why not bring the festival to your own back garden? 

Marquees, tepees and yurts are a good way of transforming your garden into festival grounds. Hay bales and bean bags are ideal for seating and give a rustic look that will convince your guests they are at the best festival of Summer 2020! 

Colourful decorations, neon signs and bunting will make your garden pop. 

Festoon lighting, fairy lights and hanging lanterns create a magic atmosphere as the sun goes down and allows you to party later into the evening. A fire pit is a great addition too! It not only looks beautiful but will keep guests warm.  We do tend to avoid these though if there are children attending the event.  We have our very own festival signs that we give out to all of our festival themed parties.  Pagodas are also great as their peaked roofs gives you the real sense that you are at a festival.  Enormous festival signs, like the ones that you see in all major festivals are a must and not too expensive to hire out but really add to the theme. 

Music is a big part of festivals so getting it right for your themed party is key! A DJ is a great option as you can give them an indication of what type of music you and your guests would like to hear and change the music to suit the vibe as the evening goes on. A band is a cool addition to any party and will really add to the festival atmosphere, a stage can look great too (space permitting of course!)

Asking your guests to get into the spirit of it all and dress in ‘festival-chic’ only adds to the fun! Wellies, flower crowns and glow sticks will look amazing in photos and make the party one to remember! A photo booth is ideal for capturing guests having a ball at your party and a great keepsake to look back on later. 

If you’ve been to a festival, you’ll know there’s always a good selection of delicious food! Plan your menu well and make sure you have options for everyone attending (including vegetarians!) For our festival inspired parties, we like to bring in food trucks that serve tasty burgers, falafels, or chicken wraps with chips as this is what we tend to go for at festivals.  If however, you want something a little less casual, why not consider a BBQ as its also tasty alfresco style food and is a good option and doesn’t require using the kitchen. We arrange a gazebo for the chefs to work from in the garden.  As at every festival, a bar is a must. A fruity welcome cocktail for guests is a lovely touch to get them in the festival mood! A lovely way to present drinks is in a wheelbarrow by filling the wheel barrow with ice and placing your beers/bottles of white wine in and letting people help themselves.  

The idea of planning your own festival themed party may seem daunting. If you think that you may need a little help from the experts, we would love to hear from you and you can call us on 01 4370667 or email us at hello@partypros.ie.