5 fun ideas for your barbecue event
A barbecue party is a staple in the summer; whether it's a corporate event or a summer family get-together. According to research from Kantar, 76% of barbecues are adult only events – however, family occasions grew by 50% in 2016. Kantar also stated that due to higher temperatures last year, 115 million barbecue events took place, compared to 9 million in 2015. As barbecue events become more popular in the UK, despite our unpredictable weather, keeping guests interested will always be a challenge. To help you host a fun and unique barbecue event here are some ideas to keep your guests happy.
Garden games
Games are a great way engage your invitees and can get people talking, even if they don’t know each other. There are so many garden games out there now that you are sure to find ones both adults and kids alike will love. If you are having an adult only event, then giant Jenga or 4-in-a-row are always popular. Bowls or garden bowling can appeal across the ages, while giant snakes and ladders are sure to entertain the children. Of course, you can always opt for the grand dame of garden games – croquet if you have space.
Beer pong
This is for the adults. Beer pong is a popular drinking game in the US and is traditionally played at barbecues. What you need is plastic cups, (ideally, red or blue for authenticity), a large table, a ping pong ball and beer. Arrange six cups in a pyramid shape on each end of the table and fill the remaining two cups with water to wash the ball in. (one on each side of the table). The six pyramid cups, on each side, will require a splash a beer in each. The aim of the game is to get the ping pong ball into the other team’s cup. If you succeed then they will have to drink the contents and the cup will be taken away. The winner is declared when one team has lost all their cups. These are only the basic rules, however, there are all sorts of variants. For the official beer pong tournament, rules click here.
Fun cocktail glasses
Jazz up your cocktails with funky cocktail glasses. You can opt for a whimsical effect with old fashioned cocktails served in vintage style tea cups or why not have an Alice in Wonderland theme, and use jam jars with ‘drink me’ labels. Coloured glasses are also a fun way to give your guests a creative cocktail. For a summery twist, serve cocktail classics in our twist highball blue glasses or quench your guests thirst with a cocktail the coco martini glass.
Use tiered stands
Add a touch of elegance and organisation by offering your barbecued food on tiered stands. Such stands will make your food look appetising and are ideal for mini hotdogs and burgers. You can also use them as a way of organising the food – for example, vegetarian food on top followed by barbecued vegetables such as corn and meat at the bottom.
Have a gazebo or pop up tent
We all know that the British weather is at best unpredictable. So it makes sense to ensure that if you are hosting a barbecue event to have some cover if the heavens do open or to provide shade if it gets too hot. It is possible to hire gazebos and pop-up tents as well as umbrellas and parasols to protect your guests from the elements.
If you are hosting a barbecue event and need to hire barbecues, outdoor furniture, glasses and china then call Allens Hire today. We can deliver to your venue and we’ll even do the washing up!
