FESTIVAL-THEMED SUMMER GARDEN PARTY

I don't know about you, but ambience and atmosphere are very important to me when deciding on a venue when heading out. Whether you're going on a date or heading out with friends, I always tend to be drawn to places that make an effort in their interiors and create a cosy atmosphere adorned with fairy lights, good music and decor. I don't know if everyone cares about this really, but my logic is if the atmosphere is good, everyone is happier and it's a great time overall. It must be a getting old thing, because when I was younger all I cared about was 3 euro drinks!

It's festival season and there are outdoor music events everywhere. Since myself and my group of friends weren't going to any this year, what's better than re-creating a similar atmosphere in your own back garden? Since coming back from New York, I've had the realisation that I truly am a homebird and so any excuse to stay at home and invite friends over is very welcome. This is not the first time I did something like this. I did a very similar shindig two summers ago (picture below).

I can't take credit for this idea as it was inspired by Zoella:

https://www.zoella.co.uk/2016/05/picnic-party.html

This went down an absolute treat that summer two years ago so I decided to do it again. While I was pretty happy with how it turned out the first time, I had to use pretty much every blanket and throw in the house to try and create a Tipi shape and the clean-up after was an absolute nightmare! This time around, I decided to purchase some plain white fabric from Amazon which would make up most of the structure. The last Tipi didn't have much of an internal space so most of us were sitting outside and it got pretty nippy. The fabric creates a very large indoor space in which everyone is covered and it's basically a giant tent. This can fit 7-10 people comfortably.

I was fortunate enough to have room in my garden to do this, but if your garden is too small or you don't have one, you could easily find a spot in a park. If you can't find a suitable tree, you could buy some long pieces of wood in Woodies or any garden centre. You basically have to have two trees adjacent to each other and find something to place on top for the fabric to drape over. Then, you can hold down the fabric with some large rocks and branches. You can have your Tipi open at the front and back if you like, but I wanted it to feel more cosy so I used a blanket to cover the space at the back and stapled it to the fabric.

Then it's time to decorate. You really can go mad here and there is no such thing as too many fairy lights, candles or cushions. These are all inexpensive too and you can buy them in Penneys or the pound shop. I hung lanterns throughout the garden and inside the Tipi, put fairy lights on the trees and lined a pathway with tea lights from the decking to the Tipi. I think the end result looked great.

And that's pretty much it! You really can go extra here and make some nice food and maybe even set up a bar, but we kept it cheap and cheerful by doing BYOB and ordering a takeaway. What's key is to make sure to play some drinking games, make a 90s playlist on Spotify, play a good old game of Heads Up and to appoint someone in your group of friends to take candid pictures of everyone throughout the night. It's probably wise not to put those in the blog though... :)

Until next time!

Tom