Festival Themed Party Ideas for Your Garden

Everything starts with an entrance, whether it’s walking through the festival gates or making an entrance in your chosen wavy festival outfit! Getting the vibes right for your festival party is important and getting the festival decorations right is essential for first impressions. Our festival-themed garden party is a happy mix of Glastonbury and Coachella, however, you may want to go for something different, whether it’s Leeds Fest or Burning Man!

Now, let’s talk balloons. The opportunities are endless here, plus it’s your garden festival so you can decorate it as you like! Giant latex 36″ balloons will definitely make a statement and add to your larger-than-life festival party theme. However, if you want to go all in on your festival balloons, a balloon arch or garland would be perfect – choosing a balloon arch kit will also make life a LOT easier!

For our version of Glasthomebury, we’ve used an eclectic mix of our most colourful, chilled summer partyware. A great place to start is with bunting, this will definitely set the mood and instantly add strings of colour! We’ve opted for pastel bright flag bunting, it’s up to you whether you use paper or plastic bunting, although checking the weather forecast first might be a good idea. 

Hanging lanterns, as well as fairy lights, are perfect for at-home festivals! As well as adding a magical feel as the sun starts to go down, coloured lanterns (as above or found here) will add colour to your garden throughout the day as a cute decoration. We scattered honeycomb decorations across the grass for added vibes, the paper decorations look great without breaking the bank!

Setting the tone for your garden festival will be important for creating that festival spirit! Why not kick off the event by providing attendees with wristbands or lanyard “tickets”? After all, you wouldn’t get to Glastonbury without one, so your garden party is no different! You can also specify that they have to wear festival clothing, like wellies, flowing dresses, shorts and ponchos. To make it more fun, you can even suggest fancy dress…

We loved the idea of having a small accessories area set up so that everyone can get into the mood and have some fun with it! Fill some cups or bowls with glitter, tinsel wigs and novelty sunglasses so they can have a dress-up and play. You even set up a photo booth, with a backdrop and photo booth props.

We’ve probably all had some drastically varying levels of festival food! But there’s no need to recreate soggy chips and lukewarm burgers when you can have your own BBQ. Depending on your budget, either prepare a selection of BBQ food for your guests or ask them to bring their own – if you really want to go all out, a woodfired pizza is the perfect summer treat.

Alternatively, set up a table and buffet, or go down the sharing-is-caring route and do a potluck. Make sure you have plenty of paper plates, napkins, cups, paper straws and any other tableware you can think of!

Of course, you might want to have a few drinks as well. You could go for authenticity and only drink beers that have been warmed in the sun… Or you could enjoy your drinks from an ice-filled inflatable palm tree drinks cooler, a wheelbarrow or even a bucket. If you’re more of a festival cocktail-drinking crowd, fill up pitchers with easy cocktails like mojitos or margaritas. We have everything for your cocktail needs that are perfect for a festival-themed party, including coconut cups, cocktail picks and even beverage floats (Margs in the paddling pool anyone?).

What’s a festival without music? There are plenty of ways to get the festival spirit – why not ask your more talented friends to perform? Set up a small wooden pallet with a stool and acoustic guitar, and someone is bound to gravitate towards it! Getting some outdoor rugs around your makeshift stage is a good idea if people want to sit and listen, they’ll add a cosy look whilst protecting against any wet grass.

Alternatively, you can always rely on the trusty aux code and collated festival playlist. Ask your guests before the event for a small list of song requests so that you get a diverse mix of music with something for everyone. Just make sure you have a speaker that’s loud enough and has enough power to keep it going!

If this isn’t doing it for you, how about some karaoke or lip-syncing to let you and your friends try out being the star? It’s your back garden festival!

Unlike your usual festival you won’t be spending hours getting between stages or having to wait in long queues for toilets and drinks – so what are you going to do with all that spare time?

How about a face paint tent/area? You might think this is more for kids, but adults will love it too! Of course, you can go with the classic animal faces but you can also create amazing festival looks with glitters, gels and face gems. Take turns creating your festival face paints and enjoy the process.