Patriotic Party Tips

If you’re just looking for menu help only, you’ll want to check out our Patriotic Recipes post instead. That’s just red, white, and blue food ideas.

Patriotic Party Tips

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Get patriotic decorations

Decorate with red, white and blue.

The easiest way to do this is by picking up small flags and putting them around your property. You could find some cute balloons or a door wreath too. Or maybe just some bunting along your fencing.

Anything that shouts “USA” is perfect.

Use patriotic tableware

A patriotic tablecloth should be easy to find this time of year. If you pick a nice one, you can keep it for future parties (or just keep a disposable one and reuse that because that’s what we do).

Buy some fun patriotic-themed disposable plates too. Because you don’t want to use real plates for your party. You need disposable. So you might as well get some that are on theme. And of course, themed napkins are great too.

If you want something a little easier, just grab red and blue plastic cups for drinks and plain plates and napkins.

Set up tents

The sun is so strong this time of year. So, you want to make sure you have shade for your guests. The easiest way to make shade, so your guests stay outside rather than congregating in our home, is to set up tents in your yard.

If you have a pop up canopy that you use for the beach, take it out and set it up.

You want to set folding tables and chairs out under it so that people have somewhere to sit while they’re eating and so the food stays in the shade.

Grill some food

I’ll be very honest. People are going to drink at your party. And if you’re shooting off fireworks, they’re gonna drink from when it’s light out until it’s dark enough for the firework show.

So, you’re going to want to make sure their stomachs are full and absorbing all that alcohol. And so, you’ll want to serve some food.

I’m gonna suggest grilling. It’s the easiest way to feed a crowd. Plus, you do it outside, so you’re keeping your party outside your house.

And, it’s July 4th. Everyone is expecting the very American menu of hamburgers and hot dogs. So serve that. It’s easy for you and satisfying for your guests.

Stay hydrated

If you took our advice of grilling for your guests, there’s a chance they’re going to congregate near the grill — and then overheat. So you definitely want to set out a cooler with ice and fill it with bottles of water for your guests.

You might want to come up with some cute patriotic drinks to serve, like our watermelon lemonade in blue edible glitter rimmed glasses.

But sugary drinks may not hydrate your guests. So make sure you have water — and lots of it — available.

Set up games

My parents have a Captain America corn hole set that’s red, white, and blue. We bring that out for every party we host, but it totally fits when we have a patriotic party.

Our ladder ball set is coincidentally red and blue too, so it’s perfect.

If you’re playing something like flip cup, you can set up red, white, and blue cups for your game.

And if you don’t have red, white, and blue games, any outdoor games will work. Giving people something to do besides just sitting around chit chatting is a way to make your patriotic party a lot more fun.

Make patriotic desserts

If you know me, you know I’m so extra when it comes to desserts. So of course, I serve so many patriotic desserts at our parties.

My biggest hit last year was our patriotic meringue cookies. They’re so tasty and festive. I also really like making red, white, and blue pretzel rods because they’re easy to make and easy to eat.

I made patriotic chocolate-covered Oreo cookies for a party we went to earlier this year. And I’ll probably make a red, white, and blue bundt cake for our party this year.

Have a patriotic movie marathon

Your guests will most likely congregate outside, but they might stop inside for the bathroom or some air conditioning. Play some “yay America” movies on whatever TV is closest to the front door. People might stop to watch a few scenes, which is great.

If you’re looking for ideas for what to play, we have a long list of patriotic movies to help you choose.

You can also make a bowl of patriotic popcorn and have it in the living room as well. That way, people can snack a little while they watch.

Hand out glow sticks

If you’re throwing a good party, and I have faith that you are, it’ll still be going on when it starts to get dark.

So, hand out glow sticks, glow necklaces, or glow bracelets.

We buy a bulk pack of glow sticks off Amazon every year. I make sure to grab the packs with the plastic connectors so all of our party guests, no matter their age, can make bracelets and necklaces out of them.

Set off fireworks

If you live somewhere where fireworks are legal and you live in an are where you’re allowed to do them at home, we highly suggest ending your party with them.

If you can’t get actual fireworks, at least pick up some sparklers. They’re fun for kids and adults.