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If you’re moving into your new home during the warmer months out of the year, throw a backyard barbecue as your housewarming party because it’s a great way to both show off your new home as well as consolidate mess to one space.
With these backyard housewarming party tips your guests will have the best time celebrating your new home and making wonderful summer memories!
How to Prep Your New Home for a Housewarming Party
From moving in to getting entertaining spaces ready to stocking up on everything for the party, here are a few important preparation steps for your housewarming.
Get Your Home Comfortably Unpacked
First, give yourself enough time to unpack, make any initial decoration or paint changes, and set up common spaces for guests.
Even though your backyard housewarming party will mostly keep visitors outdoors, you’ll still want to take them on a tour of your home’s interior and show off all your favorite spaces!
They’ll also most likely need access to a bathroom or powder bath, so make sure your guest linens are unpacked and this bathroom is stocked with necessities (and ideally an aromatic candle for optimum homeyness).
It’s okay if you don’t fully unpack and decorate bedrooms or more private spaces of your home, as long as you’re comfortable disclosing some remaining moving items to your guests during your tour. Or, just keep these rooms closed off from the tour entirely.
Determine Your Guest List
Next, nail down a list of invitees for your housewarming. Here are major categories of contacts to consider inviting:
- Any nearby family members
- Local friends
- New neighbors
From this list you’ll be able to plan your menu, send out invitations, and set up and decorate your outdoor entertaining space. Don’t go overboard on your guest list; make sure there is a comfortable amount of space in your backyard for everyone.
Set Up Your Backyard Space
Make sure your invited guests know that the housewarming will be an outdoor event. You can find cute housewarming barbecue invitations that will help you communicate this so your guests can dress comfortably.
Once you have RSVPs, you can set up your outdoor space with seating, purchase ingredients for your menu, and make any additional accommodations such as kid-friendly foods.
Your backyard should include comfortable furniture, outdoor-safe decorations, and minimal party décor. Keep the focus on your beautiful new home.
Also consider sheltered seating, group seating arrangements, and bug protection.
Now comes the fun part: planning the party!
Backyard Housewarming Party Ideas
There are many options you can choose from for your backyard housewarming, but first an important reminder: create a contingency plan for adverse weather!
In the unfortunate event that your summer party gets rained out, this is when you’ll thank yourself extra for getting your indoor common areas prepared for guests.
Use these ideas to get started on the perfect party at your new home.
Finger Foods and Family Games
This is an easy crowd favorite approach to a housewarming. Especially if you’re wanting your kids to meet others in the neighborhood, make the party kid-friendly.
You could even go as far as including a kids-only table of snacks if you want to plan a bit more of an elevated menu for adults.
For games, opt for cornhole, a temporary volleyball net, or other yard games. You could even close out the evening with a family movie on an outdoor screen!
Dinner and Drinks
For an adults-only party, pair an outdoor-friendly dinner with cocktails, beer, and/or wine as the sun sets.
This is a great opportunity to stock up your home bar: ask your guests to bring their favorite spirit or bottle of wine as their housewarming gift, then offer to open up a couple of these throughout the evening for everyone to enjoy.
Bonfire and a Casual Dinner
If you’re really wanting to keep things casual and simple, try a menu of tacos, chips with salsa and guacamole, and margaritas from a blender, and get the firepit ready for the perfect end to the evening.
If your guests are so inclined, make this more of a potluck affair and have each guest bring a Mexican-themed side or dessert. This will make for a fun spread for all to enjoy trying—but make sure you have enough table space for buffet serving!
Keeping your housewarming party stress-free and low-maintenance will make for the most enjoyable evening to look back on.
From disposable dinnerware to easy décor cleanup, make sure you’re able to focus on your guests and stay a part of the fun. You’ll love hosting for the first time in your new home!
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