Are you hosting a beach party this summer? Check out these cool ideas for making the most of your get-together in the sun.

Create a Hot Playlist

Contact the people on your guest list and ask them to name any songs that make them think of summer. Pick out the ones that are most likely to appeal to the entire group, and fill in any gaps with traditional summer-themed tunes or favorites from your own past. Get your playlist and electronics beach-ready, then put the entire list on repeat during the party and watch everyone groove to the beat. If you want to add an extra dimension to the fun, try to get people to guess which of the guests was responsible for choosing a particular song.

Try Some Different Food

A memorable celebration is only as good as its menu—but there’s no need to prepare everything yourself. If you’re near the coast, chances are good that you’re also near some excellent hole-in-the-wall seafood restaurants. Even if these places look shabby from the outside, their fish is bound to be some of the freshest you’ll find. Take a detour from the usual fried offerings and sample one of the specialties of the house. Encourage your guests to do the same, or, better yet, put together a sample platter for the entire party.

Bring Along Beach Toys

While it’s always fun to kick back and enjoy a frosty beverage while dipping your toes in the sand, you don’t want the party to grind to a halt. Keep things lively by having an assortment of beach toys on hand, like footballs, hula hoops, kites or a simple ring-toss game. If things start to slow down, break out one of the kites or initiate a hula-hooping contest. You might be surprised at how many people will want to join in.

Organize a Scavenger Hunt

The beach provides a gorgeous backdrop for any party, but its benefits don’t end with the sun and the surf. Before the event, put together a list of items that are commonly found on the beach, like sand dollars, driftwood, crab shells, or sea glass in various colors. Make copies for each of the guests, and encourage them to find as many objects on the list as they can during the course of the party.

Use your imagination to customize the invitations and decorations, and you have all the ingredients for a surefire success. When the sun sets on your beach party, your guests are bound to remember it as a highlight of their summer.

Use our text message invitations to invite your friends to your next beach party! Responses are easy and you don’t have to worry about getting a headcount.