Recently, my family has had a lot of June Birthdays and Graduations. My aunt and two of my cousins decided to host a Graduation/Birthday Barbeque for all the graduates and the June Birthdays Crew. I’m sharing 5 tips to help you host a Graduation/Birthday Barbeque.
Tip #1: The Venue
You have to decide if you want to host your barbeque indoors or outdoors. If you host the barbeque outside, make sure you stay up-to-date on the weather conditions. Although June is a very warm month, there are many rainy or cold-weather days. Take note of the forecast for the day of your event.
Tip #2: Food
Food is an important part of any event. Light appetizers work well for outdoor events, especially in warm weather months, June – September. Chips and dip, fruit, and veggies are great appetizers. A barbeque isn’t a barbeque without food cooking on the grill, and some go-to meats are chicken, hot dogs, and various types of burgers (meat-based, plant-based, etc.). You might also want to choose some delicious sides to accompany your meats, such as a salad, baked macaroni, macaroni salads, beans, corn, and more. Finally, as with any graduation or birthday party the most popular dessert is cake!
Tip #3: Entertainment
You definitely need entertainment at a barbeque. Even though you are outside, you will want some music for dancing or outdoor games. In the Summer, outdoor games can make a huge difference at an event. Basketball, Frisbee, Badminton, and more are fun games to play at a barbeque.
Tip #4: Invitations
I always suggest sending out invitations to any event at least 2 weeks to 4 weeks in advance. If the event is big, send your invites out months in advance. In the case of informal events, like a graduation – birthday barbeque, you can create a Facebook event page and invite people through Facebook. It will also be easier to add in the event details and keep track of the guest list through Facebook event pages.
Tip #5: Mini Graduation Ceremony
If you are hosting a graduation barbeque, you should consider replicating a mini graduation ceremony for the guests of honor. In cases of big families, not all family members will be able to attend all graduation ceremonies for those in the family. When you get together at the barbeque, take a moment to have any graduates walk down a flight of stairs or a makeshift aisle and send congratulations and praises their way. This is actually a really special thing to do!
I hope these tips help you when you host your next event. To watch the Graduation – Birthday Barbeque event for my family, click below, or head directly to my Youtube Channel, Life with DW to subscribe for more content.
The Millennial Farmhouse 