Theme Summer Party Ideas for Kids and Adults [What To Do For Summer Parties]

Need theme summer party ideas? Whether you’re looking for ideas for summer parties for kids or you’re planning fun summer themed events for adults, there’s something here for you — from popular summer themes to creative and unique party ideas (including fun outdoor themes)!

Best Theme Summer Party Ideas for All Ages

No matter if you’re looking for something to kick off the summer or need end of summer party theme ideas, here are the best outdoor summer party theme ideas for kids and adults!

Summer and parties go hand in hand, so here are the best ideas for all summer holiday!

How do you throw a fun summer party?

Summertime Themes:

• Carnival Party / Fair Party
• Christmas In July
• Casino Night Under The Stars
• White Party
• Backyard Camping Party
• Garden Tea Party
• Outdoor Art Party
• Around The World Party
• Come Ashore for the Party
• Summer Scavenger Hunt Party
• Mad Scientist Party
• Summer Olympics Theme
• Backyard Sandy Beach (Toes In The Sand Party)

Don’t miss the full theme summer party ideas for kids and families, as well as summer party theme ideas for adults and things to do at summer parties below. Keep scrolling!

Catchy Summer Party Names

Summer party names ideas:

• Splish, Splash, Summer Bash
• Fun In The Sun
• Toes In The Sand
• Under The Sea
• Get Cool By The Pool
• School’s Out For Summer
• California Dreamin’
• Grill and Chill
• Walk In The Park
• Beach Bummin’
• Seasons In The Sun
• Walkin’ On Sunshine
• July Jingle Jam
• Life’s Beach
• Surfin’ Safari

You don’t need fancy names for summer parties, so focus more on the summer party fun!

Themes For Amazing Summer Parties

Summer Party Ideas For Kids

1. Beach Party

Looking for traditional summer season theme party ideas? Try a beach party! You don’t need to be at the beach to have a beach party! Transform your backyard or balcony with some sand (just pour sand like this into an empty blow-up baby pool) and have a sandcastle building contest. Toss around mini blow up beach balls, and serve beach food like hotdogs.

GET MORE BEACH PARTY IDEAS

2. Pool Party

Fun summer pool party theme ideas include games like Marco Polo, water balloon toss (in the pool!), and pool basketball or volleyball. Have plenty of towels and serve cold drinks and snacks in the shade for breaks. You can go really casual with your summer themed pool party ideas!

3. Carnival Party / Fair Party

Carnival is one of those super fun outdoor summer themed party ideas! Have games like ring toss, bean bag can toss, pick the duckie. Offer popcorn (or make this kettle corn that tastes just like fair kettle corn) and lemonade, make cotton candy, and serve fun party foods like pizza and popcorn.

4. Movie Night Party

Hook a projector to your laptop, get a screen (we like this one), set up some lawn chairs or blankets to sit on, and have movie night under the stars! Set up a “concession stand” to serve popcorn, candy, and drinks.

LEARN HOW TO HAVE A BACKYARD MOVIE PARTY

5. Backyard Camping Party

Pitch tents in the backyard, roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire, and tell stories around the campfire. You can even make it a backyard camping sleepover, great for summer slumber parties! (LEARN HOW HERE)

6. Sports Party

Set up a basketball hoop, volleyball net, flag football, and more. Serve sporting event concession foods like hamburgers and hot dogs.

7. Outdoor Art Party

Do you kids love art? Summer is the perfect time for an art party because you can take all that art messiness outside! Place covered tables (use this to protect your tables and, bonus!, the kids can art on it!) on tarps around the yard and provide a variety of art materials like paints, markers, chalk, paper, big pieces of cardboard, and let kids make their own creations. Serve easy finger food like pizza sticks, chips, and dip.

8. Fairy Party

Hang fairy lights and set up a magic wishing well. Provide fairy wings and tutus as fairy party favors for fun summer costume parties. Serve light snacks like fruit cones and specialty magic layered drinks. You can even make magic fairy doors or mini fairy gardens as a party craft!

10. Mad Scientist Party

Have little scientists? How about a science party! Set up a few science experiments to do like making slime or erupting volcanoes, provide snacks like popcorn and exploding pop rocks candy (or serve edible science!), and let the kids have fun learning about science! It’s fun for a creative, cool party idea.

11. Karaoke Music Party

Get a karaoke machine, create a make-shift stage, and let kids sing and dance to their favorite songs. If you want to go for a whole rock star vibe, hand out rock star glasses.

12. Christmas in July

Celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer by decorating with lights and ornaments, having a summer snowball fight, serving traditional Christmas foods and Christmas cookies. You can even have a visit from Santa to hand out small presents for everyone to open!

LEARN HOW TO PLAN A CHRISTMAS IN JULY PARTY

13. Pirate Party

Hang up some pirate flags, set up a treasure hunt, and serve some pirate themed food (get pirate food ideas here).

14. Garden Tea Party

Have a beautiful tea party outdoors. Use real tea cups, saucers, and plates. (This is a fun set.) Put out a variety of teas and natural sweeteners and small finger sandwiches and cookies. Have a tea party dress up trunk (we LOVE these!) so the kids can dress up before having tea.

These area some of the best summer theme parties for children!

Now, let’s get to our summer themed parties for adults!

Fun Summer Party Themes For Adults

1. Beach Party

Beach parties aren’t just for kids. Step up an adult beach party with umbrella drinks, tropical drinks in coconuts, and grilled fruit and vegetable skewers. Or, even consider having a clambake or crab boil. If you put these mini sand gardens on the tables as decorations, adults will play with them! Be sure to set the atmosphere with fun beach music. (Don’t worry if you don’t have a backyard! You can even make these fun summer deck parties!)

2. Outdoor Barbecue Party

A backyard BBQ party is one of the easiest parties (and most chill parties) you can throw! Grill up your favorite foods and serve them picnic-style on red-and-white checked tablecloths. Create a grill and chill playlist for the mood for relaxing summer BBQ theme parties!

3. Garden Party

Want summer day parties with a beautiful aesthetic? Try summer garden parties! Decorate your backyard with bright flowers, twinkle lights, and beautiful hanging baskets. You can even make it a fun flower arranging party! Serve light refreshments like fruit salads, mini sandwiches, iced tea, and refreshing infused fruit waters.

4. Luau Party

String up colorful lights, put on festive Hawaiian music, set up a tiki bar, and serve tropical fruits and drinks. Have hula skirts and leis for people to wear and play limbo.

5. Casino Night Under The Stars

Turn your backyard in a mini Vegas with light curtains or backdrop, card tables / poker table tops, mini roulette wheel / dice games. Have someone pass drinks (or use an outdoor bar cart) and create a lavish buffet like you would have in Las Vegas.

8. International Themed Party (Around The World Party)

Choose a handful of different countries and set up tables for each of the countries. Decorate with flags and items from that culture and serve food, desserts, and drinks from each country (one country per table). Make a playlist of music from all the different countries.

9. White Party

White Party is great for summer dress up themes or if you need summer themed dinner party ideas that are more formal. A white party is when everyone wears white (surprise!). Some people even have white decorations and serve mostly white foods. White parties are perfect party themes for adults summer more formal events because you can dress up, but still choose fabrics and colors (white!) that will keep you cool! This is one of those fun end of summer theme party ideas to wind down the season or if you need simple summer dinner parties ideas.

Summer Party Themes For Families

Want to have a family summer party? Try these easy and fun party ideas and ideas for summer family parties:

1. Picnic Party

Pack a meal and have a picnic in the park or your backyard! Kids love picnics and you don’t need extravagant summer themed party food ideas. After eating, throw frisbees or footballs and enjoy being together.

2. Summer Games Party

Set up a few different games stations like a water balloon toss, giant lawn games, and cornhole. Have fun competing against each other as a family.

3. Obstacle Course / Summer Olympic Games

Set up and obstacle course or even your own summer Olympic games in your own yard. Divide your family into teams and compete against each other.

4. Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are great to do with you family and make a fun family party theme. Dress up in goofy scavenger clothes and do a nature scavenger in a local park or even a city scavenger hunt.

5. Ice Cream Party

Ice cream parties are fun for all ages! You provide ice cream flavors and ice cream toppings and everyone gets to build their own sundae! It’s one of my favorite summer theme parties and can be for any occasion — graduation party theme, kids birthday party theme, neighborhood party theme, or a backyard party with family just because!

GET IDEAS FOR A BUILD YOUR OWN SUNDAE PARTY

Have fun with your summer event!

Let us know your favorite theme summer party ideas!