This post may contain affiliate links and ads. Read our disclosure policy here.
Beach Party Ideas
A few years ago when we decided to throw a joint birthday party for the kids in the summer months (Lily’s birthday is in September, Landon’s is 10/1), they decided on a beach party theme. Our swimming pool provided a great (free!) activity for most of the kids (and some of the adults) in attendance. It also served as the perfect backdrop to our party planning. Once we had our decorations and food planned, the only thing left to do was to cross our fingers that the weather cooperated. Cooperate it DID and we had a hot and sunny day that was simply perfection for a beach themed pool party!
There were so many budget-friendly ways that we saved a lot of money on this party and I wanted to share them in case you happen to plan a beach party of your own!
Right off the bat, we saved a lot of money by having a party at our home. When you cut out the overhead of having a party elsewhere, chances are good that you’re going to save. If space isn’t an issue, it’s a great way to limit your spending. We did not serve alcohol at the party, saving another tidy sum. (4th of July and other hosting events we do usually serve alcohol, but typically leave it off the menu for the kids’ parties. It’s not a rule set-in-stone, just our typical pattern.)
Check out these other ways that we threw a fun party with great décor without breaking the bank:
1. We kept the menu super simple. See some of our snacks and drinks below. We had the party in the middle of the afternoon, between major mealtimes. We ordered a bunch of plain pizzas from the local restaurant and they gave us a discount for ordering several pies. You could order pizza or skip hot foods and make up some sandwich platters or deli trays.
These beachy bear pudding cups are really easy to make and definitely delight the crowd!
2. We used an inflatable kiddie pool to hold our ice and bottled water. Buy these cheap online or at a local store. Even better – grab one during summer clearance sales if you know you’re having a beach party well in advance. We picked this up the year before for $1 at a beach store in OBX!
3. Create a fun drink bar, including “Pool Water” which was really just blue Hawaiian Punch and we tossed a couple mini beach balls inside! We own several drink dispensers and filled the other two up with lemonade and iced tea.
4. BEACH BALLS! Beach balls make the BEST DECOR! You already saw above how we used them in our “Pool Water” Juice and in our bottled water pool. We bought more than 50 beach balls in various sizes and used them all over the place. We had beach balls in the pool and also in the backyard. We hung beach balls from our ceiling fans as decorations. When the guests were heading home, each kid got to take a ball or two with them as a party favor.
5. Beach Buckets from the dollar store make great snack buckets and don’t forget to make some Sand Cake!
6. Shop the dollar store or look for coupons/sales at the party supply store for tablecloths, plates and utensils. These came from a party supply store – I waited for a sale and had a free shipping code.
7. Skip the store-bought cake and make these adorable Goldfish Cupcakes. We spent less than $10 at ALDI for cake mix, eggs, frosting, graham crackers and Goldfish for several dozen cupcakes AND a small cake for the kids use to blow out their candles!
8. Skip floral centerpieces and make these Mason Jar Goldfish Fishing Pole Centerpieces! If you DO find that floral centerpieces are a MUST, find a local farm that offers “cut-your-own” flowers. We have several near us that offer zinnias and sunflowers that you can cut yourself.
9. Glow Sticks – If your party will go into the evening hours (the pics below are actually from our 4th of July BBQ last year), pick up some glow sticks from the dollar store and toss them in the pool! They look awesome and the kids love to dive for them.
10. Water fun with dollar store water squirters – Fill up a big bucket or water tank with water and toss in a bunch of water squirters and any Super Soakers you might have laying around. Water fights will crop up throughout your party!
Have you thrown a beach-themed party before? What are some tips and tricks that you have? Drop us a comment below and tell us about it!
