The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Nighttime Backyard Dinner Party

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Summer is definitely my favorite season, and the main reason is because of the warm, starry, perfectly humid summer nights. They’re a great setting for lounging on the outdoor patio with friends, lying on the grass under the fairy lights of the stars and talking about life with loved ones, or, my personal favorite, hosting a nighttime backyard dinner party. If you’re on top of how to theme the party, what to do for prep, and how to decorate, then you can make it a magical seasonal experience that your guests will remember for the rest of their lives.

In this post, I’ll go over how to put together a fantastic nighttime backyard dinner for just two people or for a whole party. I’ll also reveal some great products that will help create that magic, memorable feel that great backyard dinners should shoot for.

A Romantic Evening for Two

A peaceful candlelit dinner in the backyard is one of the most romantic date night settings imaginable. It’s also a lot more relaxed (and, therefore, more fun most of the time) for the person not putting it together because they don’t need to dress up and go out like they would for most dates. Let’s discuss how to pull off the romantic backyard rendez-vous without a hitch.

Setting the Mood

Candles/Flowers

Candles and flowers both add a touch of intimacy, but including both on the same table may be excessive.

Low Music

Play something romantic and suited to your partner’s tastes but classy; Marvin Gaye may be a little too on-the-nose. Something instrumental or acoustic is always best, and make sure to keep the volume low.

Stash the Phone

Being on your phone half the time during a date is always a bad idea, but it’s especially disruptive during an outdoor date because it ruins the all-natural vibe.

Lighting

Make sure you and your partner can see each other clearly. Ambient lighting like tiki torches, lanterns, or candles is more romantic than fluorescent porch lights.

Wine

Like with any date, wine is a great way to kick up the intimacy a notch.

Bug Repellent

Few things spoil the mood more quickly than you and your date partner getting eaten by mosquitoes. Light some citronella candles or other bug repellents, and have some bug spray handy just in case.

Food Recommendations

Eating outdoors has different rules than eating indoors. Because you are in the open air, food will cool a little more quickly. For that reason, I’d recommend cold or lukewarm foods such as salads or charcuterie. You also won’t have as much space as a dining room table and probably won’t have easy access to a kitchen like you would inside, so you’ll want to keep things simple. Go with a simple grilled food like kebabs or, if you have access to the equipment necessary, meats that you can grill up right at the table on a tabletop barbecue.

Seating Recommendations

Actually setting the plates on the ground is not only dirty but also presents an awkward angle for eating. If you have a low coffee table that you can bring outside, that’s usually ideal. Alternately, obtain a beach blanket and spread it on the ground to act as a table.

As for sitting, some comfortable cushions are usually best. Regular old patio furniture is often a bit stiff for a date night, and it doesn’t make sense if you’re eating from a low surface anyway.

Post-dinner Activity

After eating, you’ll want a romantic activity that will allow you to snuggle up to your partner. Stargazing is a great idea, especially if you live out of the city where lots of stars are visible and if your partner is into that sort of thing.

If you’re looking for something a little more engaging than lying back and watching the stars, screening a movie on a projector (like the one in the “outdoor dinner parties essentials” section below) is a good alternative. I’d recommend sticking with romantic movies or thrillers; leave Rush Hour 3 for a more casual movie night.

Nighttime Dinner Party Themes

I like to settle on a theme first and then invite people after. The reason is because you want to invite only the type of people who will appreciate the theme. Holding a tapas-themed night is a great idea, but the people who will get into it most probably won’t be all the same people who will make a board game night special.

At any rate, here are seven of what I believe are the most interesting and potential-filled nighttime backyard dinner party themes other than the obvious ones like barbecue or picnic.

• Luau – It’s no surprise that the heavily naturalistic native Hawaiians developed one of the most fun dinner party types, the luau. The decor consists of tiki torches, colorful flowers, sand on the ground, and ocean-themed ornaments. Pipe in some traditional Hawaiian music. You can even hire some Hawaiian dancers if you want to go all-out. Serve traditional dishes like roasted pineapple, poke, and pig on a spit.
  
• Game Night – Especially fantastic for loud, fun-loving groups who are not afraid to embrace their inner kid. There are no specific menu parameters, but decorating with a lot of flashing lights and other elements that will create a fun atmosphere is ideal, as is playing lighthearted music like rock or pop. After dinner, guests can really kick loose with some party games like Charades, Heads Up, or Catch Phrase.
  
• Murder Mystery Dinner – Murder Mystery Dinners are a type of event where the host develops an intricate whodunnit-type murder mystery story (there are lots of pre-conceived stories available online) and actually has it play out at their dinner. They assign everyone roles and give everyone a paper with their character’s qualities, and all the guests play out their roles while they try to discover which of the other players committed the murder. Oh, and you get to serve a meal in the midst of it! It’s tons of fun, though it requires a specific type of guest to enjoy it.
  
• Movie Night – After serving dinner, screen a movie for all the guests! So that you can keep things outside, you should look into a projector like the one in the “outdoor dinner parties essentials” section below. Also, stock up on popcorn and other refreshments to help create a movie theater experience. It might be hard to come up with enough comfortable seating for all the guests, so simply laying blankets and large cushions on the ground is a good idea.
  
• Taco Fiesta – Pretty much everyone likes Mexican food, and it’s very filling. It’s also a great food to eat at a nighttime backyard dinner since all the cheese, salsa, and cream has a way of warming the belly and keeping body heat up. Tacos, enchiladas, nachos, refried beans… they all tend to be big hits, and they go great with traditional Mexican music and colorful decoration.
  
• Fish Fry – Fire up the barbecue and party like you’re in Louisiana! Whip up some simple but delicious dishes like grilled fish, lobster, crawfish, oysters, prawns, maybe even paella if you’re feeling ambitious. Throw on some salty sea shanties, give everyone those plastic bibs they have at New England seafood restaurants, and let everyone eat until their stomach hurts. A dinner party like this is too messy to hold indoors, so the backyard is the perfect venue.

Outdoor Dinner Party Seating

If you have a yard big enough to host parties, it’s almost a waste not to get some lawn or patio furniture that can make those potential parties into reality. You’ll need a table, chairs, and other seating, and all of it should be able to stand up to the elements.

You can take care of both the table and the chairs in one fell swoop by purchasing a wooden outdoor dining set like this one. These sorts of sets are built to withstand rain, snow, and anything else mother nature might throw at them. They also give your backyard a refined look that will spruce it up even when you’re not having guests over for a nighttime backyard dinner.

If you plan to invite more than a few people over, though, you’ll probably need more chairs. I’d recommend this set of folding teak chairs. It matches the dining set almost perfectly, and the quality is pretty amazing considering the low price. It’s also great to have some extra picnic blankets available to throw on the ground in case guests want to lounge away from the table.

Serving Food Outside

As I noted before, eating outside causes hot food to cool down more quickly than eating indoors. Even if your guests will start eating the food immediately after it is served, try to plan a menu of items that won’t get much worse if they cool down to a lukewarm temperature. The exception is if you have a grill that’s outside with you and that you can use to serve food literally hot off the griddle.

If you decide to go the route of serving cold food, there are certain precautions you should take both to keep the food tasting good and to prevent issues with food poisoning. I recently did an entire post about keeping cold food cold outside, and I’d recommend you take a look if it might be helpful.

Whatever temperature your food will be at, know that it will most likely attract bees or other insects. Use bug repellents like specially-scented candles to counteract that, and cover all foods with mesh netting if you plan to leave them sitting and there are any bugs around.

Outdoor Dinner Party Essentials

The decor and entertainment you have to support your theme at your nighttime backyard dinner will likely make or break the event. There are of course certain props and decorations unique to certain themes, but the nine products listed below are items that will add to any outdoor party regardless of theme. Even if you have nothing else, these items will make the party a success.

1. String Lights

by [amazon link=”B07MG4HDKG” link_icon=”none” title=”Abeja” /]

[amazon fields=”B07MG4HDKG” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”50 Feet Patio String Lights”]

Not only do these provide a good source of dim lighting, but they give the event a beautiful, almost whimsical look that magnifies the magic of a warm summer night. It’s pretty amazing how just a few small strings of lightbulbs can transform your backyard into an ethereal-feeling summertime playground that will help your party stand out in guests’ memories for years to come.

2. Citronella Candles

by [amazon link=”B07LG27718″ link_icon=”none” title=”HITHYS” /]

[amazon fields=”B07LG27718″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Citronella Candles Outdoor and Indoor”]

As I mentioned, nothing ruins the mood of a party like getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. These 100% soy wax citronella candles are great at repelling the insects while smelling relatively good to humans. They have three wicks for added strength, but they still burn for a total of 45 hours. They come in a gorgeous floral-patterned tin, and the tin has a lid so the candles are easy to transport.

3. Bocce Ball Set

by Crate & Barrel

Whether or not you’re having a game night-themed party, adding a fun diversion to your lawn is a great way to make sure guests never get bored. Bocce ball is also a classy and dignified game, so it won’t add any air of tackiness to the party. In fact, having a few guests lightly tossing bocce balls around the lawn while others sit and talk on patio furniture or sample finger foods will create a festive party atmosphere. This set in particular has a very suave look and comes in a good-looking all white canvas carrying case.

4. Table Top Barbeque

by Williams Sonoma

Tabletop barbecues are excellent tools for providing hot and fresh foods at nighttime backyard dinners, and they also add another fun activity for guests. This model is better than most similar products at cooking foods (especially meats, vegetables, and eggs) perfectly, with its steel grill set over a well for real charcoal and its adjustable airflow settings. The exterior is made from a sleek powdered steel and the handles on either side of the grill are made from silicone, which is basically heatproof. It’s easy to set up and break down, and it even has an attachable polypropylene strap.

5. Rolling Cooler Cart

by Permasteel

This cooler is a monster; it can hold 80 quarts, equal to 110 twelve ounce cans, and it’s made of brushed solid steel. Don’t worry about the weight, though – it sits atop four tall legs with smooth-action wheels on the bottoms. It has a bottle opener built onto it and a cap catcher under the opener so the ground in your yard won’t become cluttered. After use, the cooler is easy to clean since the dual-hinged lid is removable and the bottom of the cooler has a drain plug to get all the water or ice out. The cart is available in nine vibrant color options.

6. Dinnerware Set

by Pottery Barn

These colorful hand-painted serving platters are not only versatile in terms of their aesthetics, but they are also durable enough to handle the outdoors. They probably won’t survive being dropped, but they can withstand things like rain, dust, and other weather conditions that might erode or discolor other platters. The set includes four dinner plates, four salad slates, and four bowls, all of which are adorned with unique and vividly-colored designs.

7. Projector & Outdoor Screen

I’ve never really understood why people will pay thousands of dollars for a 40” TV when they could get a 100” projector screen and projector set for a tiny fraction of that price. This projector-and-screen set is a prime example of what I’m talking about. The projector gives off a clear, bright image and has powerful high quality speakers built in. It has wifi capabilities, so it can play media without a cord. It also has a wide variety of inputs, though, so it can play straight off a phone or laptop. The included screen i pretty barebones, but it’s more than suitable to display background imagery at a party.

If you’re planning on leaning into the “movie night” party theme or if money is not an option, you may want to consider buying a dedicated outdoor projector screen. This 124” model has a steel frame that is tethered in place by steel stakes, nylon rope, and steel grommets. The screen itself is made from durable waterproof polyester. It can stand up to any weather-relater wear and tear and is easy to assemble.

8. Fire Pit

by Solo Stove

Unless you live in Southern Florida, it’s impossible to guarantee a warm night for your nighttime backyard dinner party. That’s why, if you plan to host any of those types of parties, it’s a good idea to always have a smokeless fire pit like this one on hand. It’s also a great source of light, especially since a flickering fire provides more ambiance than any static light can. Finally, it’s a great centerpiece for guests to sit around after dinner and roast smores. No campfire? no problem! 17 ways to eat Smores without the campfire..

Get Ready To Party

Becoming known for throwing great backyard dinner parties isn’t as hard as it might look, and it’s a very effective way to become the most popular person in your neighborhood or social circle. Having the equipment also makes it easy to organize an incredible date night or a memorable evening with the family. I hope this post gave you some of the knowledge you need to arm yourself with to make the concept a reality in your own backyard.