This time of year in Phoenix is gorgeous, with daytime highs in the 80s and nighttime lows in the 50s. It’s perfect weather to be outside next to the grill for a gathering of friends and family. Lucky for us, most of the year here is great to host parties out of doors, but the trick is in knowing how to keep guests busy and happy, whether it’s a 60º winter day or a 115º summer heat wave. Here, we provide some considerations and suggestions before you plan your next party.
The Age of Participants Matters
Children are pretty hardy when it comes to weather. If you’re hosting a bunch of nine-year-olds, you can put them outside any time of year and they’ll be quite happy. A backyard party in the pool or making snowmen won’t matter to active young kids. However, when your attendees are adults whose idea of a good party is standing around with a drink in hand, you may want to plan your venue accordingly. Your goal is to keep them at as close to room temperature as possible, whether that requires heating things up or cooling things down. If they’re not worried about being hot or cold, guests will be more focused on enjoying your fantastic party.
What Are You Planning?
If your goal is a rousing game of softball, you probably don’t want it to be over 100º in the shade (unless it’s for kids; those guys barely sweat!). Take into consideration what your goal is for the party and what the reason is behind it. If it’s a child’s birthday party, you can assume that the kids will be active. So if it’s hot, add water: a pool, sprinklers, or even misters can cool them down quickly. If you want a mid-summer wedding, it will probably be a better idea to have it indoors or close to air-conditioned facilities. You really can’t expect guests to dance when their clothes are sticking to them from sweat. Just remember that many parties ask guests to do more than just sit around chatting, so be ready if they need to get up and move.
Be Prepared — for Anything!
Although our weather in the Valley of the Sun doesn’t change too drastically from day to day, what is forecast as a sunny 80º day may start off overcast and cool. If you’re hosting an outdoor party during the late fall, winter, or early spring months, portable gas heaters will be just the thing to take off the chill as the sun goes down. Likewise, if your summer party revolves around the pool, make sure you have plenty of shaded areas, misters, and fans to keep revelers cool and comfortable when they’re not in the water. And during our monsoons and dust-storm seasons, be ready with a backup plan. What started out as a gorgeous, sunny day can turn in to a blowing hailstorm with little notice. Create either outdoor escapes or set aside an indoor area to wait out the passing storm before you let everyone venture back outside.
Have Fun!
With 300+ days of beautiful, sunny weather in Phoenix, it’s easy to plan a perfect outdoor party, whether it’s for a birthday, wedding, retirement, anniversary, or just because. Your home could be the envy of all of your friends with regular, year-round galas that make everyone feel comfortable — if you take time to do some pre-party planning. Check the weather forecast, have plenty of water available, keep portable heaters and fans at the ready, and offer a sparkling, cool pool, and everyone will be sure to have a great time.
Don’t have everything you need on hand to create that extraordinary party experience? Let White Knight Party Rentals be your backup and give you the bounce houses, portable heaters, chairs and tables, big-screen TVs, and linens you need to make all of your guests feel comfortable. Call us at 602-277-2789 to learn more!