Memorial Day Weekend is celebrated as the kickoff to the summer season. It is also a time to celebrate, honor and remember those who have lost their lives fighting for our country and independence. Americans celebrate Memorial Day in a variety of ways, but a Memorial Day BBQ is one of the most common ways to spend the holiday. This Memorial Day, invite all of your loved ones over for a little fun in the sun with a barbecue. Open up your pool, set out some outdoor games and activities, and fire up the grill to welcome the summer season. Decorate your outdoor party area with a few red, white and blue decorations. Use these tips to help you plan a great Memorial Day BBQ!

Start by creating a setting for your BBQ with the help of some decorations.

Begin your party planning process by choosing the exact location of your party area. Will you host it in your backyard or will you host it at a nearby park? Also, be sure to have a backup plan if the weather does not work out in your favor. Once you have the location, you can start envisioning how you will decorate the party space. Keep in mind that you don't need to go overboard on the patriotic decorations-a red white and blue color scheme, with a touch of stars and stripes, will make for a classic and casual look. 

If you have a covered area in your backyard or park, such as a pavillion, cabana, etc., hang a few decorations from it to add a little color to your party area. Drape red, white and blue star garland from the topsides of your the pavillion of cabana. Or, make your own red, white and blue garland to hang by tying together red, white and blue bandanas! Additionally, to add a little extra flair, hang a few red, white and blue printed paper lanterns from inside of the covering. 

If there is no type of overhang available to you, you can create your own using crepe paper streamers and string lights! Hang the string lights first, to act as the base for the streamers. After your string lights have been securly hung, drape and attach a mixture of red, white and blue crepe paper streamers across the string lights. Secure the streamers by tying them around the strand of lights, or with tape. 

When decorating, focus mainly on your dining area.

Because this is a barbecue, the main activity at your party will be eating, and therefore, your dining table or snack table should be the focal point of your party decor. Designate an area in your party space for the buffet table. Have your guests help themselves to food when it's time to eat. First begin decorating the buffet table by placing a red and white gingham table cover over it. Drape a star garland across the front of the buffet table to add a little patriotic color to the buffet area, or hang red, white and blue paper fans from the table. If there is a wall behind the buffet table, decorate this as well! 

Place the food you've cooked in tin trays and set them on top of the buffet table, along with condiments and other snacks. Use larger tin pales to hold ice and beverages. Stick navy bandanas inside clear glass mason jars to hold silverware. If you would like to add more decorations to your buffet table, place bundles of red, white and blue balloons on the back sides.

When decorating your dining table, you can use the same table cover you used for the buffet table, or you can make the dining table a little more elegant. In order to do so, first cover your dining table with a solid white table cover. Using red and blue crepe paper streamers, criss-cross them to create a table runner (as seen in the image below). Secure your streamers with double stick tape. 

image via goodhousekeeping.com

For your centerpieces, craft your own American flag painted mason jars to serve as vases. Stick your favorite type of white flowers in each mason jar, along with a small American flag. Place them down the center of your table. You can even give these to guests as party favors at the end of your celebration! 

Image via alwaystheoccasion.com

Plan out your menu and party activities.

Your barbecue is not complete without food, so make sure you will have enough food and drinks for your guests to consume. This is a barbecue, so utilize your grill and serve burgers, hotdogs, grilled seafood, shish kabobs, etc. Grilled corn on the cob is a great side dish for a barbecue, along with a cold pasta salad, fruit salad, or any other type of chilled salad. Set out large pales filled with ice and beer, water and soda options. For a little fun, stick a few red, white and blue water balloons in the pales. Guests can throw them at each other at the party to cool off from the heat! Bake cookies or brownies for a simple dessert.

image via today.com

Set out some games for your guests to partake in during your barbecue. Popular outdoor games are bags, or corn hole, Frisbee, volleyball, and horseshoes. Try starting a bags tournament and provide a prize for the winning team! 

At Windy City Novelties, it’s our hope that this article inspires you to create a fun and unique party for your loved ones. For more helpful tips on organizing your event, email our dedicated party planning experts at [email protected]. You may also subscribe to our emails for weekly party planning ideas, featured products and more at https://www.windycitynovelties.com/customer/account/create/