December is not usually the time most people associate with outdoor events, unless they involve winter woollies and snowball fights. However, December also means Christmas, and an increasing number of people are choosing to have incredible Christmas parties under the cover of a specially designed event tent in the great outdoors.
If you want to have a Christmas party to end all Christmas parties though, you’d better start planning right this second or you won’t have enough time to pull it off!
Outdoor Christmas parties – how to stop your guests freezing to death
Holding any sort of event outdoors in the middle of winter, you’d expect it to be cold, not to mention windy, rainy and perhaps even snowy. You can’t stop the winter weather, but you can take steps to make your guests comfortable. For example:
- Get them under cover. Shelter is essential for an outdoor event, so you need to hire an event tent or large marquee that is big enough to accommodate everyone. A tent may be a better idea than a marquee as it provides all-round shelter. The great thing about event tents is that they can be easily decorated and customised, turning them into a magical winter wonderland perfect for an amazing Christmas party.
- Turn up the heat. You’ve sheltered your guests from the weather, so you now need to warm them up. Get some expert advice on heating your event tent and preventing cold draughts from coming in, and your guests will soon be toasty warm.
- Hot refreshments. A catering company with experience in outdoor events will easily be able to provide you with seasonal hot drinks like mulled wine and hot chocolate, as well as hot food and snacks to suit your event. That should keep everyone nice and warm!
- Dress code. Only a cruel party planner would stipulate anything less than a warm dress code, so be kind to your guests! You may also want to provide blankets, faux fur coats and perhaps umbrellas for the comfort of your partygoers.
You should also remember that in winter, roads, paths and access points to your party site may be difficult to navigate. You need to have an action plan just in case roads become icy or snow-covered, and you might also want to pick a site that isn’t too remote or hard to get to.
Now for the fun festive stuff…
With your event tent up and heated, you can now start to plan the Christmas element of your event. Event tents like SaddleSpans are easy to decorate with all the fairy lights, Christmas trees, baubles, banners, lanterns and snowflakes you desire, so you can really go to town with your theme. You can also arrange events that fit in with the weather, such as a snowman building contest, or perhaps a fast and furious Christmas dance-off to warm everyone up on an ice-cold day.
An outdoor Christmas event can not only be a success – it can be the most memorable party you and your guests will ever attend, so it really is worth going the extra mile to overcome the challenges of the season.
