Celebrating ‘Australia Day’ with Barbecue – Photo Courtesy: Mosman Council
There is nothing more Australian than getting together with some good people and enjoying a ‘barbie’. Barbecuing is fun, social, and also gives you a chance to enjoy some delicious fresh food and make the best use of your garden, beachfront area, patio or deck.
If you feel like you’d like to have more barbecues and get more out of your own outdoor space, here are some tips to throw great casual parties at home that your friends and family will love!
Getting the Invite Right
One of the key things to getting the right mood for your barbecue is choosing who to invite and how to invite them. If it’s a daytime family friendly event, then word of mouth is good, but if you want to let your hair down and have fun in the evening in an adult environment then why not try using social media to send out your invitations?
A Facebook invite is fun, but make sure you choose the people you want to invite proactively rather than just inviting everyone on your friends’ list including those who don’t even live near you. It is one thing inviting a lot of people and being open to whoever wants to come, but it can look really thoughtless to invite literally everyone, even those who are thousands of miles away.
Food!
Food is the most important part of the barbecue, so decide what you want to provide and what you want other people to bring along. If you want people to bring drinks and leave the food to you, make that clear on the invite, but if you want them to bring some food, not only ask on the invite but ask them to let you know what they are bringing in advance.
Some foods, like meats that will need cooking on the grill, will need to be worked into your rotation with the cooking on the day, so it is better to know that that is something you’ll be working with in advance. If you would rather have full control over the grilling station, ask people to bring along salads, side dishes or desserts that won’t require much effort to give to your guests.
Decorations
If you plan for the party to go on after dark, one of the most important things you’ll need to do is make sure you have plenty of outdoor lighting. Even if you aren’t planning to decorate in a festive way, some fairy lights, patio heaters or lanterns can make the party last much longer and give everyone a beautiful glow as the sun goes down, that can really enhance the ambiance.
If the party is due to be in the afternoon and you have no intention for it to go on after dark then simply make the outdoor area look as fun as possible, whether that is by using colourful throwaway items like napkins and paper plates and coordinating with your outdoor chairs or pool furniture, or by decorating more formally for the event with some fun party decorations, balloons, streamers or glitter!
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