Start With a Patriotic Theme

Decorations don't have to be elaborate. A few strips of red, white, and blue crepe paper on the tables plus paper plates and napkins with flags on them and you're done. Centerpieces of red, white and blue flowers add a nice accent. You can even wrap the trees in red, white, and blue Christmas lights. You can even encourage guests to dress in red, white, and blue to further enhance the color theme!

The right choice of music can really add to the theme. Traditional Sousa marches or songs like "Grand Old Flag" are great choices. If you think this selection might be a little stodgy for the crowd, plenty of popular music stars have patriotic songs such as Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, Neil Diamond's "America", or "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood.

Classic Summer Menus

Just because most Fourth of July parties are barbeques, that doesn't mean that the menu must be limited to just burgers and hot dogs. Almost any meat or fish tastes great grilled and a variety of vegetables from mushrooms to corn on the cob can be cooked outdoors.

Lay out all the burger and hot dog fixings you can think of. Supplement the fixings with cool side dishes, but nothing that will spoil as the temperature rises. Potato salad, coleslaw, fruit salad and slices of watermelon are some good choices.

For desert, red, white and blue ice cream or a cake with appropriately colored icing is a festive choice. And or course, nothing is more American than apple pie. Be sure to have plenty of drinks on hand including sodas, iced tea, and bottled water. Once you think you have enough beverages on hand, get a few more cases! In the heat of summer, drinks tend to disappear quickly.

Plan Plenty of Activities

Even if you plan fireworks, there will be a lot of time to kill before it gets dark so have a variety of fun things to keep everyone occupied. One fun party activity that is growing in popularity are outdoor inflatable rentals! Although these may seem like something for kids, the inflatable slides and inflatable obstacles courses are great fun for people of all ages. To really get the party moving, organize competitions and prizes around the outdoor inflatable rentals and watch the level of energy rise.

Position the outdoor inflatable rentals all around the yard so that no single area gets all the traffic. If possible rent several different attractions so you can appeal to a wide range of interests. In keeping with your theme, ask for outdoor inflatable rentals in red, white and blue. To make these grand props even more impressive, set up decorations around them such as flags or tables decorated with streamers.

Your guests will likely be invited to numerous Fourth of July celebrations, make yours one that they won't want to miss and look forward to attending year after year. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can avoid the traditional, boring party and create an atmosphere of festivity that guests will remember for years to come!