Cosy Outdoor Winter Party Ideas

How To Make Your Outdoor Winter Party A Roaring Success

As the winter temperatures drop, are you planning to pack up the barbie and hibernate? Just because colder days are here, it doesn’t mean the end of cosy outdoor entertaining and friendly get-togethers. If the twinkle of fairy lights, the chink of glasses and the sound of laughter make you long for summer, then read on. 

 

Backyard entertaining and fabulous outdoor fun doesn’t have to stop when the winter chill settles in and the temperatures drop. Party ideas for winter just need a little careful planning and creativity to keep everyone comfy and the drinks flowing. Hosting a cosy outdoor winter party is a charming and creative way to entertain! There’s few things more relaxing than sitting around an outdoor fire bundled in comfy warm clothes, and sharing a drink with friends.

 

Here are our tips on how to entertain in colder weather, from gorgeous winter warming food and heating gadgets, to outdoor party activities for adults. It takes very little planning to get your backyard ready for winter entertaining. The results will be more than worth it, and your guests will absolutely love your unique winter alfresco party ideas.

 

How Can You Heat Up An Outdoor Party With Cosy Ideas?

Setting the scene means igniting a winter party mood, creating warm spaces and adding a cosy ambience to your garden or deck. Whatever your theme, a soiree during winter weather needs heating up! 

 

Set The Scene With Shelter

Put up portable screen gazebos or enclose porches to offer some protection from chilly winter breezes. Create a sense of welcoming warmth with candles and lights strung from the trees and soft, outdoor lighting. Place rugs or large floor cushions around the seating areas. Remember to add some music to complete the winter wonderland scene.

 

 

Create Hot Zones

Let your guests take the chill off with brightly coloured patio pillows on all your outdoor seating. Provide warm wool or fleece blankets and throws for guests to wrap around themselves. Add in some extra sets of fleecy mittens, muffs, scarves and hats, and they are sure to stay toasty warm all evening.

 

 

Fire Pits & Chimeneas

Firepits and braziers provide a fabulous focal point for a party, and everyone loves gazing at flickering flames. Outdoor fireplaces are affordable, portable, and free-standing. They create a wonderful atmosphere, and you can even use them for cooking food or toasting marshmallows. For extra outdoor winter party warmth you can also buy heaters that provide cosy heat for small get-togethers, perfect for patios and gravel areas. If you have a large space, then a bonfire will really keep your guests toasty. Nothing beats the glow of the fire’s embers late into the night. 

 

 

Warm Drinks Station

One of the most important outside entertaining ideas is that drinks are as vital as your source of heat! Greet guests with spicy, hot mulled wine and apple cider to warm them up. Hot chocolate, fiery liqueurs and hot toddies will also go down a treat throughout the evening. Whisky and spirit hampers make it easy to provide a selection of winter warming drinks to suit all tastes.

 

 

Hearty Outdoor Party Food 

Comfort food is always a winner for outdoor winter parties, so BBQ food, pizzas and hearty soups are ideal. Chilli, winter stew, curry and hotpot are always warming alternatives. If you have an open fire, serving baked potatoes, hotdogs or kebabs can add to the fun ambience. A portable pizza maker is a fun outdoor food idea if you don’t have room for a pizza oven.

 

 

Fun Winter Party Entertainment

Outdoor games of any kind will soon get everyone heated up. If it’s during the day, organise a treasure hunt or have guests working in teams on an interactive quiz. If it’s nighttime, fun winter party ideas could be watching a movie on an outdoor projector screen, giant bubble blowing competitions for the kids, or battle it out with backyard laser tag.

 

 

Outdoor Winter Party Ideas For Adults Birthdays And Occasions

Cold weather birthday party ideas are guaranteed to bring some warmth into everyone’s life. Once you’ve set the scene and turned up the heating, introducing a theme or some organised outdoor party activities for adults can make it even more enjoyable. Whether it’s a formal or casual party, look to the season itself for unique concepts that are sure to become catchy annual themes as temperatures drop. Here are four different fun ideas for winter entertaining to get your creative juices flowing:

 

White Wonderland

You may not have the magical glisten of fresh snow but you can recreate it by throwing a white extravaganza party. From your decor to guests’ attire, choose everything white and sparkly. Decorate with white lights, glitter and snowflake decorations. Treat guests to white wine, elegant white cocktails, white fish and iced white cakes for an elegant wonderland theme. 

 

 

Marshmallow Toasting Competition

Plan a few outdoor winter party activities that will work around your firepit. Toasting marshmallows is an essential that even the grownups will love. Provide your guests with long toasting forks and a selection of camping marshmallows and toppings for the ultimate fireside desserts. Melted chocolate, crushed nuts, toasted coconut, pretzel crumbles, and plain crackers are all great accompaniments for toasted marshmallows.

 

 

Iced Beer Bash

If your friends are made of stern stuff, host a fun cocktail party with a difference. Serve up ice-cold craft brews in chilled glasses and add in some frosty beer cocktails. Host Aussie drinking games like flip cup and beer pong and have a classic frozen beer luge. Remember, guests will need to warm up quickly after their intense winter beer experience! 

 

 

Ultimate Apres Ski Party Theme

You don’t need to live in the mountains to host a party with the relaxation and camaraderie of an Alpine ski lodge. Invite guests to your ‘mountain resort’ and put skis and snowboards around the party space. Decorate with snow scenes and ski trail signs. For the ultimate lodge feel, have mulled wine or hot cider with rum, and a fabulous cheese fondue waiting for your guests, and stoke up that fire!

 

 

Bring A Cold Winter To Life With Hot Outside Party Ideas

With our warm, wonderful climate, entertaining outside is easy for most of the year. In winter, it just means making a few minor adjustments and re-thinking the atmosphere, food and drinks. We can party on, whatever the weather and temperature!

 

There are lots of fabulous fun winter party ideas and themes to choose from, so the key to success is keeping guests cosy. Then you can easily coordinate a sensational birthday celebration for adults or liven up winter with a warm, friendly get-together. With creativity and ingenuity, your outdoor winter party or gathering will be loved by everyone so much they will ask you to do it all again.

 

After all, our gardens and backyards deserve to be thoroughly enjoyed all year round. So, with some careful planning, you can also create a welcoming, comfortable and stylish all-weather area for your home. Then you have the perfect space for spending family time outside whenever you want - all year long!