Fandango Catering Offers 3 Ideas for End-of-Summer Parties

With Labor Day fast approaching, we have to at least BEGIN saying goodbye to summer.  To make saying goodbye to summer easier--because most people enjoy summer and it's relaxed living--, an end-of-summer party or gathering is just the thing. 

This can take many forms--closing up the beach or vacation house/apartment, get-togethers after everyone's vacation, back-to-school or back-to-school sports gathering for families with kids, groups or clubs starting fall activities...Whatever form your gathering takes, you want it to be a bit summery to send summer off with a bang, and upbeat--because for some people the end of summer is totally sad!

Here are a few ideas to make your end-of-summer gathering wonderful:

Take final advantage of summer's bounty of produce and local food--Summer's lovely produce is still at its best but not for long, so feature it in your menu in some way.  Same for local food--for example, lobster rolls on the East Coast or shrimp boils on the Gulf Coast.  What is your region's special summer food? When we lived in New York we attended a wonderful end-of-summer potuck party where everything was local and regional: gazpacho made with home-grown tomatoes, delightful soft-shell crab rolls, and local lemon pots de creme, with the whole guest group finishing the evening outside with s'mores, with tealights spread throughout the garden.  So New York summer, and then everyone was ready for the after-Labor Day back to work and school thing.

Celebrate summery green things--An end-of-summer party is the perfect time to set out summer's last flowers, ferns, greenery, etc., from your garden or a friend's or neighbor's garden.  Not imported flowers or greenery.  Or if your theme is more beachy, mix summery green things with beach shells and other beach theme items (because too much beach theme alone tends to look kitschy).

Let people catch up without pushing them to organized activities--Often at end-of-summer parties people haven't seen each other all summer, or at least for a while, so why push them to some organized activity if what they really want to do is catch up? Let them do so in peace, and provide mood music rather than an organized activity to keep the party ambience going, and/or provide baskets of fun favors like little horns, slinkys, mini chalkboards and chalk, constellation cards, paddles-and-balls or catch-the-ball-in-a-cup: those who want to interact with these types of favors will do so if they wish, while those who don't won't be annoyed by having to stop their catching up at summer's end to participate in some activity.

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com