With the weather warming up, most of us will crave any way to cool down. To beat the heat of a typical scorching summer day, why not kick back by the pool and cool off among your closest friends? We believe that an epic pool party is in order. To make it as memorable as possible, we have some cool tips and tricks to help you throw the ultimate pool party that everyone will remember.
Ambiance & Seating
A pool party is all about keeping things vibrant, lively and fun and the way to do that is by playing around with the theme, ambiance and seating of the entire party.
Color Coordinate Everything
To make the party feel cohesive from start to finish, we recommend going for one to two colors and making them your go-to options throughout the party. With it being the summer, try to stick to bright and bold colors whether its blue and white or just yellow. Have everything in those colors, from the canopy and plush pillows to the lounges and tables.
Set Up Comfy Floor Pillows
Make your guests feel comfortable and right at home by setting up a cozy seating area. Toss a few decorative comfy outdoor floor pillows by the pool, making sure the snack bar is nearby and maybe even a hookah station. To give it an Arab touch, you can go for a typical majlis, which is known as the Arab-style low seating made up of red highly patterned cushions.
Set The Mood With A Party Playlist
Nothing screams pool party than an energetic and fun playlist to set everyone in a party mood. Get a portable speaker, place it somewhere where everyone will get to properly hear the music. For the songs, we recommend going for fun summer tunes like Mohamed Ramadan’s addictive hit “TMO” or Elyanna’s “Ana Lahale.”
Entertainment
With the seating, ambiance and mood set, it’s time for a bit of fun. We have curated a unique collection of activities to up your pool experience this summer.
Prepare Pool Games
Get your friends together and tap into your competitive side with a fun assortment of card games. You could go for the conventional, classic games of conquian, UNO or Monopoly Deal. You can also spice things up by going for a more out-of-the-box option with 2oolameme, an Arab card game all about matching life situation cards with hilarious meme cards like like Mohammed Henedy’s known saying “Hazb We Allah We Neam El Wakeel.”
Go For A Slippery Water Slide
With a pool party, you don’t have to keep all the fun in the pool and instead you can go for unique water activities at your garden. Time to invest in a slip and slide, known as a wet plastic sheet that gets covered in soap, providing a slippery surface to slide on. Imagine the exhilaration you’ll feel gliding through it on your belly at top speed. You can get your hands on one through Amazon and it will cost you 603 EGP.
Watch A Film Outdoors
After spending hours by the pool, once the sun starts setting, you’ll crave a more relaxed activity. A great way to spend the night is by lounging on some pool floats while watching a film on an outdoor movie screen. Get yourself an outdoor projection screen from Amazon for 1790 EGP and hang some string lights which you can also get from Amazon for 225 EGP. Then sit back on a pool float with your friends and enjoy some classic summer flicks including “Ice Cream At Gleem” and “Sana Oola Nasb” (First Year Of Deception).
Food
You can’t have a pool party without some delicious snacks, desserts and mini bites to enjoy. We picked out some options that will match perfectly with a summer pool theme.
Create An Ice Cream Bar
One of the best ways to cool off from the summer heat is to indulge in rich and creamy ice cream. A great way to do so is by setting up your very own ice cream bar. You’ll need ice cream scoops, ice cream cones, sundae cups, small serving bowls and Mason jars to store the ice cream in. We recommend going for Lebanese ice cream known as Booza which is made from clotted cream known as kishta, mastic gum and pistachios. It is widely popular for its stretchy and chewy texture and you can easily make it at home using this recipe. Another great flavor to try out is pistachio ice cream with rose water which you can make using this recipe.
Indulge in Poolside Savory Bites
Coming out of the pool, dripping wet but also hungry, you wouldn’t want to get water all over your plate. That is why, you can instead opt for easy-to-grab hassle-free finger food. Some great go-to options include classic labnah, cucumber and zaatar pita sandwiches rolled up into mini scrolls. Along with that, you can go for pastrami-wrapped dates that you can eat with a toothpick. The options are endless as long as you make sure that the food is easy to eat without creating a big mess.
Create Fruity Concoctions
Summer means many fruits will be in season, ripe and ready to be enjoyed. For the ultimate summer experience you can go for a large fruit platter with cubed mangoes, triangle-sliced figs, round peeled barbary fig and cubed watermelon. Another fruit option is to go for blended drinks including an icy Qamar El Din juice or fig and dates milkshake.
Using this special guide, you will able to throw a unique kind of pool party that will make you stand out among friends and family. Even without a pool, these options are flexible enough for you to even use them to throw a garden party.