Red, White, & Rainbow July 4th Party
Red, White, & Rainbow July 4th Party Idea
The 4th of July is one of those classic holidays that usually doesn’t change too much. We decorate with all things red, white, and blue. Have cookouts in the backyard. Spend time with family and friends. Watch fireworks and honor our nation. It’s a wonderful laid-back holiday that has easily become one of my favorites.
This year, I wanted to try adding a little more color to our 4th of July setup. Not only do I love all the colors of the rainbow, but it also serves as a symbol for celebrating all the different people who make up our great country.
To start the day:
The best part about 4th of July is hanging out and having a cook-out. But that usually means sacrificing a pretty table-setting, as people use patio furniture and chow down on hamburgers. So, I came up with the solution for this which includes incorporating an early 4th of July breakfast.
You can host this for family and kids or invite folks who typically have other plans for later in the day. Set your dining room table the night before so that when you wake up, all you need to focus on is making food. Bust out all the classic American breakfast foods – pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, eggs, and biscuits. You don’t have to go too fancy with the food because the focus is your festive table.
Breakfast Table-setting:
Set each place-setting with a plate, fork, knife, napkin, and cup. Keeping it simple but making a statement is the way to think about this table. Here you will see the rainbow theme coming to life in a very subtle way.
You can also create a neat centerpiece using a balloon kit. Typically balloon garlands are hung up as a display, but you can certainly use them down the middle of your table for a big wow factor. It reminds me of a firework display. For this centerpiece I used a classic red, white and blue balloon kit but also added pops of orange, mint, fuchsia, and purple for the rainbow theme.
Vendor love:
Plates – Ship Party & Return
Balloon Kit – Oh How Charming
Confetti - Festive Fetti
Cups – Oriental Trading
Napkins, Forks, and other table décor – Target Dollar Spot
Favorite Little Details:
Sunglasses at each place-setting make for a fun game and gift. Kids get to choose their seat based on the sunglasses they want to wear for the day. You can replace sunglasses with any 4th of July swag like temporary tattoos, bead necklaces, or hats.
The silver embellishments on the balloon display are bike handlebar decorations. I found them at target for $1 each. They fit perfectly into the cracks and crevices of the balloon display and give it just a little more “umph”.
Time to Celebrate:
We typically begin our traditional 4th of July celebration around noon. Because we are full off a big breakfast, the actual cookout doesn’t begin until about 3pm. But a big beverage station is a staple at my house for almost any celebration, and especially the 4th of July.
Beverage Station Setup:
Keep it simple but creative by elevating something classic like Lemonade. I like to offer a base drink that you can add other flavors to so that guests can mix and match.
It becomes an interactive station and apart of the party activities. Bonus points if it can double as décor, which this rainbow lemonade bar definitely does!
Here the base drink is classic yellow lemonade, plus water on the side (always offer water). Then along with that, there are 6 lemonade flavors that mimic the colors of the rainbow. Some of the more generic flavors you can find pre-made in grocery stores. Other flavors you may need to mix with a powdered drink like Koolaid or Crystal Light to achieve the color and taste that you want. You can also make custom simple syrup and add it to the lemonade mix instead of sugar for some of the more unqiue flavors.
Vendor Love:
Balloon Kit – Oh How Charming
Cups – Oriental Trading
Napkins – Target Dollar Spot
“Stars and Stripes” banner and silly straws – Ellie and Piper Co.
Carafes and Dispenser – Amazon
Lemonade Flavors:
Classic Yellow: Country Time lemonade mix
Strawberry Lemonade: premade Simply Strawberry Lemonade juice
Blue Raspberry Lemonade: Koolaid Mix
Citrus Lemonade: classic lemonade mixed with equal parts orange juice
Lavender Infused Lemonade: home-made lavender simple syrup added to pre-made lemonade
Sour Apple Lemonade: sour apple mixer mixed with pre-made lemonade
Sparkling Grape Lemonade: grape juice mixed with pre-made lemonade and topped with a splash of Sprite.
Favorite Little Details:
The star silly straws from Ellie and Piper Co. are so fun. They match the rainbow 4th of July theme perfectly incorporating some of the nontraditional colors like pink and purple. Silly straws and sunglasses for the win!
The turquoise fringe in the balloon display fills the open spaces perfectly. I was originally going to hang the fringe but ended up weaving it throughout the balloons and I love how it turned out. Bonus points in reusing the breakfast balloon centerpiece onto your beverage station!
Family Fun:
I start stocking up on outdoor water items and lawn games in the fall when everything has gone on sale. By the time summer rolls around, I usually have a bunch of stuff. Some things I bring out early after Memorial Day but I try to keep a lot of stuff secret for the 4th. Set everything up the night before or the morning of. It’s so fun to see the kiddos faces when they see all the stuff!!
Activity Ideas:
Blow-up or temporary pool is always a classic!
Floats and a slide for the pool
Water guns and water balloons
Slip and Slide + Sprinkler
Toddler splash pad
Corn hole
Sparklers and glow sticks
So, there you have it, a Red, White, & Rainbow July 4th Party Idea.
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