Summer is a great time to have a get-together! Don’t struggle to come up with an excuse to have one – here are lots of reasons to have a summer get-together!
I love to host gatherings in the summertime. The weather is warmer, the days are longer, and our schedules aren’t as packed to the gills with kids’ activities. That means I have more time to host and my guests have more time to attend. I love to take advantage of this mutual availability while I can!
We all know the big summer holidays are great reasons to have a summer get-together, but don’t limit yourself to them when you’re planning when you want to have people over this summer. There are plenty of other reasons to have a summer get-together! Get in as many as you can while you can!
Reasons to Have a Summer Get-Together
May
I know that summer doesn’t technically begin until June, but we all get that summer feeling after Memorial Day, so I’m starting this list there.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is one of the best reasons to have a summer get-together! It really lets you kick off summer with a bang when you host a Memorial Day party. Fire up the grill, make some delicious desserts, and squeeze in a little Memorial Day tradition to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for us. And don’t feel like you have to plan your get-together for Monday. That whole long weekend is up for grabs!
International Burger Day
If you aren’t able to host a get-together for Memorial Day, but you’re free for revelry on May 28th (my sister’s birthday), have your people over for burgers to celebrate International Burger Day. You can keep it simple with basic toppings like ketchup, mustard, lettuce, and tomato or you can spice things up with a topping bar that lets your guests create the gourmet burgers of their dreams. Think bacon, blue cheese, onion rings, pimento cheese, caramelized onions, fried eggs – all the decadent things!
June
Summer really gets going in June. The kids are out of school for the summer, the days really stretch, and you’ve largely ditched the long pants and sweaters for a good while. Take advantage of these changes and find reasons to have a summer get-together as often as you can!
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is the third and final race of the famed Triple Crown. It is held on either the second or third Saturday in June, whichever happens to fall five weeks after the Kentucky Derby (which is held on the first Saturday in May). Although it’s common for people to hold Derby parties, it’s less common to hold a party to watch the Belmont Stakes. Let’s change that. Make a bunch of food, decorate with white carnations (the official flower of the Belmont Stakes), and get ready to watch the ponies!
Flag Day
May has a patriotic holiday that everyone celebrates. July has a patriotic holiday that everyone celebrates. June also has a patriotic holiday, but no one seems to celebrate it. Start a new tradition of throwing a Flag Day party and have patriotic reasons to have a summer get-together three months in a row!
Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th. It’s not a federal holiday, so you might have to plan your celebration for the nearest weekend day if the 14th falls during the work week. Do your best to throw the flag one heck of a party by making all things red, white, and blue. If you have a flag cake in your arsenal, now’s the time to bust it out!
International Picnic Day
If you’re looking for reasons to have a summer get-together that aren’t all about America, you can’t do much better than celebrating International Picnic Day on June 18th. I mean, come on! How much fun does it sound to spread a bunch of blankets on the ground in your backyard and invite the neighbors over for a picnic? It can even be BYOP (bring your own picnic).
Juneteenth
The newest federal holiday that we have added to the list of days many of us get off work is Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19th. Juneteenth celebrates the official end of slavery in the United States. If that isn’t a cause for celebration, I don’t know what is.
Regardless of your background or ethnicity, you can join in the celebrations on Juneteenth. Read the Emancipation Proclamation or the abolitionists’ writings, listen to African-American hymns such as Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, eat celebratory food, and make a plan to call your Representatives in Congress to pressure them to enact laws that put back the protections in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the Supreme Court just took away. It’s a call your Congressman party!
Father’s Day
Fathers get the undeniably better day to be celebrated, so don’t squander it! Father’s Day is one of the best reasons to have a summer get-together. The weather is usually perfect on Father’s Day, so plan something outdoors. Get all the dads in your life together and feed them good food, good drinks, and good company!
July
Keep the momentum going into July! Trust me, there are lots of reasons to have a summer get-together in July, and not just the obvious reason!
4th of July
Most Americans have some sort of celebration on the 4th of July, so you probably don’t need a reminder that this is one of the best reasons to have a summer get-together. What you might need are some great ideas for how to pull off an epic kid-friendly 4th of July BBQ. Of course, I’ve got you covered!
World Chocolate Day
Did you know that there is a whole day on which the whole world celebrates chocolate? You do now! World Chocolate Day is celebrated on July 7th and makes a fantastic excuse to pull all your best people together for a dessert party where chocolate is the star! Just promise me that brownies will be on the menu!
Christmas in July
I have no idea what the history is behind Christmas in July, but I can definitely get behind having a Christmas party in July when it’s a whole lot less hectic than at actual Christmastime. Deck the halls, turn up the carols, bake the Christmas cookies (brown butter sugar cookies are non-negotiable), and don your ugliest sweater for the most epic warm weather Christmas party!
August
As summer begins to wind down, and the kids start going back to school in August, it gets harder to find reasons to have a summer get-together. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though!
International Beer Day
I think the best reason to get the 21 and up crowd together in August is to celebrate International Beer Day on August 7th. You can throw a casual cookout with a free-for-all of beer in coolers or you can plan a more refined tasting event with carefully curated sips and matching bites. Whichever floats your boat is exactly the right way to celebrate beer.
September
I started “summer” for purposes of this list at Memorial Day, so that means I have to end it at Labor Day. Because Labor Day is the first Monday in September, that means we don’t have many reasons to have a summer get-together in September before “summer” is over.
Labor Day
Don’t miss the opportunity to end summer with a bang! Labor Day is the right time to really go all out. Grill all the meat, eat all the watermelon and corn, and soak up the last of the guaranteed warmth (unless you live in Florida – September is the worst month of the year).
Anytime
Of course, you don’t have to have the same reasons to have a summer get-together as everyone else. You can throw a summer get-together literally any time over the summer and for any reason (or no reason at all!). If you have special occasions to celebrate during the summer, turn them into reasons to have a summer get-together. Let no birthday, anniversary, graduation, or milestone pass you by without getting your people together to eat, drink, and be merry!
Other posts
Looking for more help to make the most of Summer? The following posts should give you some ideas:
So, what reasons to have a summer get-together are you choosing this year? Let me know down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason. Tag me in your pictures all summer long so I can see all the fun you’re having!