11 Creative Summer Solstice Party Ideas

4. Botanical gardens

Gather together with your loved ones and have a small party at a botanical garden. Many botanical gardens have private areas that you can rent to host a small, creative summer solstice party. Surrounding yourself with nature is always good, and a garden party is an enjoyable thing to do to mark the start of summer.

5. Ice cream social

Remember back in elementary school when neighborhood kids got together and had ice cream socials? No? Well, trust, they happened, and they’re making a resurgence. Restart the trend by hosting an ice cream social for your loved ones and their kids. It will make for a very silly, sweet summer solstice party. Bonus: adults can easily transfer the ice cream social into a grown-up frozen drink bar. Margarita slushies, anyone?

6. Plant trees

The summer solstice is traditionally about harvests, abundance, seasonality, and growth. A special and creative summer solstice party idea is to gather friends together and go out and give back to this planet of ours by planting a bunch of trees. Check the local nurseries and determine what trees are best planted on the longest day of the year in your neck of the woods.

7. Bonfire

One traditional way to celebrate the summer solstice is with a giant bonfire, typically on a beach. You can host your own at a campground or if there happens to be enough space in your own backyard. Play drums, howl at the moon, do all the primal things expected during such a powerful and symbolic calendrical event.

8. Summer dance party

Make a playlist of summer grooves, set up upbeat summery décor like flowers and twinkly lights, and throw a fun solstice dance party. Think Beach Boys, Motown hits, and upbeat R&B for danceability and mood, and serve cold bevvies that scream “summer!”