We’re making our last summer hoorah a good one, albeit a little late in the game, with our tips for how to throw the perfect rooftop BBQ party!..
As promised, we’re bringing you one last hoorah before summer officially ends with Labor Day festivities!
You can recreate as little or as much as you’d like, but there are definitely some gems in here. Including, but not limited to, a giant inflatable flamingo pool, Barefoot Refresh, and snacks galore.
This probably goes without saying, but you don’t technically need a rooftop for recreating these ideas either. Of course, if you’re going for the wind blown hair look while you prep the grill, it’s great!
It’s also never a party until you’ve got your food and drink selections mapped out, so we’ll start there…
The Food We Prepared
To keep things simple and glassware-free (less accidents=winning!), we decided to go with cute plastic food baskets lined with patterned wax paper for easy prep and cleanup for entrees and desserts.
We opted for easy staples like hot dogs, burgers, chips, and a classic chocolate chip cookie for our grab-and-go baskets.
We also served the Summer Red and Crisp White Barefoot Refresh Spritzers chilled in single-serving cans which are super easy to take to any party location, plus they’re easy to toss or recycle afterward.
If you happen to land on a rooftop with a real pool instead of… our inflatable flamingo pool (ha!), then they’re even better suited since you can’t always take open bottles along with you.
Considering it was approximately 100 degrees for our rooftop party in Houston’s summer heat, we can totally attest to how refreshing they really are.
I don’t even consider myself a red wine girl, but the Summer Red was my favorite!
And any pool party isn’t in full effect until you’ve learned how to make Mini Ice Cream Cone Shot Glasses for serving your frozen treats!
For dessert, we had to have macarons there or it wasn’t a Sugar & Cloth party! We also mixed it up with these giant popsicle-shaped cake pops, watermelon, and assorted fruit trays for a not-so-sweet treat.
As an added DIY twist, we brought two grills for cooking. One stand-up grill for easy hot dog and burger requests, and one to make a marshmallow/s’mores station with color-coded dessert skewers.
I had trouble finding reasonably priced colorful grills, so instead, we painted the outsides of them with high heat spray paint for a safe alternative with a little added flair.
The Decorations
The Decorations
For decor, we let the furniture be the statement makers. We reused our DIY retro fringe umbrellas, and just so happened to score the coolest vintage mid-century outdoor table set ever from Rus In Urbe.
You don’t exactly need much when you have a giant inflatable flamingo pool as your outdoor centerpiece. And don’t be fooled, it holds WAY more water than you think!
Once you’ve gotten food conquered, it’s time for entertainment! Never mind the fact that I totally consider food entertaining, but you know what I mean.
As a play on the giant lawn games, I decided to make a jumbo flamingo tic-tac-toe board.
Admittedly it didn’t stand up all that well with the rooftop wind, so I altered the tutorial to use bigger “feet” for the flamingos to rest on. Needless to say, it’s a better game for a non-windy day!
DIY Flamingo Tic-Tac-Toe
4.5 in smoothfoam half circles, 2 for each flamingo
Two color choices of paint
The checkered mat will serve as the tic tac toe board, and all you have to do is fit each of the 12″ squares together in place.
For the flamingos, you’ll insert the metal rods for the legs, and then stick a foam semicircle match on the end of each leg, hot gluing them in place.
To mark the difference between X’s and O’s (or flamingos in this case), we painted the feet two different colors to tell them apart.
Bonus points if you can find a local rooftop with a putting green, too! No pressure, right?
Hopefully, you all have an awesome long weekend, and have just enough time to squeeze in a few last minute BBQ ideas!
Tips For Throwing A Rooftop BBQ Parties
Find The Right Venue
To start, consider your space. How big is your rooftop area, and what kind of furniture and decorations do you have?
If you have a large space, you may want to consider setting up a buffet or bar area so guests can help themselves.
If you have a smaller space, focus on creating an intimate setting with plenty of seating.
Figure Out The Right Food Menu
Then, turn your attention to the menu. BBQ parties are all about the food, so you’ll want to focus on choosing the right menu items.
Opt for classic BBQ favorites, like burgers and hot dogs, or try some more creative options, like grilled vegetables or marinated chicken skewers.
Set Up A Good Party Games
Finally, think about how you can get your guests involved. Consider setting up games or other activities that will help everyone have fun and get to know each other.
We love Scattergories games so we created some Free Printable Scattergories lists.
They’re cute as it is easy to prepare or like this fun DIY Flamingo Ring Toss Game that’s an entertaining hit for kids and adults!
You might also consider creating an atmosphere that encourages mingling, such as a themed costume party.
Check Our Resources
Sources — inflatable flamingo pool / Ikea watering can / light blue pool chaise / Marshall bluetooth speaker / colorful dessert skewers / black and white checkered mat /pink lawn flamingos / yellow gingham tray / tabletop weber grill / pink serving tongs / orange serving tray / mint melamine tray / pink flamingo stirrers / palm tree picks / daisy float set / beach balls / square standing grill / dusen dusen pillows and towels / Houston rooftop location at Integrate Agency
Thank our Barefoot friends for partnering with us on this post!
If you love this rooftop bbq party idea, please consider the following related articles –
- Backyard Games Idea: DIY Flamingo Ring Toss Game
- Easy Fig Sangria Recipe For Your Next Autumn Party!
- Summer Entertaining Idea: Orange You Glad Party + Orange Mojito Recipe
- Tropical Garden Party + DIY Fruit Necklaces For Summer
I love this fresh bright look ! I am in love with the cotton candy bar idea ! I wish there was a rent bar cart company here in the US! Love the fun in the sun vibes .
Thanks Kristen!! :) So happy you were inspired!
Magical, colorful, fun! with good company and sunshine makes for a marvelous day! You threw another lovely party!
Where are your double slide sandals from?
Thank you so much for such kind words, Melanie! We had the best time with this one. They are from Kate Spade. xo
That was fun! Now I think about my childhood. No rooftops PARTIES. Next year I will have mine on a rooftop!
So glad you liked the party idea! Can’t wait to see yours next year :)
These photos are so fun! I like the idea of the plastic baskets with printed wax paper – no muss, no fuss!
-Clarissa @ The View From Here
We’re all about minimal clean up ;)
I just want to come to this party!!
ah, would love that! Next time ;)
Holy smokes this is the cutest rooftop party ever! Totally going to try the red one you liked!
thank you so much, Edith! xo
It looks like so much fun! The flamingo tic-tac-toe is amazing! Love that detail!
So glad you like it, Monique!