Table of contents

• Introduction
• Beach Party Invitations
• Inflatable Beach Ball
• Sun Shades
• Beach Bags
• Beach Party Dress Code
• Beach Party Decorations
• Beach Party Guest Arrival & Announcement
• Beach Party Favors
• Beach Party Activities
• Beach Towel Leap
• Body Part Call
• King/Queen
• Beach Towel Prison
• Food & Drink

Introduction

Yeah! It's time to ditch the tie, shoes and jacket and get out those board shorts and shades. Oh, and don't forget your sunscreen because havin' a beach party is one of the events of the year. And just in case you need a couple of tips to help you organize, we've listed a couple of them below. But before we begin, just a little bit of information on the beach party - Or to be more exact, the oldest beach party.

While many of us believe that beach parties arrived with modern human beings in the last couple of centuries, this may indeed not be the case, as scientists have discovered on the coast of South Africa.

It is said that about 164,000 years ago a group of people got their gear together and headed down to the beach for what could probably be the first ever beach party on earth. Whether they swam or not is hard to say, but one thing is for sure: they ate well on foods such as mussels, clams, snails and barnacles.

Today beach parties are held around the world every year, especially during summer as the long hot days often make for mild starry nights under which revelers can party until the sun peeks over the horizon. An that being said, let's not waste any more time and get going with organizing our beach party!

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Beach Party Invitations

Below you will find some useful ideas for Beach Party invitations. Should you require any of the materials or items necessary, just ask your parents to help by purchasing them from a retail store in your area or from the internet. And remember, including the following information in your invitation will ensure that your guests will have al the information they need.

• Party Name:

• Salutation:

• Date & Time

• Venue/Location

• Dress Code

• Contact Details

• Additional information…
  

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Inflatable Beach Ball

Quite a simple invitation to make, this one will simply require you to purchase an inflatable beach ball for each of your intended guests. Once you have each of the beach balls, ask your parents if you could have the text of your invitations printed onto the surface of the beach balls. Another option would be to simply write the invitation details on to the beach ball.

Sun Shades

Here you will need a pair of sunglasses for each of the friends you intend to invite as well as a small paper-based invitation that will resemble a price tag. The latter can be created using a computer and a printer.

Once you have everything, simply attach the invitation to the shades using a bit of string and your invitation is done!

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Beach Bags

This invitation will require you to get a beach bag for each of the guests that you wish to invite. These can be acquired from your local beach supplies store or directly from the internet.

Once you have all the items, ask your parents to help you get the invitations printed onto the beach bag. If you don't have a printing firm in your area capable of this job, simply log on to the internet and do a quick search.

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Beach Party Dress Code

Stating “Beach Wear” on your invitation should suffice, however if your friends need any help with selecting their clothes, just tell them that swimsuits, board shorts, Hawaiian shirts, baggy pants and flip-flops will do just fine.

Beach Party Decorations

Add some decorations to your Beach-themed party to make it as authentic as possible. If you aren’t planning on making them yourself, then just ask your parents to help you purchase them from the appropriate retailer in your are or from the internet.

Now, what items do you associate most with the beach aside from sun, sand and surf? Here are a couple of ideas:

• Posters of the ocean

• Lots and lots of beach balls

• Buckets and spades

• Seagulls (get some plastic ones)

• Crabs (plastic)

• Surfboards (you can rent these if you live in an area where they are supplied)

• Inflatable palm trees
  

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Beach Party Guest Arrival & Announcement

To announce your guests you will need to imitate the accent of a beach bum. Also take care to use certain words usually associated with the beach, like:

• gnarly: means 'cool'

• tubular: also means 'cool'

• bodacious : mean remarkable

• dude: a boy

• dudette: a girl

• cowabunga: means 'cool'

• awesome

• bro/bra: short for 'brother' and used when addressing someone else casually

• hodad: someone who doesn't surf but hangs around on the beach
  

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Beach Party Favors

Beach Party favors are small gifts that you can give your friends when they arrive at your party. These gifts are often used as reminders of a good party so be sure to put your thinking cap on when choosing party favors. Below you’ll find a couple of ideas which you and your parents can buy from a store in your area or from the internet.

• Individual shells

• Sun Shades (If you haven't used them for invitations)

• Beach Balls (If you haven't used them for invitations)

• Beach Bags (If you haven't used them for invitations)

• Beach bracelets, necklaces and rings – found at surfing shops everywhere.
  

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Beach Party Activities

There’s nothing like an awesome beach party activity to ensure that a great time is had by you and your fellow beach bums. Below are a couple of ideas which you can use to spend some quality time with your friends.

Beach Towel Leap

To play this game you'll simply need five towels and a bit of space.

The game is started by laying out the towels (in full length but minimal width) about a foot away from each other with the last towel placed two feet away from the second-to-last one. When done they should resemble long worms stretched out on the ground.

The rules of the games are as such: each participant gets the chance to do one length. This is done by running over the towels and taking care not to step on any of them. When all the participants have run the initial length, the towels have to be moved apart another foot and everyone gets another go.

The trick of the game is to only have one foot between any two towels at all times. If more then one foot touches the ground between any two towels, that person is out. Should a towel be stepped on, that person is out as well.

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Body Part Call

This game simply requires a ball and will require all the participants to line up next to each other. One person should step forward with the ball and face the line of friends.

The person with the ball has to yell out a body part like "Hands!" or "Head", etc. and then throw the ball to anyone in the line. The person the ball is aimed at has to return the ball to the thrower by hitting (or kicking, as it may be) it with the appropriate body part.

Whoever does the wrong thing or misses, is automatically out of the round. And, as such, the winner is the last person remaining in the line.

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King/Queen

Quite a fun game but one that requires some speed and definitely some accuracy, this activity can be enjoyed by as many people as possible, all at once. And all you'll need to play it, is a small, soft ball (the hardest object that may be used is a tennis ball).

One person is selected as "IT" for the duration of the game. The game starts with "IT" having the ball and having to throw others with it. If someone is hit with the ball anywhere on their body except on clenched fists, they are in "IT"'s team. Those who are not "IT" may hit the ball with their fists or carry it between their firsts, but no other type of contact is allowed (if it does happen, they have to join "IT").

The winner of the game is the last person to avoid being hit by the ball or joining "IT"'s team. He or she then gets the title of King or Queen of the game.

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Beach Towel Prison

This game is best played where there is lots of space to run about. Participants must divide into two teams and select one person from their team to be the prisoner of the other team.

Divide the playing area in to two parts by using a number of beach towels lined up in a straight line. In addition to the divide, each team needs to create a prison at the back of their own half. This can be done by creating a square with some more towels. The selected prisoners then have to go and stand in the prison.

When everything's ready, someone from a team has to try and rescue their prisoner. This is done by running through the enemy lines without being caught. Once caught, he or she will then join the prisoner. If not caught and he or she reaches the other team's prison, they are safe... for the time being. They now have to escort the prisoner back to their own side without being caught. For the best effect, both sides should send rescuers out simultaneously.

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Food & Drink

Well, seeing as it is a beach party, you'll only have to think about those foods and drinks that you'll typically find on the beach. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Sandwiches

• Fruit salads

• Samoosas

• Hot dogs

• Hamburgers

• Pizzas

• Ice Cream

• Soda, water, fruit juices, smoothies, etc.

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