Memorial Day is first and foremost about honoring all the brave soldiers who have lost their lives defending our country. One way we can do this is by holding closer to those we love and honoring the freedom those brave people fought so hard for. So gather your friends and family and get the summer started with these fun Memorial Day party ideas.
Decorate for Decoration Day
When the holiday was first introduced in 1868, it was called Decoration Day because people would decorate graves and memorials with flowers. Honor this tradition with beautiful on-theme decorations for your Memorial Day party.
Start with a patriotic color palette
You can’t go wrong with red, white, and blue for your table decor, banners, balloons, and more. But feel free to get creative with how you use the colors. Try different shades and textures to add dimension and variety to your Memorial Day party decorations.
🚩 Use ribbon, lace, and burlap to make a simple rustic patriotic banner.
🫙 Upcycle mason jars to create simple DIY patriotic rice jars with tealight candles in them.
🎈 Buy some packs of red, white, and blue balloons to build a balloon flag.
Fill the space with flowers
Keep with the original tradition by adding lots of flowers to your Memorial Day party decor. Create tablescapes with patriotic vases and vibrant arrangements. And adorn your doors or walls with beautiful floral wreaths and backdrops. You can use real flowers, fake flowers, or even paper. Test your DIY skills and make a giant paper flower American flag for a great photo background.
Have an American cookout
Offering an array of delicious food and refreshments is essential for any successful celebration. For your Memorial Day party, create a menu filled with traditional American fare, cold drinks, and sweet treats.
Fire up the grill
Take your Memorial Day party outside with a backyard BBQ or block party. Grill up classic American dishes like hamburgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob. Set up slider party trays or a hot dog bar with toppings and sides so your guests can build their own plates. For something more sophisticated, create an American flag charcuterie board.
🌭 Need more patriotic menu options? Borrow some ideas from these 4th of July recipes.
Serve some frosty drinks
By Memorial Day weekend, the weather will be heating up, so give guests refreshing drinks to cool off. Cold beers and crisp red, white, and blue cocktails are easy choices for adults. But Memorial Day parties are often family-friendly, so be sure you have non-alcoholic options on hand as well, like sodas, lemonade, or punch.
🍉 For an adult beverage, whip up a batch of watermelon sangria for a crisp and refreshing option.
🥤 Keep the refreshments kid-friendly and on theme with red, white, and blue layered drinks.
🍧 If Memorial Day will be extra hot, grab ice, lemonade, and red and blue punch for patriotic slushies!
Finish with frozen treats
No menu, or party for that matter, is complete without dessert. There are plenty of Memorial Day party ideas to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. Food coloring can turn almost any treat red, white, and blue, so have fun with it. Stay cool with patriotic popsicles and ice cream with fun toppings. And nothing is more American than apple pie, making mini apple pies great for parties!
🧑🍳 Need some extra hands? If cooking and serving on your own feels too time consuming, you can hire a local caterer and waitstaff to do the heavy lifting for you.
Play in the summer sun
Eating and mingling with your friends and family is a great way to spend the holiday weekend. But we say take it up a notch with some fun activities, music, and entertainment for a perfect Memorial Day party!
Create a splash zone
Give everyone a chance to cool off and have some fun at the same time. Whether you’re at the beach, in the pool, or playing in the backyard, there are a lot of exciting games that can be enjoyed by guests of all ages. Buy a bunch of balloons (literally) and set up relays, races, tosses, and more.
💦 Hopping in the pool for your Memorial Day party? Here are 15 Awesome Pool Party Ideas to try out.
Play some lawn games
Get a little competitive with some rousing lawn games! Classics like cornhole and ring toss are great options for a Memorial Day party. And our personal favorite is KanJam! Your guests can talk as they play and even keep a cold drink in one hand for an added challenge. Grab some red, white, and blue cans of spray paint to give your game pieces a patriotic flair.
Have fun with the kiddos
You can’t forget the little ones when exploring Memorial Day party ideas. Keep the kids engaged with lots of fun activities. If you have the room, party inflatables are always great for outdoor celebrations. And interactive entertainers like face painters and balloon twisters are perfect for a Memorial Day party.
🧒 Looking for more fun ideas? We have 10+ Simple Memorial Day Activities for Kids that you can check out.
Add a little live music
For bigger Memorial Day parties, live music can be a great way to entertain your guests. You can hire a singing guitarist to play in the background as everyone mingles, eats, and plays games. Or, you can book a cover band to perform a Memorial Day concert. Just make sure the crowd has plenty of room to dance!
🎉 We have more activities! These things to do for the 4th of July would work for Memorial Day, too!
Whatever ideas you choose when doing your Memorial Day party planning, don’t forget to stop for a moment and remember those we’ve lost. Hug your loved ones a little tighter and be thankful for all you have in this amazing life. ❤️🤍💙
Book something awesome® for your Memorial Day party! Find everything from live music to children’s party entertainers on GigSalad.
Heather is the Content Manager and a GigSalad veteran of 15+ years. She loves helping event planners create unforgettable celebrations and talent make a living doing what they love. When not at work, she enjoys reading romance and fantasy books, bingeing TV shows, playing board games, and spending time with friends.