Earth Day Party Ideas: Fun All Around Whether Inside or Outs
Earth Day is a time to honor this planet that feeds us, supports us, and provides us endless beauty (as well as water and air). This holiday invites us to be mindful of how our collective habits affect the environment and what small efforts we can make to change those impacts from negative to positive. And it’s also about celebrating! An Earth Day themed party is the perfect opportunity to gather friends for a playful and uplifting get-together. Whether you pot plants or play a sport outside, we’ll cover plenty of Earth Day party ideas here.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means I may earn commission if you click through the link and finalize a qualifying purchase. This does not affect the price in any way.
How to Throw an Earth Day Themed Party
1. Set the Scene
The best setting for an Earth Day party is, obviously, the Earth! If at all possible, host this party outside. We’ll also of course cover an indoor Earth Day party in case that’s necessary/preferred.
What You Need for an Earth Day Party in Your Yard
If you have your own yard, you have an ideal setting for hosting an Earth Day themed party. Depending on your location, weather may be very favorable indeed. But it’s wise to invest in a decent tent that you can erect should the weather turn terribly wet or cold. If you don’t have a covered veranda or another all-weather option for hosting outdoors, or if your region of the world threatens strong winds or other party-thwarting weather that a tent can’t withstand, have a Plan B to quickly transfer the party indoors (see below).
If you have nice outdoor furniture, that’s terrific, though plastic lawn chairs or folding chairs are all you really need for a casual outdoor party. Picnic blankets and cushions on the grass are also a simple and delightful seating option. If any guests are older or less limber, just make sure you provide at least enough decent chairs for them.
If you don’t already have an outdoor table that’s large enough for all your party platters, you’ll need to buy or borrow a sturdy one that’s easy to set up. It doesn’t have to be fancy since its purpose is simply to hold all the party food, drinks and serveware. Of course, when hosting a more formal dinner party outside, you’d want a nicer table for everyone to sit together to eat. But at casual outdoor parties, people typically carry their plates while eating or sit in a chair and hold their plate on their lap.
What You Need for an Earth Day Party at a Park Shelter
If you don’t have a yard (or if your yard isn’t suitable for hosting a party), you can always invite your friends to another outdoor location to celebrate Earth Day! The best way to ensure that you won’t get rained out is to rent a shelter at a park (contact your local jurisdiction’s parks and recreation department for pricing and availability). This provides an even more robust shelter against rain, though it unfortunately still isn’t immune to strong winds or extreme cold. Depending on the type of shelter, there is usually picnic table seating. So all you’ll need to bring is the food, drinks and serveware.
What You Need for an Earth Day Party at a Park or Other Public Outdoors Space
If renting a park shelter isn’t an option, you can always invite friends to meet at a specific location at a public park and bring plenty of picnic blankets along with the food! For this option, it’s best to invite friends to bring a dish to share potluck-style and BYOB (both water/hydrating beverage and, optionally, alcoholic beverage if it’s allowed at the location) – see 5. Guest Participation.
Transporting a party trolly of cold beverages isn’t logistically feasible when you can’t park a car right next to a shelter. You are also limited on which other items you can carry (i.e. pack a frisbee or soccer ball instead of a cornhole set). When you are walking over grass or other non-paved terrain to your party spot, you can only bring what you can carry on your back or feasibly pull behind you in a travel suitcase or cooler. So keep this in mind and plan accordingly. You should pack at least one decent party dish to share, but a BYOB Earth Day party ensures that there’s plenty for everyone to partake when you can only carry one dish.
What You Need for an Indoor Earth Day Themed Party
If you host your Earth Day party indoors, you can still bring the earth inside by engaging your guests in plant-potting! Gather plenty of soil and pots (cover the floor with old sheets if you have light-coloured carpet) and buy seeds or saplings that everyone can plant in their own pot. Maybe you provide seeds and small plastic pots so people can take their plant home to raise from seed. Or maybe you provide seedlings and your own pots so people can repot them in an attractive vessel that you then showcase in your home. Or invite guests to BYOP – that is, Bring Your Own Pot (not that kind of pot!) – so they can repot seedlings in their own pot to take home. How you do this is up to you, but the best Earth Day party ideas for hosting indoors involve bringing the earth inside via plants and soil!
For planting seedlings, here are some fun planters:
- Chinese takeout planters
- Natural cork bark planters
- Turkish rug roll planters
- Plant pots made from recycled materials
- Unique and attractive eco-friendly planters
- Miniature succulent/air plant pots
Here are some Earth Day themed decorations and seed packets:
- Earth Day burlap banner
- Earth garland
- Earth party kit
- Plantable confetti hearts (homemade paper mixed with wildflower seeds, pack of 100)
- Planet Earth seed bombs with US-native wildflower seeds
2. Prepare Earth-Harvested Foods
Time to get earthy! For your Earth Day party menu, serve as many fresh, whole foods from the earth as possible. Stock up on local produce from a farmer’s market and chop up your own seasonal veggie tray. Or make roasted veggie kebabs. Buy local homemade bread to share for sandwich bites. Buy local eggs and whip up a delicious egg salad – whether for sandwiches or to eat on its own. And, in the playful spirit of Earth Day, have mud pie or Earth Day cookies for dessert (okay – not everything has to be fresh from the earth)! Drinks can be simple – water, green tea, juice and kombucha are all Earth-inspired options.
If you’ll have an Earth Day potluck, you won’t need to prepare as much food – but as the host be sure to provide at least one large dish that is both tasty and filling (just in case others end up bringing things that are less tasty or less filling). And you may need to modify your menu if you’ll carry everything to a shared outdoor space (i.e. focus more on easily-transportable finger foods instead of messy platters).
3. Plan a Fun Playlist
If your Earth Day themed party will be indoors, it’s always fun to play pleasant, upbeat music. There is no one-genre-fits-all when it comes to Earth Day party ideas – your choice of audio depends entirely on your taste. But don’t just flip on the radio and hope for the best. Plan your fun playlist with some thought! So long as you keep the music positive (i.e. not blatantly depressing or irate), it will add to a good vibe.
4. Plan Earth Day Themed Party Games or Activities
If you are hosting outside, enjoy the earth itself with Earth Day party games! Get a frisbee to toss back and forth (or play ultimate frisbee), or a soccer ball or football. If you can get or borrow a bocce ball set, that’s also a fun outdoor game anyone can play. Cornhole’s another popular outdoor party pastime.
If you or another guest can play an instrument, encourage them to bring it and play during your Earth Day party! Hanging out outside with friends while listening to live music is always enjoyable.
If your Earth Day themed party is indoors, plant-potting – as mentioned above – is a great way to engage everyone in Earth Day. You can also check out these printable digital games:
5. Establish Guest Participation
Guest participation is optional and depends on how you’d like your guests to participate or contribute to your party. A potluck requires that guests share a dish or drink. BYOB (or BYOP – bring your own planter/pot) informs guests to bring their own beverage. Whatever type of participation you request of your guests, make sure you clearly communicate it when you initially invite them.
Checklist of Items You Need
These are the things you need for an Earth Day themed party:
- Planters and seedlings and/or seeds (*especially if your party will be or may be indoors)
- Earth Day themed party decorations (*optional and depending on party space)
- Tent and/or some sort of shelter as needed for outdoor party
- Outdoor furniture as needed for yard party
- Earth Day-inspired foods (as well as beverages and serveware)
- Music (optional and depending on party space)
- Any game equipment for outdoor party (i.e. ball, etc.)
- Earth Day party games (optional, for indoor party)
Preparation Checklist for Your Earth Day Themed Party
1. First, confirm that people can come on any chosen date:
- Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well. Earth Day is April 22nd. In 2024, that falls on a Monday. Depending on your friends’ availability, it may make most sense to host on the Saturday or Sunday just before.
- Choose guest list and establish minimum number of guests you’d like (to make it worth your effort)
- Six weeks out, confirm guests’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s)
- If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure calendar date for your awesome Earth Day party!
2. Then, proceed with the fun planning:
- Schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep as listed below (securing and/or making food/drinks, etc.)
- Create invitations with all the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
- Order any party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to prepare and set up)
- Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
- In your planned time slots, arrange any outdoor furniture/shelter as needed
- In your planned time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
- In your planned time slots, set up decorations (optional)
- In your planned time slots, prepare food/drinks (depending on how long things keep)
3. Day of Party (in your amply planned time slot):
- Prepare any foods/drinks that are too fresh to do any earlier
- Set up music and any quick/easy last-minute supplies and decorations (if not up already)
- Get dressed in your favourite comfortable Earth Day party outfit
- Once everything’s ready, meditate or do any preferred self-care to get in a good head space if you aren’t already. You want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host. With plenty of focused effort and a flexible mindset (April weather can ‘misbehave’, after all, so remember Plan B to party indoors if need be), you and your friends will have a great time!
