Summer Festival Theme Ideas

Summer is the ideal season for a festival; the warm weather invites everyone to get outdoors, and most people choose to plan time off work in the summer months. If you're planning a summer festival, choosing a theme can help you as you select the decorations, food, music and activities. Once you have your theme idea, you'll be on your way to throwing a summertime party no one will forget.

The music of Jamaica is the perfect background to a hot summer day. For the entertainment, find both traditional and non-traditional reggae groups. For example, a steel band that also plays calypso would fit the theme, as would a disc jockey who specializes in reggae-dub music. Decorations should be Jamaican, including flags and lots of red, yellow and green. Vendors or buffet lines might feature jerk chicken, curried rice dishes and fresh fruit salad, along with a variety of frosty fruit drinks. Pull out the limbo pole for guests to shimmy under along to the music, and consider offering prizes for those who can go the lowest.

Few things are more worth celebrating in the summer than the sun itself. If your festival is around late June, consider a theme that focuses on the day the sun is in the sky the longest. This theme gives you a lot of flexibility, as many cultures have traditionally celebrated the solstice in a variety of ways. Overall, your focus can be on the sun and light; try lighting a few bonfires, or organize a parade with costumes and floats that celebrate nature and growth. Whether you hire live bands or a DJ, having room to dance is a must.

In South America, people celebrate Carnival (sometimes spelled Carnaval) in the summer, which is during the winter for the Northern Hemisphere. For your summer festival, celebrate Carnival in the season it was meant to be in. Live or recorded music can feature the socas and calypsos of a Trinidadian Carnival, or the upbeat sambas of Carnival in Brazil. An important feature of any Carnival is the colorful costumes; organize a costume parade with a panel of judges to choose the best one.