THE COOL CLUB
Celebrate one of the biggest sporting events of the year with our list of crowd-pleasing party ideas.
If you weren’t lucky enough to bag a ticket to Wimbledon, don’t fret. You can bring the party to your own back garden, watching your favourite tennis stars battle it with friends and family in the comfort of your own home. If you’re getting ready to stage a grand slam soiree, We’ve put together some Wimbledon party ideas, which you can customise to your heart’s content.
Decorate your garden with Wimbledon’s favourite flowers
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and has been held here in the UK since 1870. Consequently, there are lots of English traditions that have become part and parcel of the sporting celebration – many of which you can embrace at home. One of them is using flowers native to an English garden.
Roses have been dotted around the Wimbledon grounds for years, as have hydrangeas and petunias. For a Wimbledon colour scheme, opt for shades of blue, purple, green and white – all of which look undeniably showy and will wow your guests.
You could also add a touch of other Wimbledon party decorations – both Union Jack garlands and floral bunting work brilliantly.
Serve and volley with a special Wimbledon party menu
No garden party would be complete without a lip-smackingly good selection of food and drink. Naturally, you’ll want a selection of juicy strawberries, some sugar and cream – but there’s loads more you can do to get the party started.
Put on a savoury spread full of colourful sharing nibbles, like pies, sandwiches and pastries, and small savoury bites like canapés. If you’re opting to make lots of puddings or sweet nibbles, your food can balance it all out, so go for strong, salty flavours like olives, cheese and cured meats. If you have the time, you could even have a go at making some tennis ball cookies or Wimbledon cupcakes.
Serve up a grand slam with the quintessentially British Pimms, or go for a trusty favourite – the G&T paired with large ice cubes such as Super Cubes for the perfect serve. The longest Wimbledon match was between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut in 2010, lasting a staggering 11 hours! So Whatever you do, don’t forget to buy enough quality bagged ice before your Wimbledon party – no-one likes a warm drink that’s supposed to be chilled!
For other Wimbledon party drinks recipes, check out this post.
Game set and match!
If you do a quick search for garden party games, you’ll be inundated with ideas for your Wimbledon party. But as it’s such a special event, we’d recommend going a step further and giving your games a tennis or ball theme, like table tennis or Swingball. We also love games that add a touch of fun to the party, like pin the racquet on Andy Murray, or a tennis-themed pub quiz.
Create a DIY Wimbledon Photo Station
Ok, this one might take a bit of work – but if you’ve got the time, it can be a really fun way of capturing your event and getting some giggles. Here’s how you do it – get some life-size cardboard printouts of key tennis stars and put them inside a giant selfie frame. Your guests will love snapping themselves and it gives you something to remember the day for years to come. You could even create your own party hashtag and encourage your guests to use it. Tip – photo booths often work well by the drinks station!
However you choose to mark this year’s Wimbledon, with a bit of forward planning, you can be sure to bring centre court home. We love seeing your garden party creations, don’t forget to tag us in pics of yours on Facebook and Instagram.
