Pool Party Ideas

Plan a party that's a splash! Here are our favorite pool party ideas for invitations, decorations, games and more to help you host a swimmingly good celebration.

Pool Party Ideas for Invitations

Sending great invitations can make your guests feel special before the party even starts. You can either make your own party invitations or send pre-made cards. Be sure to remind everyone to bring a swimsuit, towel, and sunscreen!

Beach Ball Invitations -- Use a Sharpie marker to write your party information on an inflated beach ball. Then deflate the ball, fold it into an envelope, and send it off!
Personalized Sun Tan Lotion Invitations -- Use your computer to make your own personalized party info labels for small bottles of sunscreen. Hand deliver these or send them in small mailer boxes so that they don't open up in the mail.
Flip Flop Invitations -- Using colored cardstock, cut your invitation into the shape of a flip flop. Print or hand write your party information on the front of the card, and add two ribbons to the invitation to look like the thong part of the shoe.
Summer Sunglass Invitations -- Give your friends an invitation and a fun summer accessory all in one by sending them invitations attached to a pair of colorful summer sunglasses. Write your party information on a decorative tag and tie it to the glasses with a ribbon. You should either hand deliver these or mail them in padded envelopes.

**General Invitation Tips** -- If you choose to make your own pool party invitations, don't forget to include the date, location, and time of your event. It's also helpful to put the host's name, RSVP by date, and either your phone number or email.

Here are some invitations we love, available for purchase from Tiny Prints:

Studio basics: personal stationery party invitatio, Floating Party

Floating Party Invitations

Studio basics: personal stationery party invitatio, Modern Splash

Modern Splash Invitations

Beachwear Bash Invitations

Pool Party Ideas for Decorations

Make your party feel like a total celebration of summer by using bright colors and tropical touches in your decorations. Here are some suggestions to help get you started:

Line Your Walk with Pink Flamingos -- Welcome your guests to the party with a greeting line of cheery pink flamingos.
Create Colorful Seating Areas -- Lay beach towels on the ground or on chaise longues to create inviting seating areas for your guests to eat and chat. Setting up some lawn umbrellas and beach chairs for shaded seating is a good idea as well.
Give Your Party a Tropical Touch -- Add an inflatable palm tree cooler to hold your party beverages, and scatter some beach balls around for a fun summer atmosphere.
Play Some Classic Summer Music -- What songs remind you of summer? Make a playlist and keep the hits rolling to liven up your party.

Use Summer Toys to Decorate Your Table -- Make a table centerpiece by anchoring a weighted balloon bouquet to the bottom of a sand pail. Surround it with other summertime toys, such as squirt guns, sunglasses, and beach balls. A giant rubber duck can also make a fun pool party centerpiece.
Set Out Waterproof Disposable Cameras -- Let your party guests capture the fun using disposable cameras. After the party these pictures can be added to thank you notes as a remembrance of the day!
Float a Troop of Duckies -- There are all kinds of fun themed rubber duckies available. Pick some traditional ducks, or go with some that fit a theme. It's also a fun idea to have some noodles, beach balls, and inflatables in the pool so that your guests have some options for activities.
Serve Food and Drinks Creatively -- Use a small inflatable pool as a creative drink cooler. Use colorful, clean sand pails as snack bowls and to hold utensils. You can also serve food on Frisbees for a whimsical touch.

Here are some pool party ideas for supplies that would make great additions to your party decorations:

Flip Flop Party Supplies	Fun in the Sun Party Supplies	Summer Fun Party Supplies
Flip Flop Serving Tray	Decorative Tissue Decoration	Beach Ball Cooler

Pool Party Games and Activities

Keep your party hoppin' with some fun games and activities! Here are some of our favorite pool party ideas to keep you busy...

** If your guests are children, it is really important to have an adult "lifeguard" on duty at all times during your party. Also, be sure that everyone is aware of the pool depth so that unsure swimmers can stay at the shallow end, and divers can play where it's deep.

Pool Volleyball -- You can either purchase a pool volleyball set or tie a string across the pool and use a large beach ball for a fun and active water game.
Rubber Duckie Races -- Line up everyone at one end of the pool with a rubber duck in front of them. See who can push their duck to the opposite end of the pool the fastest -- using only their nose!
Host a "Dive-In" Movie -- If your party is going into the evening, pull out a projector and show a movie on a bedsheet screen or on the side of your house. Give everyone an inner tube or inflatable and turn your party into an aquatic movie theater.
Dive for Coins -- Toss some coins into the pool and see who can dive to collect the most loot. A fun alternative to this is to have your guests dive for different objects that can be redeemed for prizes at the end of the game.
Cannonball Contest -- Let the guest of honor be a judge for a classic cannonball contest. See who can make the biggest splash, get the most height, emerge with the wackiest hairdo. Be sure to have your cameras ready!
Water Gun Battle -- Since everyone will be wet anyway, arm your guests with water guns and let them go to town.
Play Some Classic Pool Games
- Marco Polo -- One person is chosen as "it". The object of the game is for this person to wander around the pool and try to tag another player. To help him do this, he shouts out, "Marco" and everyone has to respond, "Polo." If you are tagged, you become the next "it".
- Colors -- One person is chosen as the tagger and stands out of the water facing away from deep end of the pool. Everyone else lines up on the wall in the water at the deep end of the pool. A category is chosen, such as COLORS. Everyone chooses a color in their heads. The tagger calls a color, and everyone who has chosen that color tries to quietly swim to the other end. If the tagger suspects that someone is moving, he can turn around and try to jump in the water and swim to tag them before they reach the other end. If, however, the tagger turns and no one has moved, he must take one step further away from the pool, making it harder to tag anyone on the next turn. If you are tagged, you become the next tagger and can choose a category for the next round.
Flip Flop Craft -- Decorate flip flops for a personalized party treat. Use a hot glue gun to add buttons and gems, or draw on designs with Sharpie markers. For more ideas, check out our Creative Party Buzz Blog post.

Pool Party Ideas for Food and Drinks

Foods that are light, fresh, and portable are great pool party ideas.

Hot Dog Octopi -- Cut halfway up the hot dog into 8 strips to resemble octopus legs. When they are grilled the hot dogs will curl a little to look like fanciful sea creatures. Add eyes and a mouth using mustard or ketchup. For an extra touch, serve these on top of a green spinach pasta salad.
Fresh Fruit Kebabs
Bowls of Goldfish Crackers
Blue jello containing "swimming" gummy fish
Popsicles
Lemonade, fruit punch, or frozen drinks (served with umbrella straws, of course!)

Be sure to check out the "pool party decorations" section of this page for some fun serving ideas.

Pool Party Favors

Send your guests home with a special memento of the day. Here are a few suggestions for party favors.

Sunglasses
Sunscreen or Aloe After Sun Lotion (add a personalized label for extra fun!)
Flip flops
Lifesavers Candy
Water toys
A CD of summer music

Hope you found some helpful pool party ideas in this page, and that your party is a total splash!

If you enjoyed these pool party ideas, you might also enjoy these parties:

Luau Party

Under the Sea Party

Jamaican Theme Party

Share Your Party With Us!

Have you hosted or attended a great party recently? We would love to hear about it! Tell us about your party and what made it special. We'll post it here to share with all our readers. Plus, your party will automatically be entered in our next party submission contest!

Your Party Theme

Tell us about your party...[ ? ]