Little by little, the warmer weather is creeping up on us and soon, it’ll be a hot summer in Los Angeles. That means it is the perfect time to begin thinking and planning your next pool party! There is always something to celebrate. Whether it’s a birthday, baby shower, graduation, or simply a get-together to hang out with friends and family, pool parties are the best way to celebrate and have fun in the summertime!

There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle when it comes to planning a party: theme, décor, food, drinks, snacks, entertainment and more. All of these aspects come together to create a fun pool party for all your guests to enjoy. If you’re in a bit of a rut with planning out a successful pool party, here are a few ideas that we love that can be great for residential as well as rooftop pool parties!

Fun Décor

Impress your guests with cute decorations all around the party area. If you don’t have a certain theme, choose a few colors and create a summery color palette and buy décor that matches those colors! Buy some garlands, banners, tassels and streamers to decorate the patio or pergola. 

For the tables, buy some fun plates and cups that match the party color palette. You can add flowers or confetti to the table to give it a pop of color as well. Target, Party City and Michael’s are all great places to shop for party décor. Target doesn’t have many artificial flower options, but they do have a lot of banners, garlands, colored plates, confetti, cups and silverware for all your party décor needs.

Decorate the Pool

The pool is the main event of a pool party (of course) and there are many options for decorating the pool. One of our favorites is pool balloons. This is an easy and cheap décor idea because you can find packs of balloons for a couple of bucks. Fill them up yourself or use a pump, then tie them up and set them in the pool to float around. You can buy different colors of balloons at Target or Party City to add variety. If you don’t want balloons, you can throw in some artificial flowers of different colors into the pool, and they won’t take up as much space.

One of the most inviting things about a pool are the floats! Who doesn’t love a fun float? I’m sure you’ve seen the huge flamingo or swan float, a donut, a llama, an avocado. There are so many options to choose from! There are even battleship floats that will squirt water at your opponent to create endless fun for all of your guests.

For affordable floats, you can go to Target to find a fun pineapple float and many more! 

Cute Seating Areas

When your guests are not in the pool, they’re going to want to sit and enjoy their time while sharing stories and laughs with everyone. Set up a couple of cute and cozy seating areas for people to hangout, including one in the shade. You can bring out your floor pillows, garden stools or bean bags and set them around the poolside or under some shade. This is a much more intimate feel rather than renting out plastic chairs that can get pretty hot after sitting in the sun for a while.

We really like our floor pillows from Cushion Source but if you need some help, The Party Goddess is based in Downtown Los Angeles, and she specializes in pool parties! You can get in contact with her, and she will plan out an amazing event for you.

Towel and Sunscreen Station

For the most part, people bring their own towels to a pool party, but you can set up a cart or rack that can hold some extra towels for the guests that forgot theirs. Though you can buy regular towels at Target, why not get custom screen printed towels from SoCal Screen Printing?

They can print or embroider your custom design to make your event even more special! This is especially great if you are hosting a pool party for your brand.

The same thing can be done for a sunscreen station. It’s important to protect your skin from the sun, but there’s probably going to be someone who forgot to apply some before heading to the party. Especially when swimming and being out in the sun, it is important to reapply sunscreen as much as needed to prevent a harsh burn. Having sunscreen available will be a huge help for your guests!

Our top pick for sunscreen is the Supergoop! PLAY Everyday Lotion with SPF 50 because it is available in a gallon size, perfect for a pool party. 

Since summer is the perfect time for mosquitos, don’t forget to have bug spray handy for you and your guests. 

Have Some Fun 

Keeping your guests entertained is a must! No one wants to be at a boring party. Luckily, there are lots of different ways to make your pool party fun for everyone. First of all, you can’t skip out on having music. If you don’t want to spend extra money on a DJ, you can simply bring out a speaker and play some fun music that everyone will love! The music is great to prevent any awkward silence, and it also puts people in a great mood. One of our favorite speakers is the JBL Flip 5. It is waterproof, provides 12 hours of music and comes in many different colors. Its powerful on its own, but you can also connect it with another JBL speaker compatible with PartyBoost to get double the sound!

Pool volleyball is a classic game that everyone loves to play because it’s challenging and fun to play. It’s pretty self-explanatory but all you need is two teams, one on each end of the pool. It would be best if you had a net, but if you don’t, you could simply use an object to mark where the invisible net is. Amazon has a great pool volleyball set that also comes with a basketball hoop!

Water balloons and water guns always bring a lot of fun to any situation! You can divide into two teams, or play a free-for-all, and go straight into targeting as many of your friends as possible! You’re never too old for either of these games and they are so fun to play. You can easily find great water balloons and water guns at your local Target or Walmart.

Light It Up

One of the cutest additions to the outdoor area is lighting. It makes the area look very dreamy, inviting and cozy. You can find some lights on Amazon and add some cute string lights onto the balcony (i.e.: a rooftop pool) or on a fence. You can also spread some string lights onto the tables for a beautiful sparkly detail. Spice up the pool by adding floating lights or glow sticks towards the end of the night. It’ll make your pool glow and it’ll temp your guests to take one last dip before the night is over.

Taking Pictures

A cute idea for your pool party is to have a section dedicated to pictures. You can add cute chairs, maybe a backdrop or decorations to add color and variation. Target has many affordable options that are very cute and unique!

You can also create a DIY photo booth frame out of a large foam board and a few other supplies. You can cut the foam board into the shape of a frame with the center cut out, paint the foam board a color of your choosing, add some flowers and glitter to decorate and maybe even some wording, and you have a cute Polaroid style frame for you and your guests to take pictures! Make sure to scroll Pinterest for some photo booth frame ideas!

Fun Treats

If you’re anything like us, one of the things you most look forward to at any party is the food and treats you’ll be able to munch on. It adds to the experience of the party! And while you are spending the day in the hot sun, swimming in the pool, getting a nice tan, you are going to crave a delicious frozen treat to cool off. 

That’s where we come in!

We are Beach Town Pops, a Los Angeles based ice cream catering service that creates the most delicious gourmet ice cream and popsicles. We love frozen treats so much that we want to share them with all of Los Angeles and surrounding areas. All of our recipes are original and created with organic, cold pressed and gluten-free ingredients. 

As for our flavors, we have so many delicious options and we can even make custom flavors upon ordering. One of the best parts about our flavors is that we have boozy options too! Picture yourself on the rooftop by the pool and enjoying a Mojito popsicle, or perhaps a Strawberry Margarita. The options are endless. It doesn’t get better than this! 

Something that we offer that others don’t is the option to customize the popsicle wrappers and ice cream cart to your choosing. You can choose the colors of the ice cream cart and we can also add a logo of some sort to the cart and popsicle stick and wrappers. Make your party a bit more special by adding the date or “Graduation 2022” (for example) onto the frozen treats. When we cater, we can either drop off the goodies, or one of our professional caterers can stick around and serve your guests so that you don’t have to.

Don’t miss out on having us at your next rooftop or residential pool party. Get a quote now!

Rooftop and resident pool parties are the epitome of fun and relaxation, providing the perfect setting for socializing, enjoying the view, and soaking up the sun. With the right elements in place, you can transform your rooftop or poolside space into an unforgettable oasis for your guests.

Here are some fun bonus community event ideas to elevate your next rooftop or resident pool party: These ideas are perfect for a block party too! ;-)

Create a tropical paradise: Incorporate vibrant, tropical decorations like palm leaves, colorful flowers, and tiki torches to set the scene for a lively and festive atmosphere. Consider providing guests with Hawaiian leis, fun sunglasses, or sun hats as party favors to enhance the theme.

Set up a DIY cocktail station: Set up a DIY cocktail station with a variety of mixers, fresh fruit, and garnishes, allowing guests to get creative and craft their own refreshing drinks. Don't forget to include non-alcoholic options for those who prefer a mocktail.

Plan interactive games: Keep your guests entertained with a variety of poolside games like inflatable water volleyball, pool noodle races, or even a limbo contest. For rooftop parties without a pool, set up games like giant Jenga, cornhole, or a DIY ring toss.

Incorporate a fun photo booth: Set up a themed photo booth area complete with props, backdrops, and a Polaroid camera or smartphone tripod. This will provide guests with a fun activity and a keepsake to remember the event.

Offer a variety of seating options: Provide comfortable and stylish seating arrangements like lounge chairs, oversized bean bags, and cozy cabanas for guests to relax and socialize in. Consider incorporating shaded areas or umbrellas for those looking to escape the sun.

Curate a summer-inspired playlist: Set the mood with a curated playlist featuring upbeat, summer-inspired tunes that will keep your guests moving and grooving throughout the party.

Include an ice cream station: Add a touch of sweetness to your event by setting up an ice cream station with a variety of flavors, toppings, and cones. Consider hiring an ice cream truck or catering service like Beach Town Pops to take your party to the next level and delight your guests with a refreshing treat.

With these fun ideas in mind, you can create an extraordinary rooftop or resident pool party that your guests will be talking about for years to come.