Autumn… I love this time of year. We start off with crisp mornings and end with cool evenings. The universe is transforming – trees are radiant in their magnificent hues of orange, brown, and yellow. The foliage is blossoming again. I like to think that trees are like peacocks, parading their beautiful colors showing off their style and elegance.
And with this change in season, we enter into the most celebrated time of year. The start of fall marks the beginning of a variety of gatherings and parties—parties and gatherings for anything and everything.
Let’s see. We started off with Labor Day in America, where we finally took a break from working; Thanksgiving with families, visiting one another; Christmas with its gift giving frenzy, and before you know it, there is a new year on the horizon. There are parties, parties, and more parties – football parties, Halloween parties, Thanksgiving gatherings, and holiday soirees. Not to mention birthdays and anniversaries. Oh, oh and fall festivals with cotton candy and candied apples…mmmm yummy. An event planner’s smorgasbord of events!
At the onset of fall each year, football reigns supreme. This is definitely one sport that people enjoy watching together, celebrating their favorite team commonality or good-natured rivalry among friends. Why not have a sports’ party where we celebrate athletic skill with tailgating gatherings around a bonfire or small fire pit with lots of beer, food, and painted faces? Even your typical Sunday football marathon can have a cool new mix. You can incorporate a lesson on the evolution of football in America or football around the world. You could make up a trivia game to play during half-time. Divide into teams and place questions on index cards. Maybe a little battle of the sexes.
Need a new twist on tradition? Let’s introduce all things from a fair at a black tie event… kind of like dressing up a fall festival. Imagine women in formal gowns doing a ring toss around champagne bottles or men in tuxes enjoying gourmet candy apples. Brainstorm various fall carnival games and put an elegant spin on them. Remember the attendees of this event will be dressed in formalwear so keep that in mind when deciding on games.
Maybe have a pumpkin carving contest for all ages. Your version of a show on the Food Network. And let me tell you, this would be fun for both adults and children. If you have a table out on your patio or in your backyard; set up small to medium-sized pumpkins; and carving tools or paints. You could make this into one big celebration of pumpkins. Roast pumpkin seeds, have pumpkin shaped cookies, watch it’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Or for an older crowd perhaps watch scary movies while drinking pumpkin martinis.
And how about Halloween for kids? Perhaps try a movie theme and have all the kids dress up as a character from that particular movie. For instance, if the movie is the Chronicles of Narnia, why not have the kids dress as some of the interesting characters. Better yet, how about an old fashioned dress up party where you provide all the props and the kids dress themselves when they get there? Some role playing… The invites can be customized so that each knows who they will be ahead of time. Your invitation could be a part of the script sent to each cast member. Takes a little planning but you can pull this off with a little ingenuity.
Here’s what I know, whatever event you are planning, you can change it up and add a new flair. Remember, it’s time for a change – step out of your box and wow ‘em with something new!
Nnena U. Nchege is an event producer with over 20 years of event planning experience.
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