Springtime in St Andrews means that once the weather tops ten degrees Celsius, it’s not uncommon to see girls attempting to tan on their flat’s rooftops and an abundance of barbeques on Castle Sands. It is also the hallmark of garden party season when courtyards and back gardens become spaces for daytime drinking, picky bits for lunch, and listening to someone’s flatmate play in their band. If your flat has a garden or a courtyard, it’s time to realize the extent of your privilege and turn it into a great space for hosting — and here are some tips on how.
- Batch drinks are your best friend
Get the visions of jungle juice out of your head — it’s possible to make batch cocktails that appeal to everyone and are not served out of a trash can. Pre-making batch cocktails can cut back on how much time you spend playing bartender for your friends, and they can be customized in a million different ways. They’re easiest to serve out of pitchers or large glass bottles, but really any container (empty and washed juice bottles, a large bowl in a pinch). Finding a basic cocktail recipe — a gin martini, a Moscow mule, or a negroni are all great options — tripling the recipe and then making sure you have plenty of mixers (tonic, ginger beer, or soda water) makes for the perfect set-up. It’s easy for guests to add their preferred mixer, and the cleanup for individual bottles is minimized. It also couldn’t be easier to make batch mocktails, omitting the alcohol in favor of juice or soda!
- Easy eats for daytime snacking
It’s nice to have something sweet and salty — think elevated bar snacks. Goat’s cheese stuffed olives are an easy, two-ingredient people pleaser, but for your friends on the other side of “the olive theory,” something like a rosemary spiced nut mix is also nice. Or, big-batch snack mix with pretzels, a basic cereal like Shreddies, a cheesy cracker (Cheez-Its or Goldfish are ideal, but in the UK, M&S usually has other — subpar — options), and a buttery, herby drizzle. Popcorn is also universally loved and easy to make in massive batches! Worst comes to worst, your guests can snack on the oranges they know you’ll have on hand because you’re serving Aperol Spritzes. Someone will inevitably order pizza or offer to make a quest down to Saint Sizzle for more substantial grub, but it’s always nice to have something to snack on when the sun’s out!
- Laid-back decor elevates the space
You don’t need much to turn a garden into the perfect mingling space. Clean up any walkways or patio spaces and make sure the tripping hazards are minimal, move your trash cans to the street, and throw up a folding table for drinks or pong. St Andrews garden parties tend to last long into the evening, so some of the loveliest spaces have fairy lights or lanterns hung from branches or walls to give a little light and magic. Putting blankets or quilts over the grass or a flat patio area makes it easy for guests to lounge without getting their dresses dirty! Of course, be mindful of neighbors, and if your outdoor space is shared, as is common in St Andrews, double-check with your neighbors or even invite them to join; the more, the merrier!
- A springy playlist is essential
Now that it’s getting warmer, yacht-rock is appropriate, and romcom music is necessary for everyone’s well-being. Set up a playlist beforehand, double-check that you’ve charged your speaker, and assign a friend to aux because there’s nothing worse than having to scroll through Apple Music midway through the afternoon to find the perfect background music when the playlist runs out. If you really can’t be bothered to curate, Spotify has plenty of micro-specific playlists, and Apple Music has live albums from the Grateful Dead that are five hours long. Pull classics from spring staple films, or go for throwbacks with Steely Dan or Ace for easy listening. If you’re lucky enough to have a flatmate in a band, convince them to hold an impromptu session, but beware of any single men with guitars. The garden party vibe is joyous and should not be imbued with acoustic pining.
- Go with the flow
Whether this means migrating to a pub for afters or spontaneously whipping up dinner for ten in your kitchen, the hallmark of a good garden party is flexibility, whether you’re the host or a guest. These are supposed to be fun and laid back, so delegate when necessary! Have someone else pick up tonic water when you run out, or be willing to lend someone your sweater because their flat is all the way across town. Especially if you’re hosting, make sure you’re also having a good time — hosting can be the best or the worst, so for something as delightful as a spring garden party, make sure you’re feeling the former.
Garden parties are the easiest thing to pull together on a spontaneous weekend, but they’re also perfect for pre-planning a coinciding birthday or pregame for a spring ball. They’re versatile and require very little besides an outdoor space. Still, they’re as easy to elevate into something more special as they are to be a casual get-together on an uncharacteristically warm evening. Also, there’s no obligation to stay up late, though it’s worth noting that once you attend a garden party at three in the afternoon, there’s no telling where you may end up for afters. Very little is more pleasant than St Andrews in the springtime, so take full advantage of it and use these tips to make your next courtyard bash a blast.