How to Step Up Your Spring Entertaining

With winter over and the return of nicer, warmer weather, everyone’s ready to start making some fun and festive plans for the vibrant springtime! The season offers no shortage of opportunities for spring entertaining, from casual gatherings at home to novel ideas for planned activities out with family and friends.

Deciding on different spring entertainment options requires some pre-planning, however. Once you decide how many people to invite, the biggest challenge will be selecting a date that works for everyone. Then you’ll want to keep group preferences in mind in the hopes of everyone having a great time. Whether you opt to stay in or go out, it’s worth investing some time in thinking up interesting ways to have your spring event really stand out this year too.

To help you step up your spring entertaining, here are four ideas to get you started filling in your date book!

Plan a dinner party

A classic go-to for spring entertainment is a dinner party. When the weather allows, you can take advantage of both indoor and outdoor spaces for different parts of the evening, like a cocktail hour in the backyard, a sit-down dinner inside as the sun sets, then conversation or games at the patio table, with music playing in the background and twinkly lights overhead.

A dinner party these days can be either simple or elaborate, depending on what you have in mind. Better yet, you can take advantage of online polls and email invites to discover what your guests are most in the mood for, from the menu to the time of day to the formality of the event.

Details to consider:

• Should it be a potluck to cut down on your stress and increase the odds of everyone having something they’d like to eat? Or would you prefer to be in charge of the menu?
• Will it be mostly outdoors or indoors? This will help your guests decide how to dress most appropriately.
• A buffet of fun finger foods so people can mingle more? Or a sit-down meal complete with place seatings and candlelight?
• A great way to make the get-together memorable is to pick a theme, like Mexican Fiesta, Grunge ’90s, or Bridgerton. Clothing options, food and beverage choices, music, and decorations can all revolve around a particular topic or time period, giving your event a focal point to build on.

Whatever you decide, there’s a lot of freedom in planning a dinner party—people are just happy to get out of the house after winter hibernation and will be grateful that you’re hosting. If you’ll be preparing the food yourself, light or seasonal fare that complements the time of year is always a good bet—multiple courses that look fabulous plated but that don’t have to keep you in the kitchen for days on end, like refreshing dips, greens-based dishes, a variety of sides featuring pasta and seafood, a colorful citrus salad, grilled chicken or a fabulous all-in-one paella, and, of course, a tangy dessert.

There’s really no wrong way to go. Just take into consideration what you know your friends will enjoy and your own time availability when settling on the details.

Make seasonal cocktails the star of the show

Whether you’re hosting a movie night, a pickleball outing, or just having everybody meet at your place first before the Ubers whisk you off to a concert, play, or sporting event, spotlighting seasonal cocktails will elevate the experience. They’re a playful and tasty way to (literally) mix things up instead of serving the typical wine and beer.

Spring cocktails were made for patio-season, so take advantage of fresh, seasonal ingredients that look gorgeous garnished with particular fruits and herbs and that deliver flavorful sips that will delight your guests.

Some options include:

• Flavored margaritas
• Spicy takes on classics, like a gimlet or Michelada
• Berry-infused martinis
• The timeless mint julep
• Dirty Shirley (easy as pie)
• Homemade sangria

It’s best to have two options for people who don’t drink, say, tequila or gin; and always have a mocktail available for those who don’t imbibe.

Plan for rain or shine—no matter the activity

There’s no getting around unpredictable weather. But you can take steps to try to avoid your event being a washout, especially since spring is famous for rain showers. There’s no guarantee that you won’t get a little wet while you transition, but you can and should have a backup plan in mind when the weather takes an unexpected turn.

Here are some contingency measures:

• First and foremost, keep an eye on the forecast leading up to your activity. If bad weather looks likely, simply reschedule, giving everyone enough advance notice that you can pick a new available time slot that will work for the majority of your group.
• In fact, in your original invite, include a rain date for just such an eventuality.
• Who doesn’t love a spring picnic? Go ahead and plan one … just have an alternate location already chosen in case you have to quickly pack up the baskets and move to a different place.

• Reserve a space—a restaurant, venue, or activity-based business—that has an ample covered outdoor area for a planned outside event or a backup space inside to accommodate your party.
• If you’re reserving a space, make sure you’re aware of the cancellation or refund policy.
• If you’re hosting at your home, rent a tent or portable awnings.
• And have an inside area prepped just in case you need to move the action indoors.
• The morning or day of, call everyone on your invite list and let them know what the contingency plans are so they know what to wear, what to bring, and how everyone might have to pivot.

Sign up for a group class

At-home get-togethers are lovely springtime affairs, but why not avoid the hassle altogether, eliminate weather worries from your mind, and let someone else take care of the refreshments by booking an interactive indoor experience for your group? Hands-on immersive experiences are all the rage, with so many inviting options. You can paint or make pottery, you can have a cornhole or bowling tournament, you can make your own pasta at a cooking class.

But adult guests are really enjoying the adult activities offered at places like Liquor Lab, which hosts a wide array of themed mixology classes designed especially for groups of friends looking for an exciting night out with something new to do. Both public and private classes are available, and all provide guests with the chance to make two to three crushable cocktails featuring seasonal flavor profiles. What better way to shake off the winter blues than to craft seasonal cocktails under the guidance of experienced bartenders who both entertain and educate … and then drink your creations?

With locations in both Nashville, TN, and Louisville, KY, Liquor Lab’s springtime lineup includes Tequila Cocktails, Brunch Cocktails, The After Party, Margaritas & Tacos, Bourbon & BBQ, and of course Spring Cocktails. Classes are posted six weeks out, giving you plenty of time to pick your favorite and reserve your space. Your friends will toast you!

The snow is gone and the sun is out! It’s time to get your favorite peeps together and enjoy an evening of good company and laughter, whether that means a twilit dinner party at your home, a raucous game night in your basement, a picnic in the park, or a one-of-a-kind mixology experience that you’ll never forget. Happy Spring, everyone!