Outdoor Party Games

The trick with outdoor party games is matching the game to the occasion. Summer parties and birthday parties will require different outdoor party games than adult parties or theme parties. To make the party planning process a little easier for you, we've broken down our outdoor party games into the categories of adult outdoor party games and children's outdoor party games.

Adult outdoor party games

A rule of thumb: the level of silliness allowed in any adult outdoor party game is usually directly proportional to the amount of alcohol being consumed. The size of the party is also a factor. Either way, choose your adult outdoor party games wisely.

For large and lucid adult outdoor parties, try a game such as Who am I? Upon arrival, each guest has the name of a famous person taped to their back. To figure out who their person is, the guest's may ask others questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no, sort of like an interactive 20 Questions. Who am I? is an outdoor party game that works well as a conversation starter and ice breaker.

If people are going to be falling over at your party anyway, the outdoor party game to go with is musical chairs. The rules are simple: set out one fewer chair than there are people, and when the music stops, everyone sits. The person left standing is out.

Children's outdoor party games

There are a huge number of outdoor party games suitable for children. If yours is a summer party, outdoor party games involving water are a good idea. If a pool is available, a game like Keep it Dry — in which players have to swim from one end of the pool to the other while keeping a designated object above water — will keep the kids cool.

If a lawn sprinkler is all that's available, Tug of Water is a good outdoor party game. Set up the sprinkler in the middle of the lawn and have each team pull on a rope until they can get the other team as wet as possible.

Other outdoor party games are great for theme nights. If you're throwing a children's Halloween party, Mummies is a fun outdoor party game. To play, separate the kids into teams of 3. One child is designated as the mummy. The other 2 teammates are given a roll of toilet paper. At go, all teams try to cover their mummy up in toilet paper as neatly and thoroughly as possible. Time limits can vary from 2 to 5 minutes depending on age. You can also play best of 3 so all kids get a chance to be the mummy.

Outdoor party games for children can also be old favorites such as scavenger hunts, tag, capture the flag, or limbo.

More information on outdoor games