The History of the Garden Party

Garden parties have been a staple of English high society for centuries. From the grandeur of the aristocratic gatherings to the more humble village fêtes, these events have been a way for the English to celebrate and socialize in the beauty of nature.

The history of garden parties in England dates back to the seventeenth century when the French nobility introduced the concept of “fête champêtre” or rural party. The aristocrats of England soon followed suit, hosting their own garden parties, complete with elaborate decorations, musical performances, and copious amounts of food and drink.

The tradition of garden parties gained popularity in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries during the reign of Queen Victoria. Her Majesty, along with Prince Albert, hosted lavish garden parties at Buckingham Palace, inviting members of the aristocracy, politicians, and prominent figures from society.

These events were an opportunity for the royals to connect with their subjects, showcase the beauty of their gardens, and indulge in the pleasures of good food and company. The garden parties were often held in the summer months and were highly anticipated by those lucky enough to receive an invitation.

In the early twentieth century, garden parties became more accessible to the middle class, who were increasingly able to afford homes with gardens. These gatherings became a popular way for families to socialize and enjoy the great outdoors.

Despite changes in society and the world, the tradition of garden parties has remained a beloved aspect of English culture. Whether it’s the grandeur of a royal garden party or the simplicity of a village fête, the English continue to celebrate the beauty of nature, good food, and great company.

In recent years, the concept of the garden party has expanded to include more informal and creative gatherings, such as picnics, barbecues, and outdoor music festivals. Yet, the essence of the garden party remains the same – a celebration of the simple pleasures in life, the beauty of nature, and the joy of sharing these experiences with others.

6 Epic 18th Birthday Party Ideas

Turning 18 is amazing. You are usually still at college or sixth form so are surrounded by your friends day in, day out, you still live with your parents so luckily don’t have to think about the boring stuff like bills and how to work a washing machine; plus it’s the age where you can finally go out, legally drink and get into nightclubs without worrying about getting in. Therefore, throwing an epic 18th birthday party is key to enter adulthood with something you’ll always remember.

 

Having a birthday party means you can celebrate with your friends and family all in one place, and everyone there has come to celebrate your birthday. The hard part though is figuring out how you want to celebrate your birthday, therefore we have thrown together a list of epic 18th birthday party ideas.

  • Throw Your Own Festival
  • Go Sky Diving & Supercar Driving With Your Friends
  • Party Like A Celebrity
  • VIP Shopping Trip
  • A Holiday With Your Friends
  • Hire A Pop Up Nightclub In Your Garden

Throw Your Own Festival

When Summer comes so does festival season. People love festivals, as they attract hundreds of thousands of people from across the world. There is a festival for everyone as each festival holds various artists from different genres in music.

If your birthday falls within the Summer season hosting a festival themed garden party could be one to consider. Festivals are a great place to let loose, listen to great music, have a drink and dance around with your friends. Having one in your garden can include all of that just minus the camping part.

Another great thing about a festival is the dress code. No need for high heels and tight dresses or for guys smart shoes and shirts, you can wear wellies, put glitter in your hair and use face gems, but don’t forget your rain coat as the British weather is unpredictable.

With a festival themed party how extravagant you go is up to you. You could keep it simple by just playing some music within your garden or you can hire a party planner who will sort out a DJ, bar area and decorations.

Igloo Disco presents : HYC in the Park 2015 (unique pop-up events) from Igloo Disco on Vimeo.

Go Sky Diving Or Supercar Driving With Your Friends

Not everyone is going to want a boozy birthday party with dancing, some of you may want to do something completely different. There are many places to go if you want to feel an adrenaline rush but some of these places you may visit more than once within your life. For something to really remember why not try a skydive with a few of your bravest friends. Skydiving creates such an adrenaline rush and it is a once in a lifetime experience.

If that is too extreme as you don’t fancy jumping out of a plane driving around a racing track in a supercar is also great at creating an adrenaline rush and will also be a very memorable experience. Here you can time your friends laps giving it a bit more of a competitive streak.

Party Like A Celebrity

Everyone on TOWIE and MIC does their fair share of clubbing, but they never slum it in the general area or even just a booked table. They go strictly VIP. Celebrities will hire out the VIP areas in clubs which will come with complimentary bottles of Vodka and Champagne. If you’re looking to party like your favourite TV star then hiring out a VIP section of a nightclub could be for you.

A VIP booth is a great way to stand out from the crowd as you can party the night away with your friends in your own private booth usually overlooking the main dancefloor. Within the VIP area you will be treated like royalty with drinks and mixers on tap, you will also have a private seating area just in case you want to take a break from dancing the night away.

This is a great way to experience what a nightclub is all about within the privacy of your friendship group, however you can bring people back to your VIP booth if you wanted. You can even hire pretend-paparazzi to capture your arrival at the club.

VIP Shopping Trip

If you are into shopping this one is perfect for you. Hire out a luxury Mercedes Jet Sprinter which can hold you, your friends and family members to take you around London for the ultimate VIP shopping trip. These Sprinter’s are used by celebrities like Kim and Kanye as they offer space and comfort as well as style, therefore making them the ultimate vehicle to use for your VIP shopping trip.

Within the Sprinter you can enjoy bottles of Champagne with your friends and family while you ride around from shop to shop. With a chauffeur driving you can relax and let them drive you around the city. No hiking around between the shops and no rides on the hot and sweat tube.

Birthday shopping is necessary even if it is only for an outfit for your party or night out, therefore why not make a day of it with your friends and enjoy travelling around in luxury.

A Holiday With Your Friends

Now you have turned 18, a summer holiday with your friends is on the cards, so why not go and enjoy some sun and sand for a long weekend now instead?If you are looking for the ideal party holiday, then Ibiza is the location for you. With celebrities partying it up in clubs such as Ocean Beach and Amnesia you never know who you might see. At clubs like Ocean, you can hire out a bed which includes bottle service.his is a great place to relax, enjoy the music and dance all day and on into the night.  A holiday for your 18th birthday is something to remember and you can come home rocking a great tan.

If you aren’t too keen on the idea of a party holiday the world is your oyster as there are many places for you to visit all within just a few hours flight.

Simply head to your Sky Scanner app, find a city you like the look of and then get online to find a luxury apartment for you and your friends to take over for the weekend.A holiday can be whatever you want it to be but it is a great way to celebrate turning 18.

Hire A Pop Up Nightclub In Your Garden

When we say pop up nightclub, we don’t mean a bog standard marquee from DavesMarquees.com. But, if you are wanting to stay closer to home and celebrate with more friends and family in a very unique way, hire an entire pop up nightclub.

Hiring an inflatable nightclub will be remembered not only by you, but by everyone who came to celebrate your birthday. An inflatable igloo disco is the answer.

Hiring an inflatable igloo may sound like one of the craziest 18th birthday party ideas, but this is a very different type of marquee which can be set up in your garden. You only get chance to turn 18 once so you don’t want to do something ordinary.

The igloo is a fully functioning nightclub and depending on the size you can hold a vast amount of people within the space, come rain or shine. You can throw a party inside an igloo with a bar and DJ to make your night worth talking about. With an igloo you can break out of the ordinary marquee in your garden and have something different and unusual.

With an igloo in your garden you can have a winter themed party, or you can be ironic and use it along with other inflatable objects and create one wild party.

With an igloo disco the possibilities are endless as you can use it for so many different themes. Our igloos are hired for use at big festivals so we can help you use one for that if a nightclub isn’t your favourite option..

igloo discio

An 18th birthday party is a great time to be creative and different. You only turn 18 once. You want it to be memorable so make sure you let an expert plan your party.

Get your free party planners handbook today

How To Hire A Pop Up Nightclub

Just imagine. An actual nightclub in your own back garden. What an incredible way to celebrate your child hitting an 18th or 21st birthday. You’ve probably noticed more people are hiring pop up nightclubs in their gardens for anniversaries and birthday parties. It’s a truly special way of celebrating. If you’re considering a pop up nightclub for a landmark birthday, here’s how to hire a pop up nightclub that will impress everyone who sees it.

Where To Start? Decide What Type Of Venue You Want To Use

Firstly, you need to choose the type of venue for your nightclub. As it will be located in your garden, you may be limited on size. Measure your garden to determine how much space you have to play with.

Then you can consider the types of structures to hire in order to create this one-off venue.

There are many different types, each with their pros and cons:

  • Traditional Marquee: A popular choice and holds many guests but the tent poles cause some serious damage to the ground. Let’s be honest, marquees have been over-done, they lack the WOW factor.
  • Nordic Tipi: A Nordic tipi is an unusual and visually-striking place to celebrate a birthday but again, the giant wooden poles will leave some lasting damage. They are very cool though.
  • Stretch Tent: A stretched tent can be shaped to complement your event, it can stand against high winds too.
  • Inflatable Tent: Inflatable tents offer lots of benefits. They provide excellent cover from the weather, they contain a lot of the noise made inside and they’re UNIQUE.

There are lots of venues out there, you just need to find the right one that will suit your budget, space and needs. Most importantly, it needs to have the wow factor as well. If you’re planning a surprise birthday party, the venue must look spectacular.

Choose Your Vendor

When it comes to hiring a pop up nightclub, this is a major step. At this stage, you know what kind of venue you want to hire, you just need to find the right vendor you can rent from. Take some time to search online to see what options are available and compare at least three quotes.

Look at what sizes and styles they have available and find out what the set up options are.

Ideally, you want to have a venue that can be set up in the morning of the party and then dissembled the next day. That’s what we do here at Igloo, we set up our inflatable igloos in the morning of the party and then take it down the next day, we clean everything up too so you don’t have to.

With Igloo, We Guarantee: From nothing to nightclub in under 5 hours, whatever the weather!

To help you find the best venue vendor, start by looking at their social media. Checking their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is an effective way of seeing what kind of parties the vendor has catered for in the past and if they create the same nightclubs you have in mind.

It’s no use hiring a marquee company to create a nightclub for an 18th birthday if all they specialise in is country shows and summer fetes.

Don’t forget to read their reviews. Reading reviews will provide you with an excellent insight of what previous customers have thought about them. Did the birthday girl enjoy her party? Were other parents happy with the results? What did the guests think about it? We recommend looking at Google Reviews for unbiased reviews from previous customers.

Decorating And Lighting

After you’ve picked your venue, you will need to organise lighting and interior decorating.

You can hire nightclub lighting or purchase cheaper alternatives you don’t mind using for one night then throwing away or storing until Christmas/your next event. Before you buy, just make sure you’re hiring/buying from registered and recommended retailers to ensure you’re buying safe lighting. Many of the cheap disco lights you find on Amazon & eBay may look good on the picture but they’re cheaply made and don’t meet EU regulations. Do your research before you buy to avoid disappointment.

With decorating, start by choosing the theme of your nightclub. Do you want to go with a standard nightclub vibe or choose a fancy dress option? Do her or him and his friends have a particular club they talk of going to, like Pacha or Ocean Beach? Then decorate accordingly.

Hire A DJ

The next important task is to find a DJ. As the DJ is central to a successful nightclub party, choose your DJ wisely. One of the best ways of finding a DJ is asking people for recommendations. You can also look online and in directories, but it’s beneficial if you can approach a DJ who is highly recommended. Ask your child to pass you any playlists and artists they love, you need to make sure the DJ plays music they like.

It’s important you book your DJ in advance. DJs are booked up for weddings, corporate events and birthday parties so booking a DJ on a Saturday night can be difficult if you’re leaving it last minute to book.

Hire A Bar

Another important feature of any nightclub is the bar. Bars are available for hiring at weddings and events. You will need to compare quotes and make sure the bar will fit in your venue. When it comes to hiring a bar, you will need to pay for bar staff and drinks too.

But the beauty of the nightclub being in your own back garden, you’re in full control of who can and cannot access the alcohol.

Security

And, on that theme, you need to think about how you will manage security on the night. If word gets around that there’s a pop-up nightclub and a party at so-and-so’s house, what will you do if an uninvited group of possibly drunk teenagers arrive?

Letting them in when they’re in a good mood is one thing, but what about later into the night? Professional help who knows how to run a guest list and nip any problems in the bud might be the best plan here.

Wish There Was A Simpler Way Of Planning Your Pop Up Nightclub?

If you’re concerned about hiring lighting, decorating and finding the DJ, check with the venue vendor you are hiring from because they might be able to offer you a complete package so you don’t have to worry about anything else.

Here at Igloo, we offer complete and tailored party packages with our inflatable igloos. That means, along with our unique igloo venue, we bring the DJ, sound systems, non slip flooring, all the technical equipment and supplies you need, even a fully staffed bar. We manage the event too, which means you can enjoy the party and leave everything to us.

Need A Hand Planning Your Party? We’ve Got A Free Guide You Can Use

When you’re organising a party to celebrate your child reaching an important milestone, it’s obvious you want to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. That’s why we’ve created the essential guide to party planning. ‘The Party Planner’s Handbook’ has all the important steps you need to follow (along with insider advice from our own team). Enjoy!

Download your free guide here