The cute inflatables. The tropical cocktails and mocktails. The underwater handstand competitions. Is there any better way to beat the heat than with a pool party?
Now that pool party season is upon us, it’s time for a deep dive into everything you need to make a splash this summer. From the food to the floaties, there’s so much that goes into pulling off a great pool party, so we put together this guide to answer all of your burning questions. Keep reading because, with these helpful tips, your party is certain to go swimmingly. (We apologize in advance for any cringey pool puns employed in this article.)
Pool party 101
1. When to send out pool party invitations
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Aim to send out pool party invitations at least two to three weeks before your party to give guests plenty of time to RSVP, clear their schedules and find the perfect suit. The summer months can be especially busy for people, so providing guests with enough heads-up means there’s a higher chance they’ll be able to come. But don’t sweat it too much: There’s no need to give more than a month’s notice for more casual events like pool parties.
A fun way to set the tone for your party is with an on-theme pool party invitation. Decide what kind of pool party you want to have (i.e. luau, Barbie, mermaid, etc.), then choose an invitation accordingly. But remember, it’s also fair game to opt for a no-theme shindig—in many cases, the pool is the theme.
Once you’ve selected your favorite pool party invitation, you’ll be able to customize it, add your party’s info and send it out via email or text!
2. What to wear to a pool party
The number one rule of pool party attire is to wear something you feel confident and comfortable in! If you’re planning to go for a dip in the pool, you’ll definitely want to wear some sort of swimwear, but if you’re planning to just relax poolside, any hot-weather attire will do.
Given that you’ll be outside for a few hours, having a cover-up is a great way to minimize your risk of getting completely and thoroughly sunburnt. Same goes for hats and sunglasses: Your accessories are your friends and can help protect your skin from harmful rays!
3. What to bring to a pool party
Pool party planning is a breeze when you use Evite. Teamwork makes the dream work: If you’re the host, set up a What to Bring list for your event so guests can choose items to contribute to the party. You can also create a signup sheet to delegate tasks and roles (like DJ, photographer or clean-up duty!) or figure out who’s bringing what items (like snacks, drinks and sunscreen!).
If you’re attending a pool party, these are the items you’ll want to bring:
- Bathing suit
- Towel
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Flip flops
- Cover-up
- Sunglasses
- Water bottle
- Snacks
How to throw a pool party
We've covered the pool party basics. Now you need the products to actually make it happen! We’ve curated this assortment of sizzling supplies to get you started. With everything from tiki torches to colorful coolers to our favorite sunscreens (hey, it’s important!), consider this your pool party shopping guide.
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1. The decor
Whether or not you actually live somewhere tropical, with the right decorations, you can easily transform your pool area into a tropical oasis. Add plenty of colorful inflatable floats, string lights, tiki torches and tropical plants to set the mood, and be sure to provide plenty of comfortable seating for guests to chillax between dips in the pool.
2. The activities
Pool parties are all about having some serious fun in the sun. Other than swimming, make sure to offer various activities to keep everyone entertained throughout the party. Get plenty of floaties for the pool, set up a volleyball net, grab lawn games like cornhole, get a game of beer pong going (if it’s a 21+ party!), buy some frisbees and, just like that, you’ve set up the most epic party ever.
3. The music
If there’s one thing that has the power to make or break your pool party, it is your playlist. Keep the energy going by curating a playlist of all your favorite songs or finding a pre-made playlist on Spotify. Regardless, just make sure you have speakers on hand! And if you’re really down for a fun time, karaoke is always a crowd-pleaser. Helpful hint: Set up any electronics away from the pool to avoid a serious party foul.
4. The food
Keep people fed (and hydrated!) by offering a wide variety of yummy snacks and refreshing beverages. You’re definitely gonna want to grab a couple of coolers from Amazon and fill them up with ice to ensure your drinks stay delightfully ice-cold. Remember: Water is an absolute MUST, especially if you’re serving alcohol!
5. The sunscreen
And just like that, you’re ready to throw the ultimate summer pool party! For easy shopping, browse all of these products in our full pool party supplies Amazon shop.
What makes Evite SignUp Sheets different from SignUpGenius?
Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than SignUpGenius:
- 100% free: SignUp Sheets are free to use.
- Ad-free: No popup ads ever! Our signup sheets remain clutter-free, keeping your volunteers focused on signing up.
- No extra login required: Seamlessly use your Evite account to create and manage your signup sheets, keeping all your events in one convenient location.
- Automatic reminders and notifications: Stay on top of your event with automated reminders and notifications for you and your participants. Perfect for busy parents, teachers and anyone juggling multiple commitments.
- Customization options: Tailor your signup sheets to your specific event, whether it's a school fundraiser, potluck, volunteer opportunity or team activity. Add custom tasks, time slots and requirements for smooth coordination.
- User-friendly experience: Our intuitive interface makes creating and sharing signup sheets simple for everyone, regardless of tech experience.
- Real-time updates: Get instant notifications whenever someone signs up or makes a change, so you always know where things stand.
Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!
What is a signup sheet?
Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.
Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer!
Long story short, signup sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.
How do I create a signup sheet?
Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:
- Go to Evite SignUp Sheets and choose the template that best fits your needs. Evite offers multiple signup sheet templates perfect for every occasion, including:
- Signup sheets for one day events (without different time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing a class party, potluck or end-of-season party.
- Signup sheets for single or multiple day events (with time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing concession stand volunteers, fundraisers, parent-teacher conferences, meal train, post-game snack duty or during appreciation week.
- After selecting your sheet template, create a title for your signup sheet and add the date, the location, the time (if applicable), who the organizer is, the organizer’s phone number or email and an optional note describing the event to your volunteers. You can also change your signup sheet background and title image if you wish!
- Next, create slots for your signup sheet. If you aren’t logged into your account, you will need to do so at this point, but luckily, you can use your existing Evite account (no need to create yet another login!). What you’ll include here will depend on what your event needs, but you can include a list of what’s needed (along with optional descriptions), how many volunteers are needed, and dates and times.
- After creating your slots, you can then add a wish list from any retailer or include supply suggestions from Evite’s retailer partners. These are to help your volunteers find and purchase supplies quickly and easily.
- Finally, review your sheet, copy your shareable link and send it out to everyone on your list! Every time a volunteer signs up for a slot on your signup sheet, Evite will email you. We will also send reminders to you and your volunteers before your event so no one will forget about it, and we’ll even let volunteers know if you remove their slot or cancel your event sheet so you don’t have to!
What information should be included on a signup sheet?
When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:
- A title for your signup sheet. Tip: Aim to keep your signup sheet title concise but clear. You want volunteers to read it and have a general understanding of what your event is about, and also make it easy for them to look for later if they need to reference your sheet again. You have the option to include a more descriptive note in a different field about your event, so save the more in-depth details for that!
- When and where the event is taking place.
- The organizer’s name and phone number.
- Slots for volunteers to choose from. Once you choose the SignUp Sheets template that fits the occasion, the slots you’ll need for your sheet will be right there and ready for you to add the relevant info, such as dates, times, items to bring and tasks to complete.
When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!
Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!
What are the benefits of using a signup sheet template?
Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:
- A 100% free experience (no subscriptions required!).
- Shareable links for quick and easy sharing.
- No need to create another login—you can use your existing Evite account.
- The option to add a wish list to help your volunteers out.
- Automatic reminders—we’ll remind everyone on your behalf.
- An easy-to-use experience with eye-catching guided templates.
- Clean, modern designs with no pop-up ads.
With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.