As COVID-19 rages on around the country, more event planners are resorting to strictly outdoor events, with smaller, socially-distanced guest lists. Luckily, it is entirely possible to plan a wildly successful outdoor event, especially for summertime holidays like Labor Day.
Before planning any event in 2020, you will want to review the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for social distancing, as well as your local restrictions on crowd size and social gatherings.
Labor Day typically places an exclamation point at the end of the sentence that is summertime, so it’s important to go out with a bang. Here are some fun (and safe) event planning ideas for Labor Day 2020!
5 Outdoor Event Planning Ideas for Labor Day 2020
1. Wrap/Package Food
If you are planning an event that will serve food, one way to keep guests safe is to pre-package food in single portions, as opposed to a self-serve buffet. This will ensure that the food won’t be touched by multiple different people prior to consumption.
2. Red, White and Blue
Labor Day is seen as a celebration of American workers, so many event planners will opt for a patriotic theme on this holiday. Keep your food on-theme too! Items like red, white and bleu burgers and colorful pasta salads are always summertime crowd pleasers. For dessert, you could try out this no-bake strawberry shortcake.
As far as decor, keep it classy. The key to a tasteful Labor Day event is not going overboard with the “American flag” theme. Keep any table and chair dressings white, for example, with pops of red and blue. Or use red and blue flowers as centerpieces.
2020 has certainly forced everyone to get creative with their event planning ideas. To that end, try a “picnic theme” for Labor Day this year. Encourage people to bring their own blankets to enjoy a socially distanced picnic. Or set up picnic stations for your guests, with red and white checkered blankets complete with center pieces and baskets stuffed with various items, such as unwrapped plates and utensils.
3. Drinks
No event is complete without drinks! If there will be kids at your Labor Day event, you could serve cans of Coke or pre-made Shirley Temples to stay on-theme! As for the adults, while beer is always a summertime staple, you could get a little fancy with mojitos or aperol spritzes. Throw in a little American flag pick or colored straws for decoration. Or you could try making red, white and blue ice cubes by placing sliced strawberries and blueberries in your ice tray before freezing.
4. Set up an “Instagram-worthy photo station”
Depending on your budget and event type, you could always hire a photographer to take pictures of people in your outdoor ‘photo booth,’ but if not, smartphones work just fine. Set up a fun, on-theme backdrop or decorate with balloons, flowers or white string lights.
If you are planning a company event, you may want to use the photo booth as a branding opportunity. Tastefully include your logo on your photo booth decorations to extend your reach to the networks of event attendees who will eventually post their pictures on social media.
5. Provide branded/on-theme face coverings
Because of the current pandemic and local mandates, many places now require people to wear face coverings in public where social distancing isn’t possible. One way to ensure the safety of your guests at your Labor Day event is to provide themed face coverings. If you are throwing a company event, order face masks with your logo!
Providing face masks can even be as simple as handing out complementary red, white or blue bandanas for attendees. Bandanas can be a fun, themed way to keep everyone protected at your event.
