Entertaining Trends for Spring and Summer 2024

You don’t need to be an avid sports fan to look forward to–and celebrate–two of the major athletic events of this summer. After years of postponed events, we’re finally back on track: and this year, we’ve both the Euro Cup, from June 14, 2024–July 14, 2024, and the Paris Olympics, from July 26, 2024–August 11, 2024, to look forward to.

You don’t need to live in Europe–or even be a soccer (or football, depending on where you live) fan–to celebrate this buzzy tournament. But you can use it as an excuse throw a party.

Pick a team you like and center an event around their country’s delicacies. Let’s take Germany, since the first game of the series is Munich vs. Scotland.

Why not serve your guests a delicious German beer, and a recipe that goes with it–when it comes to hearty, delicious fare to get your guests through a game they (let’s be honest) may or may not care about: we’d recommend our boulangerie pork shoulder-style sandwiches. And for the guests that don’t drink beer? An Elderflower Gin & Tonic is a refreshing summer treat, no matter which side you’re supporting.

As far as linens and decor go, if you’re serving messier fare like sandwiches, you’ll want a sturdy base you can throw in the laundry for an easy post-party cleanup, and that’s why we always opt for Swedish brand Axlings when we’re looking for something both durable and chic. Naturally, though, you’ll want to give the table a summertime flair: Atelier Saucier’s dalmatian check napkins are the ultimate elevated picnic pick.

Throwing an Olympics party is a great excuse to be ultra-thematic. Go all in! We haven’t all been able to properly celebrate the summer Olympics together since 2016, so let’s ring in the world’s oldest sporting event with fanfare and style.

This is the type of party where investing in a projector might be worth it, especially when you have an outdoor space to work with. Be sure to plan your party around a time when there’s an engaging or fast-paced event occurring–we love screening gymnastics and swimming.

If you’re in the US, make it an excuse to go patriotic, by giving our Fourth of July Sheet Cake a second life. If you’re Canadian, you can always cut the blueberries (and maybe add some maple, if you like things extra sweet) to make it work for your flag.

If you’re hosting an Olympics party outdoors, you’ll want a refreshing treat guests can sip on with ease–and you don’t have to constantly refresh or remake–which is why batching out Pitcher Palomas (pop them in our Flow Jug for an aesthetically pleasing presentation) and a bunch of Cucumber Basil Smash cocktails is your best bet.

As far as napkins go, try Atelier Saucier’s Santa Fe rainbow cocktail napkins; this is a festive event–we’re proponents of adding in as much color as you possibly can!

Because the Olympics are happening in Paris, some events might come early in the day for North Americans, which means a breakfast food like Earl Grey scones could go down a treat. If your soiree comes later in the day, zucchini pizzas utilize some of summer’s finest flavors for a healthy take on an indulgent treat.

If you’ve been reading this article and rolling your eyes because the Euro Cup and Olympics are not interesting to you–thanks for sticking with us. We promise you we’ve got party ideas for the non-sports oriented, too.

We’re proud to have produced a lot of fantastic cocktail recipes over the past few years at Casa de Suna. So, we thought it might be a good idea to encourage all of you to test them, too. This is the type of party that doesn’t require a ton of space–just a few surfaces you can offer up to your guests for mixing up their drinks of choice. Here are the cocktails we’d recommend you lean into if you choose to host a party like this:
Mandarin Spicy Margarita
Paper Plane
Blush Champagne Cocktail

As far as presentation goes, these Anastasio Home coasters make the perfect base for your drinks of choice–and the Il Buco Vita simple glasses are their ideal vessel. Want to avoid spills while serving? Galley & Fen aprons are the way to go.

It’s easy to get stuck into entertaining trends and focus on parties that center summer’s key events: but we never want to do that at the expense of forgetting the classics. And there’s nothing more classic than a summer BBQ. Have your friends over for all of the classics: smashburgers with secret sauce, saucy barbecue chicken (and, of course, mushroom-walnut veggie burgers to please the non-meat-eaters among your guests) and french fries. As far as dessert goes, you’ll want to serve up this refreshing easy, no-bake cheesecake (often called an icebox cheesecake) but can’t miss the opportunity to serve ice cream sandwiches, too–it is summer, after all.

And when it comes to decorating for a classic BBQ, break out your most classic linens–we’re always going to recommend our Hawkins New York essential tablecloth–and mustard is a good option for avoiding major stains. With regards to napkins, sticky barbecue sauce means you’ll want something that’s not going to show obvious stains–making your guests comfortable is key, and these Ferm Living napkins come in a natural color that will make stains less obvious–and are embroidered with thoughtful phrases that will make your guests smile.