Event Ideas Perfect For Small Towns

Perfect Event Ideas When you Live in a Small Town

Host a Star Gazing Party

Because small rural towns don’t have the same light pollution as larger cities, they serve as the perfect backdrop to host a stargazing event for you and your friends. If you want music, you can follow our Star Gazing Spotify playlist.

The Invitations

Create something outside the box and use a pinwheel invitation as a way to reveal a constellation of the party’s date and location information. If you want a more simple idea, use a thick, dark cardstock and punch stars into the shape of a constellation to serve as the design, and then use glow-in-the-dark calligraphy to illuminate the event details. Either way, these fun ideas will get your guests excited and give them a taste of what to expect from the event

The Setting & Decor

Because the event will need to take place outdoors, create a cozy and relaxing backyard atmosphere with oversized cushions and decorative pillows. This allows your guests to lie down so they can view the stars without obstructions.

To avoid lighting the space too much, illuminate the backyard with only candles or cylinder vases filled with fairy lights. Keeping all of the lighting positioned low will provide some starry-inspired light without interfering with the darkness needed to see the night sky. 

For the party decor, find inspiration from the cosmos themselves and create three-dimensional star ornaments and meteors, sparkly satellites, and make a constellation runner with dark craft paper and a white chalk pen or pencil. 

The Attire

Encourage your guests to dress up for the occasion. If kids are invited, perhaps make it a pajama party and have them wear their favorite nighttime attire, inclusive of slippers or stuffed animals. If you’re hosting this for adults only, have your guests wear their shiniest attire complete with sequins, metallics, or glow-in-the-dark accessories.

The Food & Drink 

Using a cookie cutter, press mini sandwiches, fruit, or cookie dough into cosmic shapes. Add glitter dust to desserts or glitter into sparkling drinks. You can even add tonic water to a spiked punch and have it lit by a black-lit to create an intergalactic glow. 

Host Your Own Wine & Beer Festival

Is your region or town known for its unique food or beverages? Invite your friends over for an elevated dinner party by using it as a way to showcase your local fare. 

Crafty Beverages

Are there local breweries, wineries or coffee shops that are specific to your area or county? Maybe there’s even a particular ingredient that’s included to make the beverage unique. Either way, think of what makes your town special and reach out to local vendors to see if there are items you can only get or know of by being a local. If you’re inviting friends from out of town, this is the perfect way to highlight something they may have never tried. If your friends live within the same town, it’s a great way to incorporate their favorites and make it feel truly like home. 

Seasonal Fare

Research which crops are in season and popular within your town and find local restaurants that create menus around them. Is it fall and pumpkins are all the rage? Consider going to a local bakery that’s known for having the best pumpkin pie or finding an old family recipe and making it for your guests. Whether you decide to cook or to cater, include items that are specific to your region and try to have as many items that you can only purchase in town. 

The Setting & Decor

If the weather is nice, host your event outdoors or at a local park to immerse your guests in the local landscape and surroundings. Create mini signs that go with each food or beverage item and list where it’s from (if using a restaurant or caterer). Try to include signage or take time to speak during the event to explain a little bit about why you included what you did. Maybe in your research you learned a new fun fact or tip that would be cool to share with the group. Either way, by educating your guests even in little ways, they’ll feel that they left with more than a full belly. 

If you’re looking for more conversation pieces, ask everyone to bring their own plate so your table decor is eclectic and meaningful. You could even take turns discussing why you brought it and if the dinnerware has any significance to you. For other decor, keep the florals seasonal and tie in any local elements that make your town stand out.