10+ Expert Tips on Hosting the Ultimate Backyard Party

At Outer, parties are part of the design brief. Our Neighborhood Showrooms and headquarters were built for gathering. To unveil the secret to carefree hosting, we turned to some of Los Angeles's most respected food and drink experts for their honest, tested advice.

The party starts before guests arrive.

Vibe is everything. Sarah Hendrix of Lady & Larder describes it plainly: ambient sounds and good lighting. Curate a playlist long enough to outlast the party — charge your devices beforehand. For lighting, string lights hung across the patio create a muted, warm glow that outlasts sunset. The goal is atmosphere that builds itself so you can focus on greeting guests rather than adjusting the mood.

Give guests something to eat the moment they walk in.

Hendrix builds cheese and meat boards that think seasonally. Summer calls for heirloom melons and stone fruit — nectarines, peaches — paired with salty, firm cheeses like Bandaged Bismark from Crown Finish Caves or Special Select Dry Jack from Vella Cheese Company. Cowgirl Creamery's summer seasonal, Pierce Pt, arrives dusted in chamomile, calendula, and Thai basil — a triple cream that reads as both indulgent and deliberate. Merce Muse of Tastemade keeps it simpler: sliced chayote with Tajín, flaky salt, and lime. The same Tajín doubles as a salt rim for margaritas. One ingredient, two applications.

Extendable Dining Tables

Delegate without making it feel like delegation.

Muse's advice: arrive prepped and calm enough to share the work. Guests want to help — let them light candles, set the table, or put out garnishes. Hosting feels great. Creating something with friends feels even better. The line between the two is thinner than people expect.

Make the bar self-serve and effortless.

John Gakuru of Sweet&Chilli sets up a bar station with four essentials: counter space, an insulated ice well (or outdoor chest), a separate cooler for juices and mixers, and room for glassware. He recommends acrylic cups — they survive drops, look clean, and outlast single-use plastics on sustainability. His ice rule: freezer ice is not good ice. Find a local supplier who stocks Koldraft — denser cubes that melt slower and dilute less. Cocktail mixes, he says, have no place at the bar. Fresh is best. Always.

Batch everything you can ahead of time.

Gakuru builds what he calls "group serves" — large-format cocktails prepped in a pitcher and refrigerated, with ice added only when guests arrive. His go-to is the Negroni: one cup Tanqueray No. TEN gin, one cup Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth, one cup Campari. Stirred in a pitcher. Stored cold. Served over cubed ice with an orange wedge. For a lighter pour, temper with sparkling water or prosecco. On ice quantity: more is more. Dilution and temperature both depend on it.

Muse adds a non-alcoholic anchor: lemonade infused with lemongrass, ginger, and honey. Batch it. Serve it in the same pitcher alongside the cocktails. Guests who are not drinking should feel part of the bar experience, not an afterthought.

Aluminum Outdoor Sofa

Let the season do the work.

Summer produce is the strongest asset a host has. Muse builds meals around variety — colorful, produce-forward salads, good cheese, crusty bread, a protein or two, and one bright sauce like salsa verde. People mix and match. The table looks abundant. The effort is mostly in the sourcing, not the cooking. When the ingredients are strong, the preparation can be simple.

Remember what the evening is actually about.

Hendrix puts it directly: the guest list matters most. Human connection. Time with people you care about. Burnt sausages and a forgotten bag of lemons do not derail an evening. Muse's closing philosophy: hosting should feel breezy and fun, never "a thing." Guests relax when the host relaxes. The best parties are the ones where the person who planned it gets to enjoy it too.

Outdoor Fire Pits