If you’re an event professional looking for Christmas in July Party ideas, here are our favorites! Kaleidoscope has been entertainment at professional Christmas In July events since 2013 and we’ve compiled a list of Christmas in July event ideas (and warnings) from our clients–perfect for country clubs, outdoor shopping centers, summer camps, and private parties!
4 Christmas In July Party Ideas for Entertainment
Above: Santa Kenny at two Christmas In July parties at a private beach club in RI and an outdoor shopping center in MA.
Santa Meet & Greet
At A Glance: Hire Santa to come in his special Christmas in July outfit for a summer meet and greet or to be your event MC!
Age Range: Kids & Families
Guests Entertained Per Hour: For meet and greet up to 30 families per hour for photos or up to 15 families per hour for private conversations, pre-arranged gift / party favor hand outs, or Santa letter reading.
Extra Theme Ideas: Upon request, Santa can come with an empty bag to hand out party favors such as Hawaiian leis,
Logistical Considerations: Santa and his line must all be in the shade! In July we have had clients faint in line waiting for meet and greets, as well as entertainers. Where ever you want his throne to be, make sure he and everyone are in shade.
Above: a Christmas in July party at the Clinton Premium Outlets in Clinton, CT and examples of our holiday themed face paint.
Face Painting & Balloon Twisting Themed for Christmas in July
At A Glance: Hire face painters and balloon twisters (optionally in elf costumes) for themed face painting!
Age Range: Kids – Adults
Guests Entertained Per Hour: ~12 per hour per artist with large designs or up to 20 an hour per artist with our speedy designs. (We have up to 20 artists available.)
Extra Theme Ideas: Have your face painters or balloon twisters come as Christmas elves!
Logistical Considerations: Face painters need 1 table and 2 chairs each; balloon twisters need 1 table and 1 chair each. For everyone’s safety, all entertainers need to be placed in solid shade (like a tent, gazebo, or awning) for the duration of the event.
Above: our summer foam party and our Christmas elf artists.
Christmas Elves Foam Party
At A Glance: Hire our North Pole Elves for a Christmas in July Foam party! Our foam party techs can come dressed as elves and playing tons of holiday techno remixes, perfect for dancing in the “snow” to!
Age Range: Kids, Teens, and Adults. However, like a public pool, we suggest you stick to only one age group in the foam at a time (for example: a kids play session and an “adult swim” session) for everyone’s safety. See more foam FAQ on our foam site.
Guests Entertained Per Hour: 25 guests per hour per cannon (up to 4 cannons available). On average, guests will want to spend about 30min in the foam before moving onto other activities.
Extra Theme Ideas: Have Santa MC the foam party!
Logistical Considerations: Foam must be blown on a flat area with no holes or protruding options; within 100′ of grounded electricity and a water spigot; over 100′ away from any body of water; and supervised by the client’s team. Learn more about safety and logistics on our foam site.
Above: Did you know that all of our event entertainers are available in costume characters?
Holiday Remix DJ
At A Glance: Hire a DJ and request techno versions of winter classics for a more “Christmas in July” feel.
Age Range: All ages. (Please specify with your DJ if you would like family-friendly edits or not.)
Guests Entertained Per Hour: As many as you’d like!
Extra Theme Ideas: Have your DJ host contests for swag give away (see our below Christmas in July party ideas!)
Logistical Considerations: DJs need access to electricity and solid shade (like a tent, canopy, or gazebo) if they’re going to be outside.
3 Christmas In July Party Ideas for Catering
Snow(ball) Cones & Sugar Plum Fairy Floss
Many rental companies offer snow cone and cotton candy machine rentals for relatively cheap as long as your team can operate them. Offer red, green, and blue flavors to get into the spirit of your Christmas in July party!
Summer S’more Pits
Get a propane fire pit (normally around $150 at a big box store or cheaper to rent) or food warmer candles and set up a DIY s’mores station! Perfect for both summer and winter themes!
Snow Flake Fruit Plates
If you or your catering team can DIY it, use snow flake cookie cutters to cut out pieces of fruit into festive shapes!
4 Christmas In July Party Ideas for Brand Promotion
Themed Photo Booths (with or without Santa)
Rent a digital photo booth to super impose your branded background onto photos. You can also do this as a festive Christmas in July party idea that has a more “summer party” feeling than traditional photos with Santa!
Custom Made Hawaiian Shirts & Leis
To get everyone into that Christmas in July spirit, consider using custom made Hawaiian shirts (in red and green of course) as prizes! There are multiple companies online who can print your brand logo onto that, or as a charm on a polyester lei.
Custom Caricature Templates
Consider hiring caricature artists with custom templates that are both themed to Christmas in July party ideas and include your event’s name, company logo, or anything else you want!
Custom Blankets (For Beach or Lawn Parties)
If your event is on the beach or you’re going to expect guests to sit on a lawn, consider custom branded blankets or towels for them to sit on. Not only is this a practical problem solver, but families will keep it for future beach outings!
5 Christmas in July Ideas for Interactive Entertainment
Ugliest Hawaiian Shirt Contest
Invite guests to wear their ugliest Christmas sweater, or Hawaiian shirt! Judging by a round of applause, see who wins!
Beard Competition
Who has a longer beard than Santa? Bring Santa up and any guest that has a longer beard wins a prize.
Beachball Keep-it-Up Contest
Hand out red and green beachballs and see who can keep bopping it in the air the longest!
Letters to Santa
This DIY booth keeps kids engaged and writing. Let parents take home the letters or create a mail box for them to drop it off.
Candy Cane Limbo
Get a giant candy cane (the kind the are normally used for lawn decorations) and have your guests limbo under them!
What To AVOID for Christmas in July
DON’T keep your entire event in the sun or forget to plan for weather.
Almost every Christmas in July party idea event we’ve ever done has been outside. Which is great! But in New England, any summer day could turn to over 100° or flash flooding with not much notice.
Plan for both shade and a rain date for your outdoor event.
DON’T forget a water station.
Speaking of outdoor events: make sure your guests have access to water! Many Christmas in July party ideas lend themselves to fun ice-y, peppermint-y, cocoa-y drinks. But make sure you have access to cold water for guests who will be outdoors in the heat!
DON’T leave the July out of Christmas (or the Christmas out of July).
One of the most common Christmas in July party ideas that fall short is that clients have purely Christmas activities and purely summer activities… with none that include both. For example, a party that has a classic Santa meet and greet (in his normal winter suit) and rainbow snowcones, instead of a themed Santa with themed snow cones.
Whatever activities you want to do, ask yourself: is this too summer-y or too Christmas-y, and not the other?
DON’T skip Santa.
We may be bias, but Santa is probably the biggest hit at any Christmas in July party! Even if you’re going to DIY all of your other entertainment, without The Big Guy it won’t really feel like Christmas!
Categories: holiday favorites, Party Ideas (CT MA RI NH)