30+ Pool Party Ideas to Make Your Bash a Big Splash

Pool parties are a staple of summer fun. Whether you are using your neighborhood pool or your own pool, we have the pool party ideas to make your party perfect! There is a nice mix of DIY and store-bought options as well! You’ll find everything from food to serve or the best floats to make your pool party so much better. You could spend hours looking online, or you could take a quick scroll through this list!

Make sure to grab your floaties and goggles, because these tips will make a splash with all of your pool party guests!

We put together this list of our favorite pool party ideas to make your next pool party a huge hit! Everything below will help you plan out and gather supplies for your next summer pool party.

Pool Party Decorations & Themes

Creating a theme for your party is the first step with any pool party. This will help set the mood for the party and let your guests know what they’re in for with festive accents and colorful decor. Choosing a theme will also help your party look more put together and make it look Instagram worthy!

You can also incorporate a few functional pieces into your party decor! When we host pool parties, we make sure to include a snack table, drink area, and towel area to ensure that everything is available for guests!

• Pool Party decorations for Little Swimmers
• End of School pool party decorations
• Hawaiian Luau theme
• Pirates theme
• Mermaid theme
• Spa Pool Party theme
• PRO TIP: don’t forget to include a sunscreen station!

Pool Party Food

During your pool party, you will want to make sure that you have plenty of snacks and food to help keep your guests energized. Swimming is a pretty intensive activity, so your guests will be burning a lot of calories in the pool! Depending on your pool party’s time, you can choose light snacks, a full meal, or appetizers. If you’re not sure which option would be best for your party, it’s best to go with a variety.

• Best Juicy Burger Recipe Ever
• Easy Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Recipe
• S’mores Cookie Cups
• Easy Fruit Dip Recipe
• Jello fish bowls
• Pool Water punch- Hawaiian punch & sprite (each measured to your liking)
• Pool Party Snack Mix
• Fish & Chips (Goldfish & potato chips)
• Under the Sea Mermaid Honey Lime Fruit Salad
• Sand pudding

Pool Party Activities/Games

You may be thinking to yourself, isn’t playing in the pool the activity? While this is true, there’s more to water play than just splashing around in the pool! Whether your kids like to play pool games or incorporate other water games into your pool party fun, there are so many great options! Some of these also work well for people who don’t want to swim or don’t know how to swim yet!

• DIY Water Blob for Kids (so fun!)
• 15 Pool Noodle Activities for Kids
• Fun Backyard Water Games
• Ocean Crafts for Adults and Kids
• Make Kinetic Sand!
• Treasure Hunt with pool throw toys or floating toys
• Make giant bubbles
• Make Fish in a Bag Slime

Pool Party Favors

Keep the fun going long after the party is over with party favors!

Party favors are a fun way to thank your guest for coming, and if you’re looking for ideas, we’ve got you covered! These are a great memento for your guests to cherish from your party, and a fun way to remember the party long after the party’s over.

• Beach ball favor bags
• Sunglasses
• Bubbles
• Fish or Shark gummies
• Hawaiian Flower Lei
• Freezer pops
• Mini Beach balls
• Splash Balls
• Goldfish crackers and blue jelly beans

Final Thoughts

If this is your first time hosting a pool party, it might take a little bit of planning to get everything you need. After that, you’ll have most of these things on hand, so you reuse them for future pool parties! Remember to have fun and that at the end of the day, just having friends over to swim is still a party!