17 Summer Party Ideas to Steal From Top Music Festivals

Outdoor events don't always call for formal seating; guests are often happy to lounge on the grass in picnic-inspired settings, like this colorful vignette at Instagram's inaugural Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival party in 2019. Produced by Manifold, the look of the party was inspired by an abstract mural from D'ana Nunez of COVL, who drew inspiration from Palm Springs, Calif.'s desert landscape and the 1970s.

For a T-Mobile-sponsored pool party at Coachella 2018, Pandora and The Visionary Group created a series of colorful photo ops and seating vignettes, including custom ribbon tents stocked with branded pillows and graphic rugs.

Seating can also be a branding opportunity; at the Governors Ball Music Festival in 2019, for example, Bacardi created an island-themed space that included seating areas inside a branded boat.

Outdoor summer events are also a great place for casual, nostalgia-inducing games—a strategy sponsors have long been deploying at music festivals. At Governors Ball 2019, Aperol Spritz's garden oasis, produced by Swell, included branded bocce ball.

At Lollapalooza 2017, Godiva's activation included a giant Plinko-style drop board. Depending on where their game chips landed, guests could win prizes such as tote bags, keychains or free ice-cream treats. See more: Lollapalooza 2017: 24 Whimsical, Nostalgic Ideas From Sponsors and Brands

While guests love eating fruit at outdoor events, they just may like posing with it too. At CÎROC's 2019 Coachella party, which celebrated the brand's limited-edition Summer Watermelon flavor, producers W2 Creative used over 1,000 watermelons as decor. The fruit was displayed in fun ways, like floating in the fountains and serving as photo ops for guests like Evan Ross and Ashlee Simpson-Ross (pictured).

Another Coachella 2019 event, the Zoe Report's annual ZOEasis, had a fruit-filled display from sponsor Swatch. The activation was inspired by a fruit cart, with Swatch watches displayed atop piles of colorful fruit.

In the summer heat, keeping guests cool is essential. In addition to readily available beverages and shade, past music festivals have thought outside the box. Example: Bai's photo booth at Lollapalooza 2018. As the photo was snapped, a spurt of cool, cloudy air shrouded the booth. See more: Lollapalooza 2018: How Brands Such as Toyota and American Eagle Drew Guests In—And Kept Them Cool

At the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in 2013, a 20-foot lighted fountain—known informally as the "mushroom"—provided a cool break from the heat of the day. See more: How Bonnaroo Engaged 80,000 Attendees at This Year's Festival

At the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2013, sponsor H&M hosted an air-conditioned lounge with "freshen up" stations featuring dry shampoo, deodorant and sun-protecting face mist. There was also a free water bar, a GIF photo booth, a nail art station, a live DJ and more perks. See more: Pitchfork Music Festival 2013: Rustic Activations Offer Refreshments—and Deodorant

Whether it's a pool party or something by the beach, water tends to play a role in summer events. Why not turn it into a photo-grabbing, branded moment? At Coachella in 2019, for example, Adidas's annual Sports Club featured the brand's logo floating in the water; water jetpack acrobatics entertained guests and served as an eye-catching photo op.

For an extra fun touch, Adidas had synchronized swimmers wearing the brand's iconic black-and-white sneakers. The Corso Agency handled production for the Sports Club, with assistance from Clear As Day.

Who doesn't love the colorful nostalgia of a balloon moment? This decor item is a staple for a reason, and can be a great, affordable choice for summer events. Want to take it up a notch? Get inspired by these balloon trees from Governors Ball 2018, which sprouted up throughout the festival grounds and featured arrangements supplied by Katie Balloons. See more: 23 Must-See Brand Experiences From This Year's Governors Ball

CÎROC's watermelon-themed Coachella 2019 party had a series of cascading balloons in greens and pinks inspired by the fruit. See more: Coachella 2019: See Inside the Biggest Parties and Brand Activations

In the summer heat, everyone appreciates a little touch-up. Music festivals are known for hair-styling stations, like this one at Governors Ball 2019. Hair care and beauty brand OGX offered attendees hairstyling and color treatments in an eye-popping pink-hued space, produced by Founders Entertainment. The brand also had satellite styling stations at the festival’s VIP areas, where guests could do their own hair and makeup touchups.

After getting their makeovers, guests could pose at a colorful photo op in the OGX space. See more: Governors Ball 2019: 29 Instagrammable Ideas From Festival Organizers and Sponsors

Playboy's two-day event at Coachella 2018, dubbed the Playboy Social Club, had hairstylists on hand to braid guests' hair and weave pom-poms, metallic rings and other decorative accents into festival-ready hairstyles. Guests could also pop inside G-Eazy's mobile barbershop—an Airstream parked outside the venue—for a quick grooming session before hitting up the pool party. See more: Coachella 2018: How Brands Stood Out During a Jam-Packed Weekend