Ice Cream Social Decorating Ideas

Ice cream is a flavorful dessert that brings people together.

An old fashioned ice cream social is a party where a bunch of people get together and enjoy all sorts of different flavors of ice cream. Hosting an ice cream social is not that expensive considering all the guests bring different supplies needed, sort of like a pot luck. Children of all ages can enjoy this summer tradition and create wonderful memories as well.

Welcoming Decorations

Create a welcoming sign for your guests, saying "Ice Cream Parlor." Or make it more personalized with someone's first name. Use balloons by bunching them together to create an ice cream cone, use brown colored balloons for the cone and different colors for the different flavors of ice cream. Have extra balloons around the party area, tie a few balloons to the back of chairs and maybe some balloons on the ground as well.

Table Decorations

Centerpieces can be made out of party hats and small helium filled balloons can be the ice cream, again choose different colors to portray different flavors. Match your plates, cups and plastic ware to the ice cream colors that you decide on. Place brightly colored pails on the tables with old fashioned stick candy, not only is this an extra decoration, it is also a treat. Table confetti is a nice touch as well.

Music

Find some old-fashioned ice cream music and play it to set the scene. At first, it may appear that the music is just for background noise, but once the ice cream social gets going, the music will become more noticeable and enjoyed by all ages. If you own an old record player, this would be a good time to bring it out.

The Ice Cream Table

You can either purchase store-bought ice cream or make your own. To make it feel more like an old fashioned ice cream social, purchase metal buckets that have airtight lids and scoop the ice cream into those. Put the buckets on ice for the social. Also, put out different toppings and mix-ins for the ice cream, such as nuts, brownies and sprinkles.

References

• Cozi: Plan a Summer Ice Cream Social
• Helpful Party Planning: Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social

Resources

• Sally Bernstein: Ice Cream Recipes