Our Backyard Camping Party is sponsored by duraflame. All ideas and opinions are always 100% my own.
A backyard camping party is a great way to say goodbye to school days and helllooooo to summer!
Today I’m sharing with you some great ideas and tops on throwing your own backyard camping party, complete with some gorgeous FREE printables that will take your party from average to amazing!
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The great thing about a backyard camping party is that you can do it with your kids for fun, for a birthday party, for an actual camping trip, or for any occasion.
I went with a rustic, natural look for our backyard camping party, but really, anything goes!
Backyard Camping Party Setup
Find a great place in your yard to set up the party table. We have a large rustic workbench that has been in our yard for years that was the perfect spot to set up for the party.
Before I throw a party, I always shop my house first. I went on a hunt for anything that looked rustic, natural, and would work for camping.
You might have seen some of my party prep that I shared on my Instagram– I’d love to have you follow me there @makelifelovely if you don’t already!
My wood slices, my buffalo check scarf (that belonged to my grandma), my galvanized metal tiered stand, some realistic-looking toy bears, a lantern, a vintage style picnic basket, and a rustic wood bottle holder were all some things that I found that were a great fit for our outdoor camping party.
I also added some natural elements to the party, like feathers, sticks, plants, moss, and more. Now it was time to put it all together and get the food ready for the party!
Backyard Camping Party Food Ideas
You just CAN’T have a backyard camping party with s’mores. It’s an outdoor summer essential!
I filled my galvanized metal tier tray with the flat s’mores marshmallows on the top tier (whoever dreamed these up is brilliant!).
Graham crackers and chocolate bars went on the next level, and pinecones were placed on the bottom to add to the natural look.
To spruce up the candy bars and make them look better for our backyard camping party, I created some free printables candy bar wrappers that I am absolutely in love with!
Red and black buffalo check is one of my favorite patterns and reminds me of a flannel that I would wear camping, so I used that pattern as the base for my candy bar wrapper designs.
Over the top of the buffalo plaid I came up with some short camping sayings, like “Wild and Free,” “Into the Woods,” “Happy Camper,” “May the Forest Be with You” (haha), “Need s’more,” and more.
I may have had a little too much fun coming up with these, especially the Star Wars one. 😉
Keep reading to get the free candy bar wrapper download at the bottom of the post!
I dressed up a chocolate cake I bought from the store to go with the backyard camping party theme. You can see exactly how I put this entire camping cake together in just 10 MINUTES!
Trail mix is another must-have camping food, so I made some homemade trail mix with a variety of nuts and some chocolate.
The best part about making your own trail mix is that you’re in charge of how much chocolate goes in!
I also served hot dogs in buns, big juicy red apples, and bottles of orange soda. To dress up the sodas, I cut some small squares from a red bandana and tied them onto the top of each bottle.
I used more bandanas under the apples and hot dogs too.
Making the S’mores
When you have a group of hungry kids (and adults) anxious to eat s’mores, you don’t want to wait 30 minutes to get a fire going. Our fire was up and running almost instantly with duraflame’s Campfire Roasting Logs.
To create a fire with the Campfire Roasting Logs, all I had to do was to stack 2-3 logs, then light the wrappers. SO easy!
These logs are specially formulated and contain real wood charcoal that create the perfect roasting coals for roasting marshmallows, hot dogs, and more after the flames die down.
They are also made from 100% renewable materials (USDA certified 100% bio-based content) that include recycled wood, real wood charcoal, and natural waxes, and have been tested for safe roasting of food.
My favorite part was how easy and quick the fire was to start with no hassle!
Quicker fire means faster s’mores, which is definitely a good thing! Just ask these two kiddos…
Backyard Camping Party Free Printable Candy Bar Wrappers
Do you have s’more plans for this summer? Great, I’ve got you covered with these adorable free printable candy bar wrappers!
You can download the whole candy bar wrappers set for personal use only. Enjoy!
The wrappers are made to fit a standard milk chocolate bar perfectly. Just cut, use some double stick tape on the back, and you’re ready for some summer s’mores!
What’s your favorite camping food? I think you’ve probably figured out what mine are by now. 😉
Be sure to check out how I put together our camping cake in less than 10 minutes!
And if camping isn’t your thing, you’ll love my glamping set up and glamping tips and ideas post that show you how to get outside in style and comfort!
Keep cool this summer with this list of 19 fun ways to beat the heat!
Happy summer!
This is ADORABLE!! I love all your little touches. We love making smores in our backyard…will have to look into these logs!
Aw, thanks so much Linda, I reallly appreciate it! It just doesn’t get much better than s’mores, does it? And yes, definitely try out the logs! You’ll love them.
I love this- so fun! Going to have to put a backyard camping party together for the family!
Thanks Rachel! We had a great time, you definitely should do one with your family!
Forest themed AND a Star Wars reference? This is my favorite party ever. LOVE those printables!!
Haha, thanks so much Amy! That Star Wars reference was just too good to pass up. 😉 SO glad you liked it!
Thank you for the really neat little touches!! Found you through the DuraFlame FB page!!
You’re so welcome, John! So glad you found me, thanks for stopping by and checking out our party. It doesn’t get much better than backyard camping with the kiddos and roasting marshmallows over the fire, does it?