If your goal is to throw your neighborhood’s coolest party of the fall or summer, your first challenge is going to be setting up your backyard for the celebration. Compared to indoor get-togethers and parties hosted at fancy venues, hosting an outdoor event involves a bit of extra time and attention to prepare correctly. From table and chair rentals to cutting the grass, follow these tips for preparing your backyard for an outdoor party and get ready to win that elusive title of best summer party host.

Mow the Yard

Yes, this is a given. Still, it’s worth mentioning -- the more obvious a detail, the easier it is to tuck it away in the back of your mind until you forget about it completely. And this is one last-minute detail you don’t want to forget. Get that grass trimmed!

Clean the Porch or Patio

Find a broom and maybe a pressure washer and get to cleaning your porch, patio, and any outdoor furniture you have outside. Depending on when the last time was that you did this, it may take quite a bit of time to do, so you'll want to get this done in advance. Be thorough and remember to get rid of any pesky spiderwebs.

Extra Seating and Party Rentals

If you don’t have 20 or so chairs in your possession already, that’s no problem. With local services offering table and chair rentals, you should have more than enough options to choose from for seating all your guests. In addition to table and chair rentals, you can also rent a tent. It’ll probably be either a frame tent or a pole tent, which are the two basic styles.

Decorate

This is the fun part! Decorating is its own art form, so do some research to find out how to coordinate different elements, and what will work best for your yard. Choose a theme or color and go wild!

Set Up Your Lights

If the party is any good, it’ll last long past sundown. And you’re going to be hosting the best party of the entire year, so you know you’re going to need plenty of outdoor lighting. Invest in some good bright lanterns and maybe make some candle holders out of mason jars for a rustic effect. If you expect to be grilling past sundown (which is very likely later in the year), get some grill lights to help illuminate the food as you're preparing it.

Clean Your Grill

To get your grill clean for the party, you’ll want to use water and soap to wash most of it. To clean the grates, turn the grill on and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn it off and after it’s had plenty of time to cool back down, clean it using a stiff wire brush made for scrubbing grill grates.

Fill Up the Propane Tank

Without a propane tank, you won’t be getting any grilling done! You don’t want to be one of those hosts whose propane runs out halfway through dinner, so get that out of the way now.

Set Up a Grilling Area

It’s not enough to have a grill and propane, although that’s a start. If you intend to make dinner for everyone seamlessly, you’ll need at least a simple counter or table next to the grill with all of your tools and condiments. This can include utensils, containers, seasonings, and food to be prepared, among other things. To avoid having to bring too many seasoning shakers with you, try mixing the seasonings you need all together indoors, then bring out just one container for cooking with.

Set Up a Bar or Serving Area

In addition to a designated place set up for cooking, you’ll also want a space prepared for actually displaying and serving the food. If you have access to one, set up a bar cart with some of your favorite drinks. Try to set things up so that everyone can easily serve themselves without having to ask for help.

Prepare a Party Playlist

After good company, music and food make the party! Organize the perfect party playlist using Spotify or another service. Otherwise, choose from one of many playlists created by others.

And there you have it: how to prepare for an outdoor party, from table and chair rentals to cooking prep.