A socially distanced, face mask clad, drive-by party probably wouldn’t have been high on my list of ways to celebrate my son’s first birthday. But like I always say, “when life gives you lemons, hire an ice cream truck!” Or something like that…
Actually, that’s exactly what we did. As August approached, reports of COVID cases skyrocketed in LA. We quickly realized Leyton’s birthday celebration wasn’t going to resemble a traditional party in any of the ways we imagined. Our boy had quite a tumultuous first year, so I was determined to celebrate him in any way we could. We brainstormed a creative new drive-by party plan. Of course it was important to me that we (and our guests!) felt comfortable and safe while doing so.
During the drive-by party we stood on our front lawn and visited with guests as they drove up in their cars. We rented an ice cream truck that parked in our driveway and offered sweet treats. It ended up being the perfect centerpiece and made the afternoon feel extra special. California also happened to get hit with an insane heat wave the weekend of Leyton’s birthday. Temps were well in the 90’s on the day of his party! Cold treats went from enjoyable to essential STAT.
I had a good general direction once I secured the ice cream truck, but my mind was still swirling with logistical questions. The drive-by portion of the day in particular through me for a loop. Hosting a “party” during a global pandemic comes with a unique set of challenges. If you’ve considered throwing one – keep reading! I’m sharing my own questions and solutions to hopefully save you some trouble. 🙂
FOOD TRUCK
Like I mentioned, the ice cream truck ended up being a huge hit! Our guests appreciated the sweet treat and I loved avoiding the extra leg work. No need to sort out the best single-serving, COVID-friendly food safety solution. Not to mention, no cooking and easy clean up!
We paid a flat rate to reserve the truck for an hour and a half which included 30 servings. I called around until I found a reasonably priced truck. My first quote came in at $18/scoop! I was very pleased with King Kone’s friendly service. They were extremely easy to coordinate with and actually offered a whole menu of iced desserts beyond ice cream!
The ice cream attendant wore a mask and stayed inside his truck the entire time. They required all guests wear masks while ordering at the window. People either ate them on the lawn or took them back to their car. Obviously you have to take a mask off to eat, but ice cream on a hot day made for a quick dining experience. 😉
INVITATIONS
Paperless Post is typically my digital invite of choice. They have so many adorable cards! The interface is easy to use and allows you to keep track of RSVP’s using the app. I also find it to be the most aesthetically pleasing option. 😉
I designed my own graphic on PicMonkey and added a GIF detail using the Spark App. Then I uploaded it to Paperless Post’s new Flyer feature. You don’t have to be that extra and create your own card from scratch though! They have tons of fun and interactive templates to choose from for a quick drag and drop invite.
We clearly stated that it was a drive-by party on the invite, and actually avoided using the word “party” at all. My hope was the wording would temper people’s expectations. Since we only invited a close few, we spoke to most everyone about it in detail beforehand anyway. I didn’t want anyone to be disappointed that it would be quick, staggered visits rather than a proper catch up session you expect from a party.
DRIVE-BY PARTY SET UP
Set up is largely dictated by your space of course, but we started with 3 canopies on our front lawn. The layout worked perfectly. The tents provided shade and space to hang balloons and extra decor. Given the extreme heat, my husband rigged our canopies with misters last minute. It was amazing! If you’re worried about cold weather woes, canopies are also a great option to keep you warm and dry. You could even set up space heaters inside too.
Under the first tent we set up a play pen, a few toys and Leyton’s high chair. He was mostly in my arms or crawling on the grass during the party, but it was nice to know we had a safe place to set him if we needed to.
The second tent housed a cute little cake table with goodie bags, treats and a photo backdrop. This set up allowed me to infuse a bit of our party theme and festive decorations on the lawn. I love how it turned out in photos!
We put presents under the third canopy and it also provided shade in front of the ice cream truck. It was at the opposite end of the yard from Leyton’s tent which gave us lots of built in distance. I’ll be honest though, it was easy to get comfortable once people got out of their cars and started chatting. We all craved social interaction! I would’ve sat on the front lawn all day just to visit with friends and family.
We had to reign it in a few times and kindly keep people moving or into their cars. It’s an awkward conversation even with your closest friends or family, but I was so worried about suddenly having 20 people huddled closely together in our front yard. We were outdoors and all wearing masks but that still wouldn’t feel appropriate. Let alone allowed, given our county restrictions at the time.
We chatted with our neighbors before the party and gave them a heads up. Our neighbors on either side of us even graciously lent their driveway and curb space. This ensured cars weren’t blocking the street if people arrived at the same time. We set up cones out front and created a lane for people to drive up or park. It worked well and gave us lots of extra space!
GUEST LIST & TIMING
We decided to keep things very small and invited a few close friends and family. Given we would be standing outside with a 12 month old, we could realistically only plan on a 2 hour window max. We wanted to make sure we had enough time to visit with those who drove to see us, but avoid feeling panicked or stressed if too many people arrived at once.
We only had 8 cars to coordinate, so we simply asked them to stop by at any point during the 2 hour window. Luckily it worked out and guests naturally staggered nicely. If we invited more people, it would’ve made more sense to assign a specific time to each car. However, that required more coordinating on my part and I was running realllll low on brainpower at that point. 5+ months of working full time from home with a sweet, sweet baby who still doesn’t sleep through the night will do that to ya. 🙃 While I didn’t manage that level of organization, I would recommend it if you plan to invite more than 6-7 families. If you have the time and energy to arrange it!
Later that evening we invited our immediate family over for a proper backyard dinner party and cake smash to ensure we could spend quality time and share those special memories with them. It also allowed us to get the most mileage out of the decorations. Initially we only intended to use them for the cake smash and dinner party, but once we started planning the drive-by we realized we could repurpose the decorations for the earlier portion of the day too! With a little help, it was easy to move all the decor (including the canopies!) and use them for both parties. Speaking of decor…
DECOR & FAVORS
I did some serious Amazon ordering over the weeks leading up to Leyton’s birthday. We settled on an “Around the World” theme months prior as a nod to my husband’s first birthday theme. We adjusted it to fit a drive-by party and kept it a bit simpler than my initial vision. (How cute would it have been to set up areas in the backyard to resemble different countries and have guests “travel” to each one for food and games?! Maybe another year lol…) I’m so happy with how it turned out and all the “fly-by” and adventure puns were a fun addition.
I watched this balloon garland tutorial on YouTube and purchased this kit plus a few other balloons from the Jamboree Style website. They shared a coupon code in the description of the YouTube video for an extra % off! The kit was nice quality, affordable and came with all the supplies and easy to follow instructions. I would highly recommend! I also purchased an electric balloon pump that ended up being a total game changer. The whole balloon set up took a fraction of the time I expected it to.
One of my best friends sent me the cutest, surprise package for Leyton’s birthday and heartiversary. They were an adorable nod to the virtual 5k we did earlier in the day benefiting Conquering CHD. We displayed them on the cake table and included them in the goodie bags for the kids who stopped by. Shelby from Shelby Makin’ Cookies who made them, is so incredibly talented. They are hand drawn! I couldn’t get over how beautiful and detailed they were.
This vintage map backdrop brought the theme together in photos. It was great quality too, you’d never know it was less than $20! I purchased a navy, gold and white tassel garland, another small balloon garland for the cake table, a gold foil number 1 balloon, and a few other travel decor items to complete the theme. I created a dedicated travel themed party decor list on my Amazon store so all these purchases are easy to find all in one place!
If you’re getting ready to celebrate a special little one in your life and in need of gift ideas, I have a whole post of gender neutral toddler gift ideas for you to check out!
What did I miss?! Any other drive-by party questions? At the end of the day we’re all doing the best we can navigating some seriously unchartered territory, so I say great job, mama! I wish everyone the best from my family to yours. <3
