This year, the Olympics are being hosted in Paris, France from the 24th of July to the 11th of August. The Summer Olympics showcase a wide range of sports from popular events like swimming, gymnastics, and beach volleyball, to the lesser-known sports of canoe sprint and breaking (break dancing). Over the two and a half weeks, these premier athletes will travel to Paris to represent their home country. They’re hoping to achieve glory for their home and the ultimate trophy of a gold medal.
Though you may not be able to fly to Paris and see the Olympic Games in person, you can always host your own Olympics-themed event! Gather friends and family to watch the games together and even create your own mini-Olympics with fun activities and competitions.
Choose Your Game Viewing Options
Your first step is deciding if you want to have your party indoors or outdoors. Sometimes the weather will decide for you, so if you’re set on an outdoor event, look into having a pop-up gazebo and fans to keep everyone dry and cool.
Inside Party Perks
If you live somewhere that has extreme summer heat, it might be best to have your viewing party inside. You can make sure there’s plenty of seating for everyone. Food and drinks will be close at hand in the kitchen, so you won’t have to worry about transporting them to an outdoor location! For viewing the events indoors, make sure to move your TV to an area that everyone can see, or grab a mini indoor projector and stand it up near the snacks so no one misses anything.
Outside Party Perks
Outside, you’ll have more room to host any games you want to have during the party. It also allows you to spread out and invite more people to the event. The downside is that you have to rely on good weather, and hope that it didn’t rain the night before (wet grass is not fun to play games in!) You could even set up an outside projector and stadium-type seating for everyone to view their favorite events.
Host Your Own Olympic Games
You don’t have to just watch the Olympics on TV, you can partake in your own games too! Everyone that comes can choose a country to represent or you can assign everyone onto colored teams of red, blue, green, or another color.
Here are a few game ideas:
Cornhole
To make everything official, why not check out the American Cornholes Association’s rules page? Double check you place the cornhole 27 feet apart, and the first to reach 21 points wins.
Three-Legged Races
This is a great option for kids! All you need is a piece of string or ribbon to tie two of their legs together. You can mark out a path they have to run, and the first one across the line wins! With this idea, you can create a little podium where the first, second, and third-place runners are all congratulated.
Topple Tower
Topple Tower is a game that adults and kids love to play together! A good idea would be to tape off the fall zone of the tower; this way no one’s feet will get crushed by the tower when it falls. You can do teams or individuals in a tournament where each winner progresses to a final where the winner takes gold!
Long Jump
Do you have a big backyard or access to any outdoor space? Then the long jump is a great option to get everyone leaping. You can use cones to mark the location they have to run up and jump from, and find out how far they have pumped with a measuring tape.
Table Tennis
This is a great indoor sport that’ll unleash the competitive nature of your friend group. You can even spice things up with team ping-pong paddles and balls. May the best team win!
Volley Ball
If you live near the beach, then this could be a real crowd-pleaser! Set up a net and mark out the boundaries of your court; players score when the ball goes out of bounds. You’re guaranteed to have fun in the sun, though it might be wise to have water bottles on hand just in case anyone gets overheated.
Pickleball
If you haven’t heard of Pickleball, it’s a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong using a paddle and plastic ball with holes. This will need a pickleball court, so if your local park has one you can host your own tournament.
Snack Options to Entertain Your Guests
Every event deserves a wide selection of snacks to keep the energy up. Why not make them Olympic-themed with options from a few different countries?
‘American’ Pie
This long, rectangular pie can be a centerpiece for all your snack options. It’s filled with delicious summer fruits! You can make it in the shape of an American flag, and let people decide who gets the stars and who gets the stripes. We love this classic recipe!
‘Turkey’ Burgers
Now, we don’t mean the country of Turkey (though they will be involved in this year’s Summer Olympics as well). Rather, we mean turkey burgers as an alternative to beef. If you’ve never had turkey burgers before, why not try out this recipe?
Hot ‘German’ Potato Salad
The German potato salad is made of mini potatoes and bacon vinaigrette, unlike the American alternative that has a mayonnaise base with a mix of crunchy chopped veggies and fresh herbs. Create your own potato salad with this recipe or go for one from your family cookbook.
Drinks
Unless you’re doing a BYOB type of event, it’s important to make sure to provide a variety of drinks for all age groups. Offer juice and water for any kids that are invited, and a mixture of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for any adults that seek something sweet or are in need of something stronger than the punch.
Dress in Your Favorite Sports Gear
Everyone can come dressed in their favorite event gear; goggles and swimsuits to represent the swim team, all white for the fencing team, or a full soccer kit with cleats included for the soccer team. Or, you can make custom team shirts for everyone coming!
Host a Fun Awards Ceremony for a Lasting Memory
Create Your Own Medals
Make your own ‘Gold’, ‘Silver,’ and ‘Bronze’ medals out of cardboard. You can add glitter and tinfoil for the silver, and write on them with Sharpie markers. Remember to account for all the events you’re hosting, to ensure every winner gets a medal to take home.
Unique ‘National Anthem’
Each winner gets to pick their favorite song that’s played during the ‘awards ceremony’. Alternatively, if you’re having everyone pick a country to represent, then you can play the anthem from that country.
The Summer Olympics can be fun to watch for all ages, whether you’re an athlete performing on the world stage, or a hardcore fan, there are dozens of ways to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games. Start your viewing experience with the opening ceremony on the 26th of July!
Lucy is a Content Specialist at Zazzle in Cork, Ireland. Originally from America, she is now settled in Ireland with her husband and Corgi-mix puppy Dug (yes, like from Disney’s UP!). It’s the simple things in life that matter, so give her a bag of M&M’s and she’s happy. She loves to relax with a good book, cozy up on the couch for a movie, or go to the park for a stroll with the family.
