With the holiday season and (relatively) chilly temperatures, even those in the Sunshine State can feel the urge to want to have a winter festival.
But how to create the right atmosphere in Florida, where “winter weather” means the temperature might dip into the 40s, which is a balmy day during the holidays in much of the country?
Big festival organizers pull it off every year. For example, in the Tampa Bay alone there quite a few winter festivals, including: The Rough Riders Parade and Santa Festival in Tampa, the Snowfest and Santa Parade in St. Petersburg, Clearwater’s Holiday Family Fest and the Snow on 7th Holiday Parade in Ybor City.
But what about you and your winter party plans? The answer is it can be done, but it will take some imagination. And, luckily for you and your party, there are party rental companies that can help you create the right atmosphere and offer just the right touch with entertainment and decorations.
Decorating for Winter Festival in Florida
There are two basic schools of thought when it comes to decorating for winter parties in Florida. You can acknowledge that you’re in the Sunshine State or you can go all out with winter decorations as if you live in a more snow-intensive environment.
A mixture of both is probably the way to go.
For the Florida feel, make use of any palm trees you might have and string them with holiday lights. In fact, holiday lights are your decorating friend in all of this – you’ll be surprised how just a few strings of holiday lights can put you and your guests into a winter festival mood.
Unless you want to pay to have sand hauled in, simply using some well-placed tiki torches can give your party the right beach holiday feel. Throw in some plastic flamingoes or gators, and you’ve instantly created some atmosphere.
The other decorations are straightforward and can be taken from a long list: more lights, tinsel, plastic or inflatable snowmen and reindeer, a lighted tree and any number of other holiday decorations.
But then comes the question: what do you want your guests to do?
Entertainment Suggestions for a Winter Party
When it comes to providing entertainment, you should make use of party rental companies, such as Air Fun Games in New Port Richey. But which ones match a winter carnival? Here are a few choices from Air Fun Games:
Snow cone machine. This portable machine is going to be a big hit, particularly with the younger people at the party. All you supply is the ice. As part of the machine rental, you get the syrup that flavors the ice (flavors include red cherry and blue raspberry) and the machine to create your festival concoctions. This is, let’s admit, as close as anyone is going to get to snow at a winter festival in Florida!
Inflatable slides. So you can’t slide down a snow-covered hill in a toboggan – so what? With an inflatable slide you can recreate the experience without the nuisance of a toboggan or sub-zero temperatures. The number of slides to choose from is staggering, from slides designed specifically for kids to more adventurous ones that adults will enjoy.
Rock walls. Nothing says winter festival like a rock wall! Ok, maybe not. However, rock walls are one of those entertainment options that cut across all party genres. They provide challenges equal to the skill level and age of the climber, with two easy routes for the kids and two for the adults. There’s also one extreme level for those who sport solid rock wall climbing skills.
So, you have the decorations and you have the entertainment. Toss in the food of your choice – may we suggest hot cocoa and sugar cookies somewhere on the menu? – and you’re on your way to having a winter festival that everyone will always remember.
