Host the ultimate camping-themed dinner party at home! Today, we cover camp-chic decor ideas, a delicious camping-inspired menu, and a hilarious tent relay race. We have our first camping trip planned with our daughter coming up, so I thought what better way to prepare than with a camping dinner party! (Although let’s be honest, can you ever truly be prepared for camping with a one-year-old?)
Camping Dinner Party Decor Ideas: Camp Chic
I kept the table simple with a classic plaid plastic tablecloth, some twinkly lights and our camping lanterns. The flowers were leftovers from my daughter’s first birthday. I folded the napkins into little sleeping bags and tucked the knife and fork inside. If I wasn’t solo parenting this week, I would have set up the food tent and done everything outside, but I think it turned out cute as is!
Camping Inspired Menu: S’more the Merrier
When I told my husband about my idea for a camping dinner party, he was very skeptical. His mind immediately went to oatmeal, cereal and spider dogs. While those are very valid options, we can do so much better.
Of course, we had to start with hot dogs, as they are a camping classic. For our appetizer we enjoyed pigs in a sleeping bag alongside a glass of lemonade. I did try and dress this course up a bit by adding some sparkling water, mint and limes to the lemonade and serving the hot dogs on a nice platter.
For the main, we enjoyed trout alongside watermelon salad, corn, and a dill pickle bagged salad (because of course you need a bagged salad!). I baked the trout with some olive oil, salt, pepper and Buttery Garlic and Herb Rub. After it came out of the oven, I slathered it in Dill Pickle Aioli I picked up from Costco. The entire meal was very fresh and warm, and featured a lot of elements we would eat when camping. I suppose if you wanted to, you could try and feature a few insect-themed dishes in the menu as well (like we did in our bug-themed dinner party).
Finally, for dessert, I made S’mores Bars. These were super easy to make, although I did forget to spray the aluminium foil before putting down the graham crackers. I was able to salvage it, and they were delicious. They are super sticky when warm. I recommend waiting for them to cool before eating to avoid any potential choking situations (as that is a vibe killer). They were easiest to cut with a pair of scissors.
Fun Camping Party Game: Pitch Perfect
Before we replaced our childhood food tent, most camping trips started with a family fight trying to get the thing up. I remember labels had fallen off certain pieces, other pieces were duct-taped, and the whole thing was sticky. When we finally upgraded to a newer, much easier tent, it took so much less time that the weekend felt longer. Putting tents up, especially difficult ones, can test a relationship.
For the post-dinner fun, I challenged my sisters and their partners with a camping relay race. Using a small two-person tent and sleeping bag, it works like this:
- Person 1: Set up the tent, unroll the sleeping bag, set it up in the tent and get into it
- Person 2: Take down the tent and get the sleeping bag back into the bag it came in
They did rock, paper, scissors to decide who went first. Each team was able to do it in just over four minutes, with only a ten-second difference between the two. My highlights were watching someone frantically get into and out of a sleeping bag, and trying to jam it back into the bag. Everyone was laughing, and there was a lot of yelling. It even kept my very busy daughter captivated!
Camp-tivating Gifts for the Host with the Most
If someone has beaten you to it and you have been invited to a camping dinner party, be sure to show up with a small dry bag full of your favourite camping goodies. Dry bags are great for anyone who is a fan of the outdoors in general, but especially if they are just getting into camping.
Have you hosted a camping dinner party? Share your favourite ideas in the comments below!
