5 Top Tips to Weatherproof Your Upcoming Outdoor Get-Togethers

We’re less than two weeks away from finally welcoming other households into our garden again, and I for one can’t contain my excitement.

Now, if you’re not lucky enough to live in the South of Spain like one of our team members (yes, Sam, I am talking about you) and you’ve not yet had a professional gazebo installed, there is a good chance your outdoor event will be supplemented with a bit of rain, a common companion of all things outdoors, in the UK. 

My number one advice would always be to remain flexible and stick to the British rule of never planning a BBQ more than 24 hours in advance. 

But what to do if you need to meet at a specific date and plan in advance? Well, I can’t make the rain disappear for you (I honestly wish I could) but we at Collctiv, want to share our top tips to make your outdoor gatherings a success. 

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Here are our five top tips:

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1. Meet in the morning

Did you know that it is most likely to rain in the afternoon of any given day? According to Science daily you have a better chance to escape the rain if you meet in the morning; so why not bring your loved ones together for a lovely brunch meet-up rather than your standard afternoon BBQ? Check out these amazing breakfast BBQ recipes by Thrillist.
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2. Create a water theme

If you can’t change the weather you might as well make the most of it. How do they say: if life gives you rain; build a pool…

Jokes aside, the best way to cope with the rain however, is to plan for it, so ensure to incorporate the rain into your plans and you won’t be unpleasantly surprised. Tell your friends to bring their wellies. 

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3. Poncho’s for everyone 

I can’t recommend enough to have some back up Ponchos in your house. This way you can hand them out to everyone and enjoy each other's company despite the rain. There are some fab degradable waterproof eco-ponchos available, which aren’t just useful in the moment but kind to our planet. 
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4. Waterproof speakers 

The one thing every good gathering needs is music and you really don’t want to ruin your speakers in the rain or have to turn off the music when the clouds start joining your party. Therefore, I’d recommend investing in some waterproof speakers like the “wonderboom”, with a 10 hour battery life and a very competitive price.
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5. Gazebo

Lastly, I’d always recommend a gazebo for the watershy friends and a way to protect your food; because no one likes soaked buns and soggy burgers. It’s surprisingly difficult to find an eco friendly gazebo (if you come across one, please let me know where), so depending on your event I’d suggest renting one or maybe one of your friends has a portable pavilion and is willing to share. 

These five hacks should help to ensure that you can focus on enjoying time with your friends and family rather than having to worry about the rain. If you want to streamline your event organisation even more, you can always use our Collctiv app and collect individual contributions to buy all the food, and save everyone from needing to go to the shops. 

Let the planning commence!

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