23 Fall Backyard Party Ideas for Celebrating Harvest Season

Seasonal Celebration

Celebrate fall with a harvest party! Use the bounty of the season in your fall party decorations and recipes. Plan a few autumn-themed activities, invite some guests, and get ready to toast the bounty of fall. We love the gorgeous setup on this outdoor table!

Hit the Pumpkin Patch

Throw a harvest party on a budget by using decor that serves double duty! Hit the pumpkin patch and grab everything you need to complete your front porch fall decor scheme. Rather than buying a set of fall decorations for the porch and another set for party decorations, set the porch decorations around the yard. After the party, transfer the decor to the front porch for decor that lasts until Halloween.

Harvest Greeting

Don't say it, paint it! Painted pumpkins on a porch step will set the scene for a cozy setting for a crisp fall gathering. Black paint on white pumpkins is a bold way to welcome the harvest season; use autumn colors—like yellow, red, orange, and warm brown—as accents.

Festive Felt Decor

Decorate your outdoor space with a simple festive garland. Make felt mums in fall colors (it's actually so easy!) and string them up with wood beads. Attach them to a deck rail or string them between fence posts. When the gathering is over, move the garland inside for pretty, easy indoor fall decor.

Blanket Protection

Fall weather can be unpredictable: Prepare for the possibility of cooler temperatures by rounding up a basket of blankets for guests to use if the air becomes chilly.

Doorway Display

Draw attention to the party entrance with a fresh and colorful display. To make these fall party decorations, poke holes into pumpkins with a screwdriver and insert leafy branches into the holes. If you're comfortable with power tools, carefully drill the holes. Arrange the branch-bearing pumpkin decorations around your front door, along with a few extra gourds for pops of color.

Dish Up Apple Cider

Is it possible for cozy to have a flavor? If so, it would be warm apple cider served up to guests. Plus, apple cider has so many recipe variations. Try it with pomegranate, ginger, or lemon.

Walkway Decorations

Decorate a walkway with stacks of pumpkins in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Illuminate the path with candles set inside canning jars. If you're planning to do some pumpkin carving or painting at your party, invite guests to pick out their own pumpkin canvas along the path of fall party decorations.

Editor's Tip: Don't leave lit candles unattended. If you can't monitor the candles, use battery-operated votives instead.

Easy-Transport Baked Treat

Whip up a delicious backyard treat for party guests. These maple-glazed baked apples are so easy! Bake them before guests arrive and keep them warm in the oven until you're ready to serve appetizers. Then simply carry the pan out to the backyard gathering. Remember the plates or bowls!

Bountiful Buffet

Infuse your party with fall flavors and serve up recipes using the season's bounty. If you plan on hosting a potluck, ask guests to bring their favorite autumnal dishes to share.

Twig Pumpkin Craft

Your harvest party needs a craft for adults, too! Before your guests arrive, gather some small sticks and twigs from your yard. Use the sticks to create fall shapes (like a pumpkin) on a canvas or piece of whitewashed wood, attaching them with hot glue or wood glue. As you craft, enjoy cider and snacks.

Colorful Jack-o'-Lanterns

Add extra glow to your table with carved jack-o'-lanterns. Use different colored pumpkins, such as gray and green, for a variation on the classic carved orange pumpkin.

• Get free fall-themed pumpkin stencils.

Pumpkin Bonfire

Get cozy without having to build a real fire. Download our free flame stencil and follow the easy carving and assembly instructions for this bonfire-inspired pumpkin pile. If a guest plays the guitar, ask them to bring it along and have a good, old-fashioned sing-along while gathered around the light-up pumpkin "campfire."

• Learn more about this project.

Ideas for Fall Produce

From apples to sweet potatoes, autumn brings out the best in both sweet and savory flavors. Try making a fall fruit salad with apples or serving zesty sweet potato fries.

• See recipes using sweet potatoes.

Pumpkin Greeting

This cheery welcome is one of our favorite fall harvest party ideas. Fill a wheelbarrow with an assortment of pumpkins and gourds. Use a paint pen to write a welcoming greeting on one of the larger pumpkins. Set up the fanciful fall display in your front yard to usher guests into the party.

Pumpkin Punch Bowl

Refresh parched guests with a pumpkin punch served in fall style. Hollow out a pumpkin, scraping the sides well and removing all the seeds and pulp before filling it with apple cider. Add apple slices and cinnamon sticks for garnish and serve in canning jar glasses.

• See recipes for fall drinks.

Table Decorations

Set up a table outside so guests can eat in the crisp autumn air. Top a table with burlap tablecloth. (Try making your own by purchasing a length of burlap to fit your table and fraying the edges.) Dress up the tabletop with a cozy runner, miniature gourds and pumpkins, and candles inside large glass hurricanes.

• See more fall outdoor decorating ideas.

Yummy Fruit Desserts

Many fruits are at their peak during the fall months. Take advantage of the fresh produce and launch it into a starring role for the dessert course.

• See fabulous fruit cobblers & crisps.
• See our best fall pies & tarts.

Pretty Place Cards

For easy-to-make place cards, write guests' names on small pumpkins using paint pens. Tuck the finished pumpkin decorations inside a bowl at each place setting along with a napkin and a few decorative leaves.

• See more ideas for autumnal place cards.

Pumpkin Painting

After dinner, whip out the pumpkin and paints. Invite guests to use their artistic skills to paint pretty designs or goofy faces on pumpkins.

Editor's Tip: Pour paint into old muffin tins to minimize mess.

• See more ideas for painting pumpkins.

Party Piñata

Challenge guests to take on a pumpkin-face piñata (available at party stores or easy to make at home). Fill with candy or small prizes before the party. Suspend the paper pumpkin from a backyard tree limb, provide a blindfold and bat, and let guests have at it.

Visit an Orchard

Harvest season is also apple orchard season! Use your fall harvest party as an occasion to check out a local farm or apple orchard. Get the party started at your home, nibbling on fall snacks and filling your portable mugs with cider and cocoa. Carpool or caravan to the orchard for a day of fun. Many local farms allow guests to pick their own fruits and wind through corn mazes. After a day at the orchard, bring everyone together for a cozy harvest party in the backyard.

Make Your Own Cornucopia

Nothing says harvest like a cornucopia. Make your own using florist's foam and bold blooms. If you aren't satisfied with your DIY cornucopia serving as just a fall party decoration, invite your guests to make one of their own, too. Provide the foam and cut flowers, and encourage guests to bring their own flower vessels. Your cornucopia is both a fall table decoration and a fall harvest party activity!