Five Great Backyard BBQ Ideas

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Summer might be over, but when it comes to entertainment ideas, holding a backyard barbecue is one of the most Australian things you can do.

There’s always something to be said about having a casual barbie with your best mates, but if you’re looking for something a little different with your backyard BBQ this year, it’s time to change things up and embrace a few new ideas. Here are some ideas to liven up your next BBQ gathering.

1. Make it a BBQ potluck

It is always great having a crowd of your friends or family over for a backyard barbecue, but as the number of guests grows, BBQ’s can become quite expensive, so consider making your next barbecue a potluck. While your guests will likely bring along drinks or contributions to the grill anyway, try to organise who is bringing what. If you know for sure that the salads are taken care of, you can focus on desserts, or if the meat is covered you can turn your attention to providing some vegetarian food options.

By making your barbecue an official potluck affair, you’ll have more time to relax and enjoy yourself, and maybe discover some of your mates’ hidden cooking talents.

Need some bbq potluck inspiration? Try some great barbecue recipes from Taste.

2. Set up a fun kids’ area – with a designated adult supervisor

It’s pretty amazing at how good kids usually are at keeping themselves entertained, but you can give your guests a well-deserver afternoon off by setting up a kids’ play area with a willing adult supervisor. Organise kid-friendly food and drinks and come up with a few decent games and outdoor activities. Recruit a willing adult volunteer — or even one of your teenage kids — to head up this part of your event plan. You could even designate part of your house or yard — such as the patio, back veranda or boatshed — to be the kids’ only zone for your gathering.

3. Have a barbecue theme
To make your next backyard barbecue an event to remember, pick a theme and ask everyone to come dressed accordingly. It’s fun to incorporate your theme into your food and drink ideas as well your decorations. Colour themes are easy, as are themes that allow people to get creative (such as a letter of the alphabet), so pick yours carefully and prepared to be blown away by some of the outfits – meat dress anyone?

4. Feature some local entertainment

No backyard barbecue is complete without some good music but instead of having the computer decide on a music playlist, you can bring in a DJ or musician to take care of the music for you. Reaching out to a local band, DJ or solo musician to provide the music at your barbecue will be a fantastic touch to your event and you’ll likely be providing a great opportunity for a local up-and-coming young musician to perform.

5. Try a BBQ cooking competition

With the rise of cooking programmes on TV, many Australians are trying some impressive feats in the kitchen – and on the grill. Why not turn your barbecue into a friendly competition to name the King – or Queen – of the Grill! From designing the most mouth-watering beef burger to the perfect way to cook a steak, your guests will have lots of fun taking part in the ultimate grill-off, or just eating the results!

What great barbecue ideas do you have for summer entertaining?

Some Fun BBQ Trivia & Facts

How much meat are Australians eating every year? The facts might surprise you! Share our BBQ fun facts at your next gathering!