Whether you have a few guests or hundreds of people, it can be a lot of fun hosting a social event. Of course, you can invite these people to your house to eat and socialize a bit. If the guest list is large enough, you can arrange to celebrate the festivities in a church, hall, or banquet hall.
As fun as these indoor occasions can be, there is something special about throwing an outdoor party or picnic. After all, there’s so much more room for families to spread out and kids to run and play. Everyone can enjoy the fresh air, especially if they spend much of their lives cooped up in an office building or school. Perhaps most importantly, a social gathering held in bright sun and blue skies is pretty much guaranteed to create memories, especially if people bring their cameras!
But if you choose to entertain outdoors, you’ll certainly need to take some precautions that you wouldn’t have to worry about in an indoor setting. If the sun is especially bright, you should provide sunscreen and shaded areas for your guests. You probably need to have a decent supply of bug spray nearby so you can get rid of mosquitoes, ants, or flies (which tend to disrupt picnics frequently). Finally, it’s a good idea to provide roomy trash receptacles and recycling bins to make cleanup easy for everyone and keep your party or picnic site spotless.
What types of outdoor gatherings do you enjoy? Do you love lounging by the pool and taking a dip in the cool waters to escape the heat of the sun? How about parties with lots of activities like horseshoes, badminton, bocce or even team sports? Perhaps you prefer the classic afternoon picnic at a park, lake, or beach with several (or dozens?) of your closest friends and family.
No matter what form your outdoor event takes, there is one thing that can make it so much better: candy!
But you can’t collect any type of candy. The sweets that are best suited to picnics or cookouts are those that are “sun-safe”; in other words, the heat of the sun will not affect them. If your candy options aren’t sun-safe, you’ll end up with one big mess made up of chocolate stains and fruity-colored stains on clothing and furniture.
So if you need candy selection ideas for your next outdoor event, here are some sun-safe candy suggestions:
licorice
Chewy, flavorful treats hold their shape no matter how hot it may be outside. You can even provide a variety of licorice options, such as a red or black blend, Australian red whips, or Scottish red whips. Perhaps best of all, almost all licorice is fat-free!
candy
Since it is crystalline in form, rock candy will not melt or rub off in the sun. It’s especially tasty at parties as after-meal treats so guests can “wipe their palettes.” Choose from flavors like grape, cherry, raspberry, or strawberry.
jolly ranchers
Because each piece of hard candy is individually wrapped, the sun will not affect the flavor or texture at all. They can be taken anywhere and remain in pristine condition until ready to eat. Jolly Ranchers come in apple, watermelon, blue raspberry, cherry, and grape flavors.
very cherry candies
From Jelly Bellies to buttons and Double Bubble gum, cherry-flavored candies contain no artificial coatings that can stick to fingers and clothing. So you don’t have to worry about smudges or sticky fingers.
gummies
It’s hard to find a kid who doesn’t like to munch on gummy bears. Parents love them because they’re clean treats that usually don’t make a mess, even with kids. But you can get more types of shapes than just bears, such as swedish fish, worms, alligators, frogs, cola bottles, letters, octopus, lobsters, snakes, dinosaurs, and killer sharks.
If you’re planning to host a birthday party, class picnic, or other event where kids will be galore, you’re better off buying your candy in bulk. That way, you won’t have to worry about opening the bags and cleaning up the trash. Plus, you’re guaranteed to have enough candy on hand without running out! You can even buy candy in bulk online and have it shipped right to your door, so you don’t have to make a special trip to the grocery store, drug store, or candy store.
Whenever you choose to socialize in the sun, you need to do some preparation. You should apply sunscreen, wear a hat, and stay hydrated. You also need to make sure your sweets are sun-safe so everyone can indulge their sweet tooth without succumbing to stains from clothes or sticky hands. The good news? There are plenty of sun-safe candy options to choose from, so pick a few up for your next picnic or party!