10 Canada Day Party Ideas

Oh, Canada, we’ve stood on guard for thee, but now we’re ready to kick back, relax and honour this great nation with an easy get-together with family and friends! Check out our 10 inspiring party ideas that feature lots of outdoor style, easy-make recipes and simply cool cocktail mixes.

1. Give your cakes, squares and bars an instant patriotic touch by making mini Canada Day flags. Search online for a flag image or visit the dollar store for inexpensive pre-made stickers. Using clear tape, attach your flags to toothpicks and top your dish. Even store-bought desserts can be transformed into a Canada Day treat this way.

2. Infuse your dishes with the quintessential Canuck favourite: maple syrup. Check out our article on cooking with maple syrup for great ideas on how to take this traditional breakfast staple into an evening meal with dishes like Maple Mustard Pork Burgers and Maple Syrup Smoked Trout.

3. Decorate your table with the bounty of the season by filling large clear bowls with red produce like cherries, raspberries and strawberries.

4. Serving up some cool drinks? Reserve some of the beverage and pour into ice cube trays to use as ice cubes—this way no one’s left with a watered down tipple! And, don’t forget to offfer guests our very own Canadian take on the classic Bloody Mary: the Caesar cocktail.

5. With the temperatures rising, no one wants to spend the day baking at a hot oven. Check out these no-bake dessert ideas instead: No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie, Lemon Meringue Freeze, Frozen White Chocolate Soufflé, or Triple Chocolate Mousse.

6. Keep it low key and stay indoors to watch our Iron Chef America Battle Canada marathon. It’s an evening dedicated to Canadian chefs like Lynn Crawford and Susur Lee, taking on kitchen stadium. Check it out Canada Day, July 1, starting at noon.

7. Give your fruit a bit of an edge with the addition of your favourite spirits. Drunken watermelon has been known to get more than a few parties started, while berries of any type macerated in wine, brandy or rum makes for an easy ice cream topping.
 
8. For easy, no-fuss placemats, use print-outs of Canadian and provincial maps. Print them in black and white and place some crayons on the table so that the little ones can colour them in during the festivities. To keep them from flying off the table, double-sided tape should do the trick or use small rocks from the garden.
 
9. Have the kids make a maple leaf table runner. Cut a length of brown craft paper to size. Take leaves from the yard (bumpy vine sides up) and place paper over top. Colour with different crayons to create a whimsical relief on the paper.

10. Outdoor centrepieces should be easy and breezy to match the carefree spirit of summer. Mason jars filled with water can be topped with red carnations or sunflowers which are budget-friendly and charming.

Written by the Foodtv.ca Editorial Team