COVID-19 may limit what you can do, but you can still host a small outdoor gathering with the right precautions. By maintaining social distancing, keeping things sanitary, and limiting guest numbers, you can host a successful event. Even if you’ve accounted for all those factors, though, rain can still ruin your plans. Be prepared for it with these ways to prepare for bad outdoor event weather.
Provide Weather Supplies
If you’re worried that precipitation will ruin a get-together that you’re holding outside, you can provide weather supplies for people. This could include small umbrellas or ponchos. Those kinds of items are easy and cheap to get and could save people from getting soaked if it suddenly starts to shower. When you offer them to people, they’ll be able to stand short bouts of rain and you won’t necessarily need to move everything indoors. They’ll probably also appreciate your readiness to cover for the unexpected.
Set Up a Tent
Along with weather supplies, setting up a tent for your outdoor event is always a good idea. You can rent a tent from a local company and have temporary shelter with it. There are different types of tents that you can choose, from sailcloth tents that allow some natural light to shine through them, to frame tents that work just as well on pavement as they do on the grass. Regardless of what you go for, a tent will be able to block out wind and rain, and it can also provide some shade from the sun on a clear day as well. Tents are perfect for housing chairs and tables, so you can hold meals and other activities in them without as much fear of the weather.
Have a Backup Plan
Even with the right supplies and a tent, there may still be instances where the weather is too strong for you and your guests to remain outdoors. Therefore, you should form a backup plan as a way to prepare for bad outdoor event weather. This could mean moving things into your house or a nearby building (depending on where your event is taking place). Be ready to quickly cover up and move electrical equipment and other items that can be damaged by water. You’ll also need to consider how you’ll keep things safe for everyone once they move inside. Some wise strategic preparations include providing hand sanitizer, having extra facemasks handy, and serving food individually rather than buffet-style.
