Gathering with friends and family in the summertime are usually filled with shared stories and infectious laughter, especially when paired with unique forms of entertainment. As advancements in portable technology surge, the appeal of outdoor entertaining is becoming increasingly prominent with the ability to transform our traditional gatherings. In this article, we will explore different ways to make your backyards and outdoor spaces hubs for outdoor entertaining. We explore common scenarios, from laid-back barbecues and vibrant pool parties, to open-air movie nights and competitive game nights.
Tech for Any Outdoor Gathering
Picture this: a warm summer evening, the smell of barbecued food wafting through the air, and a gathering of friends and family to share it with. While the setting is a photographer’s mecca, the entertaining elements add a special sauce to capturing unforgettable moments.
Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth Speaker
Take, for instance, a portable Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth Speaker to enhance the atmosphere. Compact yet powerful, this speaker delivers a crisp, balanced sound. Its rugged, waterproof design and tear-resistant silicone strap mean it can accompany you anywhere your party takes you — poolside or hiking. With up to six hours of battery life, the music will keep flowing throughout your gathering.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Film Camera
No party is complete without capturing the moments of joy, laughter, and connection. While having a photographer onsite to capture the moments is always a great idea, asking your guests to participate creates more meaning and a personal touch. This is where the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Film Camera excels as an essential gadget for these occasions. Easy to use and stylish, this camera offers instant gratification, providing a physical memento to anyone using it. Each Instax film pack produces credit-card-sized photos with vibrant colors and exceptional detail, making them perfect pocketable memories.
JOBY Compact 2-In-1 Multi-Function Monopod
To add a professional touch to your photographs or make the process easier, consider the JOBY Compact 2-In-1 Multi-Function Monopod. This handy gadget attaches to the base of any mirrorless or DSLR camera and serves as both a monopod for steady shots and a selfie stick for group photos. Its compact and lightweight design makes it an ideal addition to any outdoor gathering, ensuring every shot is blur-free.
Tech for a Pool Party
A sunny day, crystal clear water, and the sound of laughter echoing from the water — it’s the epitome of a perfect pool party. The fun intensifies when you incorporate exciting technology like an underwater action camera. These gadgets help you capture both the above-ground and underwater scenes in exceptional detail while being easy to use and non-intrusive.
GoPro HERO11 Black
The GoPro HERO11 Black stands out in this category, offering robust features wrapped in a durable, waterproof casing. It captures stunning 5.3K resolution video, allowing you to freeze the action in high-definition stills. Plus, users will experience the newer HyperSmooth 5.0, ensuring all footage remains steady even in the most turbulent water games. Its waterproofing capacity allows it to plunge to depths of up to 33 feet, making it an ideal companion for pool parties.
Insta360 X3 Pocket 360 Action Camera
This device revolutionizes how you document pool parties by capturing 360-degree videos in high resolution, ensuring every splash, jump, and dive is recorded — regardless of where you point the camera. Downloading the companion app on your phone will unlock many editing options, allowing you to turn your poolside fun into share-worthy cinematic stories or shorts.
Tech for a Movie Night
Transforming a cool, clear evening into an enchanting movie night under the stars can be an unforgettable experience. Coupled with the right technology, this fun outdoor activity combines the magic of cinema and the tranquility of nature, turning your backyard into an open-air theater.
BenQ GS50 Full HD Portable Outdoor Projector
At the heart of this cinematic experience lies the stylish BenQ GS50 Full HD Portable Outdoor Projector. With its powerful, Full HD resolution, the GS50 delivers sharp, detailed visuals. The device’s 500 ANSI Lumens brightness output ensures that the images remain vibrant and clear, even under the ambient light of the night sky. It also boasts impressive sound quality through its Bluetooth speaker with extra bass, creating an immersive audio experience without the need for additional speakers. Additionally, the projector’s sleek, portable design makes it an excellent choice for outdoor viewing. This offers a quick setup and a robust 2.5-hour battery life to see you through a full feature.
Elite Screens Yard Master 2 110″ Ultra HD 3D Outdoor Projection Screen
You’ll need a screen worthy of your 16:9 visuals to accompany the projector. The Elite Screens Yard Master 2 fits the bill perfectly. This 110″ Ultra HD 3D outdoor projection screen provides a large, sturdy, high-quality surface for your movies or online streaming. It’s easy to assemble (no tools required), and the lightweight aluminum frame ensures stability, making it suitable for almost every recreational outdoor environment. The screen material is UV-protected, mildew-resistant, and caters to both forward and rear projection.
Tech for a Video Game Competition
A video game competition under the open sky brings together the thrill of digital challenges with the vibrancy of a group gathering. All that’s needed is a projector, outdoor screen, high-quality speaker, and gaming console.
Nintendo Switch 64GB OLED Console with White Joy-Con Controllers
The Nintendo Switch 64GB OLED Console with Joy-Con Controllers is the cornerstone of this setup. The system’s hybrid design seamlessly transitions from a portable device to a projector-assisted machine, making it perfect for outdoor gaming. If, however, you prefer to use the Switch as is on the 7-inch OLED screen instead of the projector, you’ll experience vibrant, crisp visuals. At the same time, the detachable Joy-Con controllers enable multiplayer fun.
Tech for a Karaoke Night
Imagine an evening filled with stars above and vibrant voices echoing through your backyard as friends and family gather around, each awaiting their turn to belt out a favorite tune. This is the magic that an outdoor karaoke night can bring! You’ll need a karaoke speaker and a good-quality microphone to make this happen.
Gemini GPK-800 2400W Bluetooth Home Karaoke Party Speaker with LED Lightshow
The Gemini GPK-800 2400W Bluetooth Home Karaoke Party Speaker is central to the setup. This high-powered speaker offers a clear, rich sound that carries across any outdoor space. It features Bluetooth connectivity, making it easy to pair with your devices to stream any song in your karaoke repertoire. In addition, two microphones and an instrument via the guitar input can add vocals or a riff to the festivity. However, its LED light show syncs with the music that’s the showstopper! With this incredible tech, you can bathe your backyard in colors that match the rhythm and mood.
Shure SM58S Cardioid Dynamic Handheld Wired Microphone
Of course, a karaoke night wouldn’t be complete with one or two microphones. The Shure SM58S Cardioid Dynamic Handheld Wired Microphone is the gold standard in live sound environments, renowned for its clear, robust sound and reliability. It features a built-in spherical filter to minimize wind and breath noise, ensuring a clear vocal performance. While its cardioid pickup pattern isolates the main sound source, minimizing unwanted background noise makes it the ideal choice for an outdoor setting.
Tech for Stargazing
An evening dedicated to stargazing and a beverage can be both a relaxing retreat and a thrilling exploration. With today’s high-powered telescopes, it’s easier than ever to bring the wonders of the cosmos right into your backyard.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 150mm f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope
The Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 150mm f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope is an impressive piece of technology for this endeavor. This telescope features a 150mm aperture and a 1500mm focal length, allowing you to view celestial bodies in stunning detail. Its motorized mount and StarBright XLT optical coating ensure smooth, accurate tracking and clearer, brighter images. With its integrated WiFi, you can control the telescope using your smartphone or tablet, making your stargazing session precise, seamless, and engaging.
Celestron NexStar 6 SE Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with SkyPortal WiFi Module
Similarly advanced is the Celestron NexStar 6 SE Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with SkyPortal WiFi Module. The 6 SE combines the classic heritage of the original orange tube telescopes with the latest state-of-the-art features, like a database of over 40,000 celestial objects for automatic tracking. The addition of the SkyPortal WiFi Module allows you to control the telescope and access an aligned SkyPortal app that provides an interactive sky simulation.
With either of these high-tech telescopes, a clear night sky becomes an open book, each star a story, and the vast cosmos a boundless playground for your exploration. Stargazing as a form of entertainment becomes an activity and a journey into the extraordinary depth of our universe.
Are Your Outdoors Ready for Entertaining?
In the realm of outdoor entertainment, technology is a catalyst that elevates our experiences and crafts memories. Be it a speaker pulsating some turners to enhance a casual get-together, an action camera capturing a 360-degree view of a pool party, a projector transforming an ordinary night into a cinematic experience, or a gaming console fuelling friendly competition – each gadget holds the power to transform and enrich our moments.
As we stand at the forefront of technological portability and advancements and the dawn of new ways to entertain and engage, we’re empowered to create experiences that are not just memorable but truly extraordinary. So, ensure you garner the knowledge and set up your space for friends and family to enjoy. If you have any questions or need advice about a particular setup, speak to our expert team, who will be happy to assist.
