Dinosaur Drive-Thru: A Socially Distanced Party

I missed my family and my son missed his friends. My son was turning 3 and just old enough to appreciate a good birthday party. So I knew we wanted to throw a party for him.

I was also nervous about potentially spreading covid-19 so I wanted to take precautions. I wanted guests to enjoy even if they decided to just drive by. I wanted guests to be able to feel safe if they wanted to stay and chat for a while.

I wanted people to show up, but not too many people. I wanted enough food and entertainment for the party not to feel like a gift grab. It really wasn’t about that. I truly wanted to celebrate my son because he truly is a beautiful spirit.

I did way too much overthinking, but the party guests big and small had a good time.

Virtual Party vs Outdoor Party

I’ve attended a few virtual parties and they are pretty cool. However, my son was uninterested. Sometimes he would make a brief appearance, but then he was off to go play.

I could barely get him to stick around for a video chat, unless it was his favorite cousins or his best bud from daycare. A virtual Party wasn’t a good fit for my son. So we decided to try an outdoor party.

For the outdoor party I wanted to keep everyone as safe and comfortable as possible. I wanted to be okay for people to say hello from a distance. I wanted it to be okay for people to briefly visit with my son.

On the invite I also let guests know that we would be in the front yard. I also let them know that hand sanitizer ,wipes, masks and gloves would be available for both kids and adults.

Invites for a Drive-Thru Outdoor Birthday

I got a digital “Three Rex” invite from ETSY and distributed it via text. In the text I invited guests to drive by and say happy birthday or to hang out with the birthday boy for a bit.

I kept the party shorter than I would a traditional house party. I wanted to be sure my son was able to greet his guest that only wanted to drive by. So on the invite, the party is one and a half hours long. I knew I could keep him out door for at least that long.

Decorations for A Drive-Thru

We rented a sign from a local company. It was the centerpiece of our party.

I attempted to create a baloon arch losing a DIY kit from Amazon. The kit looked pretty simple to put together, however with a 5-month-old , I didn’t have the time to assemble it before the party.

I ordered a”3-Rex” sign from Amazon, but the number and letter balloons were difficult to inflate. When I tried to use a store to inflate it, the foil tore. I did not have this issue with the mylar balloons .

We also grabbed some dinosaur tablecloths. to add to the theme.

Food and Drinks for a Drive Thru Outdoor party

The party was going to be brief, we still wanted to offer our guests some food. We decided to order empanadas from a local takeout spot. We wore mask and gloves while we packaged the empanadas in wax paper.

Creating single-serve empanadas was a safe option. Each one was individually wrapped so guests only needed to touch the one they were taking. We also went with single-serve juice boxes for the kids, bottled water and canned soda for the adults.

Empanadas were also a great choice because they taste good warmish. Empanadas are the best straight out of the fryer, but they are still decent after they cooled off.

Treats for a Drive-Thru Party

We decided to get my son a cake, but a small cake that would serve only the people in my household. For other guests we picked up some cupcakes and got some single serve containers to display them in. This allowed us to easily pass out cupcakes to guest that only wanted to drive by.

As a special extra surprise, we contacted a local ice cream shop and arranged for the ice cream truck to stop by. It was a big hit with both the kids and adults.