It’s almost Memorial Day weekend, and with restrictions lifting and vaccines readily available in the U.S. that means barbeques, pool parties, and other house fetes are back.
MORE: 30 best Memorial Day sales: all the top deals and secret discount codes you don't want to miss
And we’ve got you covered as you prep for your holiday bbq with a checklist of items to help you take it to the next level.
Amp up your Memorial Day barbeque with everything on our checklist!
It’s important to remember that Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those who have served in the military, so it doesn’t have the fireworks-filled celebrations packed with tons of American flag decorations and sparklers like you see on July 4th.
You can go subtle with your red, white, and blue decor, or skip it altogether, and opt for summer-friendly decorations since the holiday also marks the unofficial beginning of the season.
Balloons & Festive Decor
If you want to add a festive touch to your barbeque, go with balloons. We love the JoyyPop red, white, and blue bundle we found on Amazon, which comes complete with confetti balloons. You can also take things up a notch with red, white, and blue tassels.
Joyypop 80Pcs Red White and Blue Latex Balloons with Confetti Balloons, $11.99, Amazon
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Patriotic red, white, and blue tassel, $22, Etsy
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Star-shaped plates
Add a little fun to your dinnerware with festive star-shaped plates - and toss them when you're done.
Gold star plates (pack of 8), $13.23, Etsy
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Decorative Table Runner
Jazz up your table with a decorative table runner. We love this plaid red, white, and blue table runner because you can use it for Memorial Day, July 4th, or any summer day you wish.
If you want to skip the red, white, and blue theme, consider this bright diamond printed table runner that we found on Amazon that will add a pop of summer color to your table too.
Tifeson 4th of July Buffalo Plaid Table Runner, $12.99, Amazon
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YETOOME Cotton Linen Diamond Checkered Table Runner, $11.99, Amazon
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The Extras
With temps heating up across the country, there's no better time to serve up snow cones. Go festive with red and blue flavors or create any flavor varieties you like.
Cuisinart Snow Cone Maker, $145, Bloomingdales
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BBQ seasoning
Is it really a Memorial Day barbeque without BBQ? No, it is not. Before you start grilling, don’t forget to pick up seasonings that will make your grilling skills unforgettable.
Amazon shoppers swear by Traeger Grills Blackened Saskatchewan Dry Rub to do just that. If you’re throwing steaks on the grill, get a bottle of McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning too, and thank us later. One taste of it will show you why it's a favorite among Amazon shoppers too.
Traeger Grills Blackened Saskatchewan dry rub, $10.95, Amazon
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McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning, $11.91, Amazon
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BBQ Tools
When you’re barbequing, you definitely need a set of reliable tools to grab meat, seafood, and/or veggies off of the grill. Amazon shoppers love this affordable set to do that with ease.
Grilling BBQ Tools Set, $24.99, Amazon
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The Party Starter Drinks
Whether it’s mocktails or cocktails, drinks should be flowing at your Memorial Day get-together. Consider making it easy on yourself and ordering from Drizly, which delivers right to your door in hours and is a great way to track down liquor varieties that can be hard to find.
The limited-edition Ciroc’s new Summer Citrus is a great party starter, as is Don Julio Blanco Tequila for summer margaritas. If you'd rather serve individual cocktails than batch, try canned cocktails and wine instead. Sipmarg canned cocktails are sparkling margaritas in a can and they're are also available on Drizly. As a bonus, they are low calorie, low sugar, and low carbs.
If you like spicy cocktails, Cazadores Spicy Margarita Canned Cocktails are also a great option to order straight to your door too. The drinks are made with 100 percent agave tequila harvested and distilled in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.
Ciroc Summer Citrus, $32.99, Drizly
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Don Julio Blanco Tequila, $26.99, Drizly
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SipMARGS, $11.99, Drizly
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Tequila Cazadores canned cocktails, $15.11 for a pack of four, Drizly
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Drink Dispenser
You can always serve individual drinks in cups with lids or bottled water, but if you want to make big batch cocktails, mocktails, lemonade, etc., drink dispensers or pitchers can come in handy. Drink dispensers can keep your batch drinks safe from anything flying into it too.
With the drink dispenser below, you can serve two types of drinks at once. We also love this festive summer pitcher - both on sale at Macy’s.
Stackable drink dispenser, $46.99, Macy’s
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Drop Pedestal Pitcher, $48.99, Macy’s
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Festive Glasses and Straws
You can go with traditional wine glasses, or you can opt for cooling cups to give guests that keep their drinks cold, like these Host cooling cups that work for all wine varieties. Just simply pop the tumbler in the freezer for white wines or keep it cool in the fridge for red wines.
We also recommend grabbing a set of plastic wine glasses to avoid damaging your special glass wine glasses and amping up the fun for cocktails, mocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks with festive straws.
Star-topped straws (pack of 50), Amazon
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HOST Cooling Cup, $34.99, Amazon
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Tossware Unbreakable plastic wine glasses (set of 12), $12.99, Amazon
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