If you’re like most of us, you’ve made good use of your patio or deck this summer. It’s probably been the usual: drinks with friends, barbecues with neighbors, games with the kids. Now that fall is approaching, how about throwing one last unique party? A party that will delight your friends and family and keep them talking all through the fall and winter.

One of the best ways to host an unforgettable get-together is to plan around a theme. Here are four such themes that will inject new excitement into your planning. These will bring a whole different brand of merriment into your farewell to summer!

Aloha! A Hawaiian Luau

Invite your guests to don their favorite aloha shirts, and greet them with leis. Display flower arrangements with appropriate favorites such as hibiscus and orchids. Cover your table with a floral cloth and spread around shells and palm leaves.

You don’t need to dig a hole in the ground and roast a pig, although you certainly could! On a more practical scale, this might be a job for the Big Green Egg, which is an outdoor smoker and roaster as well as a grill. If you don’t go “whole hog,” consider roasted or pulled pork, or maybe a pineapple pizza. The Egg can do both! Be sure to include an assortment of tropical fruits, island-themed napkins and a selection of full-strength and non-alcoholic fruit-based beverages.

Need recipe inspiration? Check out this Hop’s Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe , courtesy of The Big Green Egg.

Dance the Night Away

You don’t need a gym to organize a hop; your patio will do just fine. Some folks will go as far as to rent a temporary dance floor, but that’s optional. Just push the patio chairs and sofas to the surface’s edge or onto the grass and clear the center for your friends to showcase their best moves!

Mount some outside speakers with controls either indoors or out. You can prepare a playlist or just let the musical selections wander where they will. If the idea pleases you, adopt a theme such as 80s or 90s or even reach back to the disco era. You might offer prizes for best period costumes.

There’s no reason to take the festivities indoors if the evening grows chilly! There are standing and wall-mounted patio heaters that radiate infrared heat to keep the whole crowd comfy. Pick up one now and extend the usefulness of your outdoor space into the fall!

A Day at the Beach

You don’t have to live near the ocean to enjoy a day at the shore! Invite your guests to show up in bathing suits and flip-flops. Greet them with gaudily colored sunglasses and beach towels. If you want to go all out, lay a tarp on the patio or grass and pile white sand atop it. Fill a couple of kiddie pools with water and set up the lounge chairs.

Decorate your yard with inflatable rafts, boogie boards, fake palm trees and umbrellas. Offer games such as badminton and paddle ball. Have a few beach balls to punch about. Feature reggae music or tunes from the Beach Boys or Jimmy Buffet.

Outdoor cookers and other grills produce ideal beach foods. In addition to burgers and dogs, consider pineapple chicken or shrimp. A smoothie station, complete with cocktail umbrellas, completes the setup.

These recipes are sure to impress your guest, including Pineapple Boat Shrimp Stir Fry .

Put a tropical twist on a regular burger with this Island Burger recipe .

Beginning with Brunch

Get the party started early on a Saturday or Sunday with a brunch. Festoon your deck or patio with flowers. If your yard doesn’t have enough to cut, fill in with bouquets from the grocery store.

Buffets are ideal for brunch-time grazing. Heated and iced serving trays keep everything at the right temp. You can feature grilled foods or resupply the buffet line from your kitchen. You might even set up to-order Sterno cookers for omelets and pancakes. A bloody Mary station (good for virgin Marys as well!) is sure to be a hit.

Want to really impress friends? Check out this Grilled Bloody Mary recipe from the Big Green Egg.

Offer some light exercise after the meal. Choices might include croquet, a walking tour of the neighborhood or a friendly game of giant Jenga.

The Last Party of Summer, or Just the Beginning?

You and your guests may have such a good end-of-summer time that you want to keep things going into autumn. There’s no reason not to, especially if you’ve invested in an outdoor heater or two. You might want to add some extra tables and a few more patio chairs to accommodate parties of all types no matter what the season! It’s the perfect time to take advantage of end-of-season patio clearance and sale prices, and pick up some new items that you can start to enjoy this fall and continue to enjoy early next spring as well!