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how to cover garage walls for party

How to Cover Garage Walls for Party Time – 7 Garage Party Setup Examples

If you’re planning on throwing a party in your garage this summer, you’ll want to make sure that the walls are covered! Not only will this help protect your walls from possible damage, but more importantly, it hides all your junk!

This is the key to setting the mood for the party. There are a number of different ways to cover your garage walls. We’ll discuss a few of them below, giving you some amazing decorating ideas to transform your garage. So whether you’re looking to throw a 4th of July BBQ or just want to have a fun party with friends and family, these tips will help get you started!

Hosting a part in your garage is the ultimate compromise between being outside, but not constantly being the in sun. Not ready to have 30 people passing through your house at any given time? Don’t have a nice deck and pool? Have several kids coming that want to finger paint? I think you’re getting the point here… Garage party time!

Why a Garage Party

The real question should probably be: why not a garage party? Do you really need a reason to host an outdoor party with family and friends in a situation where you don’t need to clean up the house (before or after)? I think not. But if you’re looking for a few reasons, here are some good ones…

  • More people & extra space
  • Less mess (who cares about spills on concrete garage floor?)
  • A great excuse to BBQ and spend time outdoors
  • Refuge from sun and rain in spring/summer and cold in the fall

There are tons of events that can be held outdoors and in a garage space if weather permits. The most popular ones are always the 4th of July, Memorial Day, and of course, graduation celebrations. These are each great opportunities to to spend time outside with friends and family.

Another common garage party idea is for kids birthdays. There’s more space for kid games, balloons, decorations, and other festive activities.

Several young professionals having fun at a garage party

How to Cover Garage Walls for Party (Drape the Walls)

Time for some more specifics on how to cover garage walls. There are a few schools of thought, and we think the final decision should be based on the event and/or theme for the garage party.

Cheap DIY Way to Cover Garage Walls

If we’re talking about a small birthday party for little kids, purchase some bright and fun vinyl table cloths from the dollar store will work just fine to hang along the wall and hide all your garage “stuff”.

You can cover garage walls with them one of two ways. You can put up a temporary clothes line and hang it from that or you can just tack it to something in order to create a new colorful wall. The idea here is to drape and cover the wall space from the ceiling (or close to it), all the way to the floor. These are light weight and should have no issue hanging on the walls throughout the entire event. Now just add some balloons and food, and you’re ready to go.

A Better Way to Cover Garage Walls

If your party is for adults, you have a theme, or you just want everything to look a bit more professional, purchase or find sheets to drape or hang as curtains rather than the cheap table cloths.

We recommend using solid colors in most cases as they tend to look more elegant and work really well with the up-lights suggested above. They also can be easily folded up and stored away in the house for the next party. Licensed sheets with characters on them do work really well for themed birthdays for the little ones though. You can add matching balloons, table cloths to the tables, and cover the door with a magnet.

The Full Garage Party Setup

First, let’s discuss the basics of how to cover garage walls and prepare your garage party space. It’s not that difficult, and if done right, getting the garage ready can be a fun family affair in itself.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about what all needs to be done. You can’t drape the garage wall and put up the party decorations just yet! Follow these steps to ensure everything’s ready so we can learn how to drape the walls of your garage and start the party!

Remove the Cars

The first step is to open the garage door remove any cars parked there to make enough room. This is necessary so that we can have plenty of garage floor space to work and decorate.

Not sure what to do with your cars? Consider asking a neighbor if you can temporarily park them in their driveway. If that’s not an option, park it along the street or wherever your gests will be parking.

Clean Out the Garage

If you haven’t cleaned out your garage in a while, this is the perfect time to do so! Grab a broom and dustpan, and start sweeping. Toss any old boxes, cans, or other items that you don’t need anymore into a trash bag. If there’s anything that you can donate to charity, now would be the time to do it!

Don’t forget to get rid of any harmful chemicals or gasoline that might be laying around. You shouldn’t have them around the food, and your guests don’t want to deal with the smell either.

Organize Everything Else

Now that the garage is cleaned out, get it organized. If your garage is anything like mine, now is the time to figure out how to get all the kids toys, bicycles, and sporting goods items put up and find a place out of the way. Find a place for your tools, lawn mower, and any other  storage items laying around. Your garage will look much nicer with everything put away.

garage that was just cleaned and organized so that it can be draped and walls covered

Drape or Cover Garage Walls

We’re getting closer to garage party time! Now is the time when we can finally drape or cover your garage walls. This is the very best way to hide all the junk behind curtains and prepare an open air party room for all your guests.

There are lots of ways that you can cover up those ugly walls besides painting them, and do it in style too. It allows you to decorate and create any theme you want in order to transform your garage into the amazing garage party (birthday, 4th of July, Memorial Day, graduation party, etc) that your family wants and deserves. More on this below.

Add Lighting

The next thing you need to get the garage ready for prime time is lighting. Up-lights shining against the garage wall coverings creates an amazing ambiance in what was just a storage place for your car and some junk an hour ago. These lights serve two purposes. One, they make great decorations, shining on the curtains to create a cool effect, and two, they add extra light to your garage, which might be a bit darker than you’d like for a party.

Setup the Party Space

Now is the time to add folding tables for your guests to eat and mingle on. If it’s an adult party, you might want to consider a small bar area too. You can get creative with the party space by adding some balloons, streamers, and other decorations to really make your garage feel like the place where people want to be. Make sure to leave enough room to close the garage door, just in case.

7 Amazing Garage Party Setup Ideas

Now that you know how to cover your garage walls for a party, it’s time to get creative! Here are some amazing garage party setup examples that will help inspire you.

These setups range from simple to more complex, but all of them are sure to help create a fun and relaxing summer party environment! Whether you’re looking to throw a graduation party, a Fourth of July BBQ or just want to have an end-of-summer bash, these garage party decorating ideas will help get you started!

1. Disney Garage Birthday Party

blue mickey and disney themed birthday party in a garage (walls covered with blue curtains)

Photo Source:  Instagram

A themed birthday party for a little one is a great reason for a party in your garage. Hanging banners and balloons is easy, and there’s a ton of Disney stuff available for purchase. DIY table arrangements can save some money and curtains on the wall paint the imagination, almost as if there isn’t a bunch of garage junk behind it.

2. DIY Photo Booth in Garage

DIY photo booth setup in garage with color tissue paper shaped like flowers in the background and three young people posing in the foreground with props (camera and disco ball)

Photo Source:  HGTV

Hang colorful tissue paper, flowers, or balloons on the garage wall during any event, add some light placed on the floor, and it’s the perfect site for a DIY photo booth. Your guests will love getting their pictures taken in front of the custom backdrop. Don’t forget to include props. Everyone loves the props. They’re what makes the photo booth fun!

3. 4th of July Bash

4th of July party setup with red, white, and blue stars and stripes decorations all over a garage door

Photo Source:  Fern and Maple Style

The 4th of July is the perfect opportunity to party outside and host drinks and a food table in the garage. It’s a great time to barbeque outdoors and celebrate our independence. Again, there are many decorations and red, white, and blue curtains readily available and perfect for decorating your garage and garage door.

4. Garage Walls Covered for Halloween

Inside of garage decorated with scary scene for Halloween and trick or treat w/ walls covered in grey drapes

Photo Source:  Smart Garage

I almost forgot to mention… Halloween is another very common time to get rid of your car for the night and cover garage walls with sheets, tarps, or curtains. You can then build a scary scene and sit around waiting for trick-or-treaters coming by for candy. The best part is that you can rebuild this scary room over and over, year after year, with some slight tweaks.

5. Frozen-Themed Birthday

Children's birthday party with Frozen theme assembled in garage

Photo Source:  Pinterest

Themed birthdays for children are so much fun, and they’re easy to please as long as their favorite character is draped all over the wall of the garage! See, even decorating a garage for a party can be fun in itself.  The best parts are the ones where all the little ones can run free and play games without fear of breaking anything or making a mess. This makes a garage the perfect site.

6. Kate Spade Themed Graduation Party

graduation party in a garage with black and white Kate Spade theme

Graduation parties are an important event in your child’s life. With so many going on at the same time, guests tend to come and go almost like they’re an “open house”. A garage is an ideal location for such a party. We love the garage door drapes in the image above. What a unique and fun way to celebrate starting a new chapter in your life.

7. Indoor/Outdoor Party

birthday party setup both in garage and on driveway with pink decorations

Photo Source:  Pinterest

There’s no reason to be cooped up in the garage if the weather’s beautiful. Hosing an indoor/outdoor party is a nice way of allowing your guests to choose between the garage space or the great outdoors, with an option to move back and forth freely as they choose. This ensures plenty of space for the event and all your friends.

Wrapping It Up

There’s clearly many reasons to cover the walls in your garage or drape them with sheets, table cloths, or curtains for a party or Halloween get together. So get creative and let us know the unique ways you’ve used your garage space in the past.

The garage is an excellent place for hosting an intimate gathering of friends, or a larger party with family and neighbors. It’s also easy to clean up after because it doesn’t get messy like other rooms in your house! As we’ve shown, there are plenty of ways to transform any space into a fun-filled hangout spot. We hope the list of ideas will inspire you for your next event.