What goes great with a summer day? Friends and food. Throw a fuss-free outdoor party with simple dishes, laid-back activities and a low-maintenance cleanup. After all, the point of a party is to enjoy it.

The experts at Williams-Sonoma say hosting an outdoor party is always easier if you eliminate running back and forth between your indoor and outdoor kitchens. Tried-and-true barbecued foods never fail. Cook as much as you can on the grill, from pizza and burgers to—gasp!—desserts like fudgy chocolate brownies.

Keep the drinks flowing. Along with the usual beer, wine and water, Williams-Sonoma suggests serving one "cool, colorful drink you've made yourself." Try a fruity take on lemonade or classic margaritas.

+Want to eat outside? Here are five fabulous places to eat alfresco at Ala Moana Center: Mai Tai Bar Mariposa Honolulu Coffee Co. Longhi's The Pacific Place Tea Garden Cafe
	Papyrus Get your guest list together. Blank cocktail party invitations, $9.95 for 10.
	Foodland Stock up on essential party foods, like finger lickin' fried chicken, from Foodland.
	Williams-Sonoma Cool drinks go colorful. Duraclear set of six margarita glasses, $49. Keep breakable glasses in the cabinet. Instead, use Duraclear margarita glasses, from Williams-Sonoma, which are shatterproof and made with the same material as bulletproof glass.
	Neiman Marcus Salad with a side of style. Arthur Court salad bowl, $140, and matching tongs, $30.
	Barnes & Noble Booksellers Hawaiian Tropical Cocktails, by Mark Sullivan with David McAteer, $24.95; Aloha Cuisine, by Chef Sam Choy, $25.95; and Hawai'i's Party Food, by Muriel Miura, $14.95.
	Brookstone Chill out, super fast, with the Sommelier wine chiller, $100.tongs, $30.
	Williams-Sonoma Pass the salt. Agave 15 classic margarita mix, $12.95.
	Brookstone Outfit the grill master with a five-piece barbecue set, $50.
	Vera Bradley Have you kissed the cook yet? Mother's apron, $28.
	Design Within Reach Dinner is chicly served with Adónde modular ceramic dinnerware. Cups, $15 each, small tongs, $20, bowls and salad plates, $25 each, and dinner plates, $35 each.
	Sears Game on. Croquet set, $19.99.
	Blue Hawai'i Lifestyle Fill the stereo with laid back party tunes. Jack Johnson Sleep Through the Static, $16, and John Cruz, One of These Days, $16.
	Blue Hawai'i Lifestyle Spice it up. Ali'i Kula Lavender gourmet seasoning (top), $22.50, and Aloha Spice Co. organic aloha luau barbecue seasoning and rub, $15.
	Barnes & Noble Booksellers Step up your grill game. Bobby Flay's Grill It!, by Bobby Flay, $35 and Weber's Art of the Grill: Recipes for Outdoor Living, $35.