This post may contain affiliate links or mention our own products, please check out our disclosure policy.

5 Steps To Throwing A Dinner Party In Your RV

RV living is all about taking the comforts of home on the road to explore as much as one can. And just because you’re on the road and have less room to work with doesn’t mean the RV-living family or couple shouldn’t be able to throw a nice dinner party. With a few tips, an RV kitchen and eating space can be transformed into an elegant get-together.

1. Dine al fresco

If your RV isn’t suited to having multiple people dining inside, utilize the outdoors and dine al fresco! Many campsites and RV parks have outdoor picnic areas complete with BBQs, grills, and firepits, so utilize those to expand your space.

dinner party
Photo by Bill Wilson, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

If your RV has a great outdoor setup with shade, a rug, and table, you’ve got the makings of a great dinner party atmosphere at your fingertips. Taking your RV to a special spot by a river or a view can also create a party backdrop that’ll be memorable.

Sign up for the newsletter today!

Please enter a valid email address.

An error occurred. Please try again later.

× logo

Thank you for subscribing to the Do It Yourself RV newsletter, keep your eye on your inbox for updates.

2. Prep—Food and RV

When hosting a dinner party, having somewhere for everyone to sit is obviously important. Even if you’ll ultimately be dining outside, it’s nice for people inside to be able to sit, even if it’s just while they grab something to eat.

food prep
Photo by Zachary Collier, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Make your RV as spacious as possible by temporarily relocating certain items, rotating swivel pilot chairs, and creating as much seating as you can. Prepping food is key too; when guests show up, space will be in high-demand and utilizing that precious space for chopping food is unnecessary.

3. Plan for easy bites and sips

The food and drinks prepared for your dinner party should be easy in all aspects: easy to prep, easy to eat, and easy to clean-up.

food
Photo by Alpha, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
Finger Food Platter by Alpha is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Yummy finger food is much easier to eat than something that requires a fork and knife, especially if you’re eating in a seat that doesn’t have a table for a plate. Simple dishes also make for less clean-up in terms of dishes used to cook and serve them. An Instant Pot can make a variety of dishes easily without much clean-up required; try these recipes if you need some inspiration.

4. The more, the merrier

Not sure your RV can handle all the space and requirements for a dinner party? Recruit some friends!

RV campers
Photo by JPC24M, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Several RVs lined up in the same area can split dinner party requirements: head to one RV for drinks and apps, another for the main course, and another for desserts! This will help lessen prep and clean-up as well and gives friends a chance to put their own spin on each part of the evening.

5. Make it festive!

With food, drinks, and seating taken care of, it’s time to really make your dinner party shine! Limited space doesn’t mean limited fun and there are plenty of options. First, pick some music that will set the mood for the party but not so loud that conversation can’t take place.

playing cards
Photo by Travis Wise, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

After dinner, games are a great way to end the night. For outdoors, a portable set of cornhole, Frisbee, or croquet are all great options that take up limited space in an RV. If playing inside, cards or board games are great and if space allows, charades is always a crowd-pleaser!

You may also like: How To Cook Thanksgiving Dinner In An RV


Support Do It Yourself RV

Do It Yourself RV is run by RVers who share the most up-to-date and valuable content on camping and RVing every week. We couldn’t do it without the support of our readers just like you.

You can help support the efforts of Do It Yourself RV by becoming an RV LIFE Pro subscriber, which gives you access to:

  • RV LIFE App, an RV Safe GPSâ„¢ with voice- and lane guidance, even offline.
  • RV LIFE Trip Wizard, a visual RV trip planner with custom RV-safe routes and a comprehensive directory of RV parks, resorts, and campgrounds.
  • RV LIFE Maintenance, a cloud-based service that tracks your RV maintenance and provides reminders, reports, and related documentation.
  • RV LIFE Masterclass, an online educational platform where RV experts share tips and advice on everything you need to know about RVing.

If you value our site and want to see us continue to grow, please consider supporting us by becoming an RV LIFE Pro subscriber today.