As many locals and visitors already know, Red Creek Park is a great place to go for outdoor activities like tennis and basketball, but you can also rent the outdoor facilities for pretty cheap. Plus, there are bathrooms on-site for your guests.

This oceanside activity center in Hampton Bays is suitable for both big and small parties. There’s an indoor facility, but it’s also right on the beach—so if you’re hosting an event that requires a place for food and restrooms but you still want to spend time outside, this location is great option.

To host a party at a public beach in the Town of Southampton, you need to complete an application for a facility use permit. The facility fees start at $50 for groups up to 25 people, but can get as expensive as $200 if you’re also giving the maximum 150 guests beach parking waivers. Alcohol and catering fees are tacked on if food and drinks will be served.

The beach pavilion and public restrooms make Ponquogue a perfect option for large groups.

For parties where there will be a lot of kids, bay beaches are a safer option than the ocean. Foster Memorial is a Southampton Town beach, so one would need to complete the facility use permit and pay the fees required. There are bathrooms on-site.

Once we get into East Hampton village, those facility permits get more expensive and the rules become a bit stricter. To have a party on the beach, you need to complete a Use of Village Property Permit, which states that you can’t have a party (or even begin setting up) before 6 p.m. and the party needs to be over by 11 p.m., among a few other rules and regulations to keep in mind.

If you’re a village resident, you don’t need to pay anything for gatherings up to 50 people, but once it gets to 51, you’re paying $100—on top of the $500 security deposit. Non-residents and commercial applicants have to pay $500 plus catering fees. Oh, and they’ll open the bathroom facilities for $25 per hour,

Hosting a party at an East Hampton village beach could get pricey, but if you’re planning on just having a few people, then you can get away with going to other beaches in the area. Typically, you’d need a permit to use public property for gatherings, but according to the East Hampton Town website, there’s an exemption for non-commercial parties up to 20 people as long as there’s no tent and the event isn’t catered.

So have everyone bring their own food, pump some music (but not too loud), and you’ll be fine.