I would buy those cheap plastic table cloths in colors from the Dollar store.
Don't you have a patio or deck...or even the front yard which would be a lot nicer in my opinion.
Linda C

If there is no covered area on the patio or deck, I tend to think the garage would be better than having the food in the open. I assume people will be picking up their food and then going back outside. The garage will offer protection from the sun beating down on the food, napkins, etc. blowing away, the possibility of rain, and even help cut down on bugs.

Another thing to consider is putting the food inside the house, but having tables outside for eating. My sister did this for her daughter and people mostly stayed outside unless they were fixing a plate. She decorated her deck with streamers and balloons in the school colors and one table for drinks was outside.

If you do use the garage, I like Linda's idea of using table cloths to cover the walls. You could set the food table attractively with flowers and a pretty tablecloth, use balloons and streamers to decorate, and if you have any tall house plants, you could even bring them out to sit in the corners. I think it would work out fine.

Thanks lindac and deb18 for your ideas. I do have a small patio and deck but this party could be 100 plus people and I thought for traffic flow, weather and insect concerns plus the volume of food I need to put out, the garage would be a better space for serving. I will have round tables set up on the driveway and patio for folks to sit down and eat. If the weather is bad I will move food indoors and tables into the garage.

Nothing wrong w/ utilizing your garage as a party space-my neighbors do that & they throw the greatest parties. They've put in rubber flooring, have trellis screens to screen out the exercise equipment (it's a multi-use room), have used old kitchen cabinets to set up stations on sides of the garage, & when a local furniture store was going out of business, they got a huge, wooden table to fit in the center of the garage. They throw numerous large, multi-age parties, the rest of their house is set up for entertaining, as well, but this space is perfect, close to the kitchen, back & front yards...I say, go for it!

Thanks thistle5! I am spending today cleaning and organizing the garage space. Found some indoor outdoor area rugs that will hide the floor and am still deciding on what to hang in front of the shelving. Your neighbors' garage sounds great--thanks for the ideas.

We do a haunted house in the garage yearly, and the two things that transform the space are the black plastic we hang in a maze (staple gun and duct tape, and tape to the floor to avoid tripping and blowing around) and lights. If you use the sheets, a la the tent above, it could be VERy cool.

Thanks lydia1959 and claybabe! I spent 4 hours cleaning, sorting and pitching. The garage looks great! I love the idea of using fabric/sheets to drape! Any tips on where to find inexpensive unfitted sheets? I have looked everywhere and can only seem to find sheet sets.

How about the dollar bin fabric at Walmart? Tulle is cheap too, maybe a bit too wedding-ish for your son's party though? If you have time you might look on eBay for bolt fabric. I got a good deal there on fabric for tablecloths for my DD's graduation party.

Thanks lydia1959. I will head over to Walmart today.