Pool party essentials: how to do a daytime water party right

Pool parties look effortless in the photos, but a daytime water party in the Indian sun is a genuine endurance event. Here's how to actually enjoy one from noon to night.

• ›Sunscreen, high SPF, reapplied often. This is the single most-forgotten item and the one that ruins the most days.
• ›Hydration. Alternate water with everything else. The heat, the sun and the dancing will dehydrate you fast.
• ›Swimwear plus a cover-up, flip-flops, and a change of dry clothes for the evening.
• ›A waterproof phone pouch if you're going near the water.

Daytime parties are marathons that often roll into the evening. The sun is harshest in the early afternoon — find shade, cool off in the water, and save your energy for when the temperature drops and the party peaks.

Our Rangilo Rajasthan and lakeside pool parties are built around this: shaded chill zones, a proper bar, rain-dance cool-downs and a dancefloor you can wade into. Come prepared and a pool party is the best kind of day out there is.