Are you ready for this year's Superbowl? If you're gearing up to throw the best Superbowl party on the block, here are some tips that are sure to keep you and your guests happy, whether their favorite team wins or loses.
So whether you're a party-throwing pro or this is your first stab at putting together a Superbowl party, don't fret! Here are a bunch of ideas to consider so you can start planning today!
The Guest List
Don't just invite the hardcore football fans you know to your Superbowl party. The Superbowl, after all, is that one football game of the year that everybody and their dog watches – sometimes for the creative commercials alone! So, the more the merrier. Mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, friends, co-workers, kids – a Superbowl Party should be open to all. Just make sure you have a room designated for watching the game and other rooms designated for snacking on appetizers or playing pool (if you have a game room) or chatting. You can have more than one television in your house that airs the game (in fact, that's advisable), but for your guests who don't want to be distracted during that first kick-off and so on, you want to create a welcoming environment for them, secluded from the noisy chatter.
If there will be children at your Superbowl party, give them activities and toys to play with; it should be fun to have them around, and great for your guests who can't hire a babysitter, but you don't want them walking in front of the television set on accident.
Moreover, on your party invites, ask that people wear the colors of their favorite team. This sets the mood for a little bit of friendly completion and will make the day all that more enjoyable!
Feeding Your Guests
A buffet is your best bet for a Superbowl party; this is a shindig revolving around a sports game where men tackle each other to the ground, not an occasion for a quiet, sit-down dinner.
It's probably best to just keep a variety of appetizers, rather than one main entrée, coming throughout the party. And there are some popular appetizers everybody will like that won't take a lot of time to prepare. For example, chips and dips, cheeseballs, etc, are always good choices. Finger sandwiches, chili, chicken wings, and hot dogs are also easy-to-make, hardier foods you can offer guests. You may even want to consider having your Superbowl party catered or just getting a bunch of pizzas delivered!
A fun tip is to choose foods that boast the colors of the two football teams going to battle that day. If you have trouble here, it's really simple to go all out with deserts. Bake two cakes, perhaps shaped like footballs or football fields, and decorate them with each team's colors. Even if all your guests are rooting for the same team, it's nice to encourage some friendly rivalry.
Food is really a no-brainer. Superbowl parties are unlike other gatherings in that you don't have to prepare fancy, hard to pronounce dishes for your guests; you can just go with regular American snack foods, unoriginal and fatty, and everybody will be more than happy with them.
Don't forget about stocking your kitchen with plenty of beverages – beer, regular coke, diet coke, water, etc. All that snacking is going to make people thirsty. Fortunately, you don't have to buy expensive wine or spirits for this soirée; no one will care if you buy inexpensive beer. In fact, everybody will be unpleasantly shocked if you don't!
You Don't Have To Deck Out Your Home
Beyond making sure that your home has plenty of viewing spots for the game, i.e. more than one television and lots of places to sit so that your guests can watch the game comfortably, you want to set the proper mood. Decorations really are optional for a Superbowl party, but they don't hurt. However you choose to decorate, the colors you should use are a given – the team colors of both teams playing in the day's game. Streamers, balloons, table covers, paper cups, the list goes on. The decorations really aren't the highlight of the party, so don't waste to much time on them.
Let the Games Begin!
If you have enough avid football fans as guests, and even if you don't, people will no doubt want to bet on the game of all games. So, help facilitate this – you can even formalize the betting pools by writing down everyone's guess of who will win.
A Superbowl party is one of the most fun, laid back parties one can ever attend. Even those who hate sports can still appreciate a quality get-together revolving around the most anticipated football game of the year. And fortunately, a Superbowl party is also one of the easiest parties to plan! In fact, the last thing you want to do is overdecorate or prepare elaborate meals – you'll just come off as pretentious if you do. So with a little prep, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the game (or the gossip) as much as your guests.