For professional football fans, the Super Bowl is the long-awaited culmination of the NFL season. It is a tradition that dates back to 1967, when the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs played what was then referred to as the “Supergame”. One way football fans celebrate this championship game is by hosting a Super Bowl party. There is no right or wrong way to go about it, but your approach can affect whether your party results in stress or you being able to enjoy the game along with your guests.
Invitations
Before trying to plan a menu or activities for your Super Bowl party, find out just how many people will attend. When hosting a Super Bowl party, the invitations are typically informal – it's unlikely that you'll be mailing invitations to your party months in advance. To get a good idea of how many guests you can expect, send email invites. There are several electronic invitation platforms to choose from, such as Evite, Punchbowl and Send-o-Matic. Alternatively, set up an event page on your favorite social network. Websites such as Facebook will allow you to not only see who is planning to attend, but will provide driving directions and bring in feedback from your guests. Send the email invites or create an event page at least two weeks before your Super Bowl party.
Decorations
You can go all out with your Super Bowl party decorations or keep it simple, it's really up to you. One easy option is to buy plates, cups and napkins that feature that year's Super Bowl teams from your local party supply store or an online retailer, such as PartyPro. If you want to save a bit more money, simply buy solid color party supplies that match the teams' official colors. This is a cheaper option because licensed Super Bowl party supplies are more costly.
Try these other decorative touches for your Super Bowl party as well: use football-shaped chip or punch bowls; make penalty flags and place them around your food table; buy or make pennants and hang them near your television. Save time by decorating for your Super Bowl party the day or night beforehand.
Food and Drink
The food is what makes a Super Bowl party, aside from the actual game itself. The Super Bowl is quite long, especially when you consider the length of the pre-game show, half-time show, and the possibility of an overtime. Provide your guests with an ongoing supply of easy to handle nibbles. Food that can be eaten without utensils is best, so that guests won't have to divert their eyes from the game while snacking. Cocktail sausages and saucy meatballs, chips and various dips, sub sandwich pieces, nachos, hot dogs and burgers are frequently eaten at Super Bowl parties, and fairly easy to make. If you wish, you can also provide a few lighter, healthy snack alternatives for your guests, such as a raw vegetable platter or fruit salad. Super Bowl parties aren't usually a time when people watch their calories, but you never know when you'll have one or two health-conscious guests.
As for drinks, aim to provide non-alcoholic beverages if alcohol will be served. Super Bowl party staple drinks include beer, iced tea, lemonade, different types of soda, fruit punch, and water – always keep plenty of cold water on hand.
Activities
Some people choose to offer planned activities during their Super Bowl parties, but this is really only necessary if your guests will be arriving an hour or more before the game starts. If this is the case, you can have each guest write down their guess of what the final score will be, along with their name, on a piece of paper. Place the papers in a box. Whoever guesses the correct score or gets the closest can then be awarded the prize of your choice at the end of the game. Another option, if you have a video game system, is to hold a mini-competition playing a game such as Madden. Set the quarters on two minutes or less, and have guests play using that year's Super Bowl teams. Small prizes can also be awarded to the winners of your competition.
Whether your Super Bowl party will be an intimate one with close family and friends, or a huge celebration with half the neighborhood attending, with just a bit of planning, you can make the day not only fun and memorable, but stress free.
Join the Conversation