You don’t have to live in an NFL city to host a fun tailgate party. College and even high school football games can be just as exciting as the big games and provide an ideal reason to host a football-themed party for your friends and family.
What is a tailgate party?
A tailgate party, loosely defined, is a party that precedes a football game. It virtually always includes some type of food and drink, but the menu, decorations and even the venue are open to interpretation. The name comes from the gate of a truck, which is traditionally put down to hold the party food and beverages in a parking lot of a football stadium.
Tips for becoming the tailgate king or queen
1. Choose your venue.
Your first party-planning step should be deciding where to have the event. Just because tailgate parties are traditionally held in parking lots doesn’t mean that you have to throw your party in the back of a truck. Tailgate parties can be held at home before a game watch party, in a picnic area of the stadium, or, if you can’t resist, in the parking lot.
2. Pick the menu.
Food is an essential part of any good tailgate party. However, you don’t want to be laboring over the food instead of enjoying yourself. Best to keep it simple with something like beer and brats, burgers and hot dogs, or cold ham and cheese sandwiches if you don’t want to lug your grill to the stadium. You can even stick to appetizers and ask everyone to bring their favorite finger food.
For tailgate desserts, consider easy, portable sweets, such as brownies, cookies and cinnamon rolls.
3. Select your guest list.
After you’ve decided on what you’re going to do for your party and where you’re going to have it, it’s time to invite your guests. It’s a good idea to invite about 25 percent more people than you expect to attend since not everyone will be able to make your party.
You can invite people via social media, email, text or even by snail mail. People enjoy getting invitations in the mail and this will keep your invite from getting lost in a sea of emails or text messages.
4. Choose a tailgate party theme.
A tailgate party, by definition, revolves around a sporting event, usually football. Decorations are usually in the team’s colors. In addition to using plates and napkins in the team colors, you can put a team sticker on your cooler or order can coolers for everyone with the team logo.
For a more up-scale tailgate event, think of this as a swanky picnic and bring colorful linens, wooden folding chairs and flutes for sparkling wine.
5. Plan well to enjoy your own tailgate.
One of the best things you can do to put your guests at ease and allow them to enjoy the party is to relax and have fun yourself. The key to this is making sure you plan well in advance and double check all of the details. That way you can sit back and relax during your party, something that will all but ensure that your party is a success.
If you’re taking your party to another venue, like a stadium, get everything together the night before and load what you can into the car. That will help prevent you from forgetting something essential and running around stressed at the last minute.
6. Easy Cleanup.
Make your clean up easy by using paper or plastic plates, cups and utensils. This is especially important if you are hosting your party at a park or a stadium. These party supplies don’t have to be boring. You can use them as a way to promote the team colors.
7. Take note of your successes and challenges.
One of the best ways to continually up your party planning game is to buy a journal and take notes after every party. Note what you served, who was invited and who attended, what dishes you used, what worked and what you could improve upon next time. You can use those notes to avoid repeating your menu at your next party and to help you avoid making the same mistakes twice.
What to Bring to a Tailgate
If you’ve just received an invitation, you may be unsure about what to bring to a tailgate party. Ask the hostess what he or she would like you to bring. If he or she says nothing, it’s still polite to bring your own beverage (especially if you drink something out of the ordinary) as well as a small food item like a bag of chips or a plate of brownies. Unsure of what kind of food to bring? Bring a fun tailgate game or just a football to toss around.
The Bottom Line
Planning a successful tailgate party doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful. Simply start with a location, a theme, and a guest list; enlist a good partner to help you with all of your tailgate supplies; and make sure to give yourself plenty of time so that you can relax and enjoy your own party. Let us know in the comments if you have any tailgating tips and tricks!
Zazzle’s Lifestyle Expert is here to help create life’s best & most important moments. Discover unique ideas and endless inspiration to create meaningful memories with family, friends and your community.
