Host a Home Tailgate Party

Get ready for kick off with these easy ideas

Decor

We have two words for you: team colors. Cover tables in inexpensive tablecloths in your team’s colors and fill it with tailgating fare. Post your team flag on the porch so everyone knows where the party is. Hang pennants, streamers and balloons wherever you can. If you plan on sending out invitations, you can make simple homemade invitations by making a football using brown poster board. Use white shoelaces or vinyl ties to make the laces of the football. This is a great craft idea to get your children involved in the party preparation. Looking for a creative centerpiece idea? Use plastic megaphones filled with shakers in your team’s colors to set the mood for the party.

Food

Feeding hungry fans is easy, too. Grill some sausage or hot dogs and serve them with all the condiments. Try Smithfield’s Hot Dogs with Grilled Italian Peppers or Sausage and Pepper Heros. You can sauté or grill the peppers ahead of time and get creative with your condiments. This will give your guests plenty of choices in creating the ultimate hot dog. As a bonus, this self-service setup will allow you to enjoy the game with your guests!

In addition to the main dish, be sure to have plenty of snack foods set around the room. Try Smithfield’s Pre-Game Appetizer Platter and Bacon Wraps as easy solutions for snacks during the game. Anything that fans can fix for themselves and will be very popular with your guests. Keep in mind that you want to offer foods that can be eaten with your hands or with as few utensils as possible. This keeps down the trash and clean-up factors and won’t require seating arrangements.

Entertainment

While the game provides plenty of entertainment, it is sometimes fun to have a friendly wager on the outcome. You don’t have to involve money; you can simply put bragging rights on the line. Get a poster board and magic marker to record everyone’s predictions as they come in the door. To make it fun even for those who don’t know much about football, you can break down the game into quarters and “bet” on such things as the winner of each quarter, points scored in a quarter, number of fumbles, number of interceptions and so on. That way, you don’t really have to know who is the better team for a chance at winning.

Keeping the Kids Entertained

Let's face it, no matter how exciting you may think the game is, the younger kids may not agree. If you want to watch the game in peace, give them some options. Keep several footballs around so they can toss them in the yard. And don't forget about the little cheerleaders--pick up a few pom-poms from your local party supply store and have some of the older girls teach them cheers so they can get in on the action. You can surprise the older children with the latest NCAA or NFL video games set up in another room with their own snacks to enjoy.