Plan..

Football Widows Unite!!!  After months of Sundays and Monday nights on our own, there is finally a game that we enjoy as well.  If not for the sport, then for the commercials!  A sporting event that spawns parties nationwide.  Whether your favored team plays or not, Superbowl is an opportunity to get together with friends, watch a great game, enjoy some funny commercials, and party. 

Pre-game, during game and post-game all need to be planned for.  If you are planning a meal, make sure it's set up before the game and have no hassle snacks available during the game.  Plan - because unlike other games, the commercials are as good as the playtime!  Half-time is an event you don't miss either - so the less you have to do, the better!

A giant TV is a must, with surround sound, great pub-type food, and beer will leave you with a happy crowd.  However, this is a once a year game, so have a little fun!  Turn your viewing area into a sports pub environment, or go crazy with your teams colors and football themed accents.  Candlelight and a lovely chicken marsala just aren't going to work accented by a beautiful floral centerpiece?  Nuh uh.  More like a green tablecloth with yard lines and goal posts at either end with a vat of pulled pork, a taco/nacho bar and a barrel of peanuts with a cooler of beer on the side! 

Work with Superbowl colors, team colors, mascots, and football stuff generally.  Add in game food and drinks with some fun party activities and your party will be a hit!     

 A few basics you need to start with: Super Bowl Party

• How many people are coming?  Really?  Don't forget that Joe always brings an unexpected guest…
• How much do they usually eat?  Running out of chips at half time will get a yellow flag. 
• Serve a meal (buffet style!) - and make sure it's NO WORK. 
• What are you serving to drink?  Where are you keeping it?  How will you keep it cold?
• Are there going to be kids around? 
• If you don't want kids bored and bugging you right as an amazing interception happens resulting in at 43 yard touchdown…. Well, plan entertainment and food for the kids as well, preferably in their own space.  Set up their party space with movies, video games and their own little buffet.  This minimizes interruptions so you can enjoy the game (and the commercials).

Planning: Super Bowl Party

Whether you are trying to enjoy the game or you are enjoying company while others enjoy the game - you don't want to be in the kitchen.   Make as much ahead as possible so all you're doing is warming or serving - and have a plan for what has to be done so volunteers can jump in without messing you up!

 

 

Decorations

Superbowl is a notch above a "Game Day" party.  Your hosting has to step up a little.  Sure, you've go the big screen, but have you made it a party?  You don't have to cover every wall with balloons - but inject some football into your space.  Can you create the feel of a sports pub?  Or get a little crazy with team colors using streamers, balloons and a cut out of your team's mascot?  What about adding just a few small touches that inject a touch of humor to your gathering, like football ice cubes or bobbleheads holding toothpicks on the pigs in a blanket tray? 

You can have some serious fun with this party.  No one is expecting a gala event with silk and laces.  Seriously, when else can you shape a cheese spread like a football???  Make this party festive and focus on the game.     

Set your table as a buffet (sitting down for a meal in the dining room is not even remotely a possibility).  Although for this party the big screen TV is the focal point, your food can still look great.  Get creative with the teams playing, the colors, and with football as a theme in general. 

• Turn your table into a football field.  Use a green tablecloth and white tape or felt to create yard lines.  Blow up team logos for each goal end and add a few fun football elements.  Bobbleheads of your favorite players, football confetti, pennants used to identify food or just as a splash of color.  Great food displayed with football whimsy will build party mojo.   

Ideas Super Bowl Party

• Create a balloon arch at the entrance to your home or party space.  It creates instant interest and party energy the moment your guests walk in!

 

 

Food/Drink

Refreshments - The heart of the party, amusingly, is the stomach!

Superbowl is about four things.  The game.  The commercials.  The food.  The beer.  Not necessarily in that order.  Although this is typically a "meal" event, you don't sit down to eat in the dining room, rather, guests tend to graze.  And since you definitely don't want to be cooking during the game, consider food that can be made ahead and simply heated prior to the game.  Guests serve themselves, you enjoy your party and the game.  Here are some great ideas.

Pulled pork sandwiches with a potato bar.  Pulled pork can be made ahead of time (or purchased from your favorite barbeque place!) and popped in a crock pot during your party.  It stays warm with absolutely nothing for you to do.  Have a couple of sauces to be added to give guests a choice.  A potato bar has premade potatoes wrapped in foil and in a warming tray.  Have every type of topping out (melted cheese, shredded cheese, chili, broccoli, sour cream, bacon, chives) for guests to create heaping potatoes to go with their pork. Taco bar with nachos, burritos and taco shells.    This is also an easy buffet.  Have everything available and prepped beforehand, and when guests arrive simply heat the meat, beans and rice.  Guests can create burritos, tacos or amazing nachos with taco meat, seasoned chicken, fajita meat, onions, peppers,  beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, nacho cheese, shredded cheese and fresh salsa.   You can even make ahead other mexican dishes like enchiladas to plus up your buffet.  Hamburger and hotdog/brat station with Fries bar.  Precook hamburgers, hot dogs and brats and place in a warming pan.  Have toppings bar style so that guests can build their own burger or sausage.  Lettuce, tomato and cheese are obvious options, but what about guacamole, mushrooms, grilled onions, chili, bacon, bbq sauce or blue cheese?  Get creative!  A French Fries bar is fun as well.  Make a couple types of fries and place in a warming tray.  Have some fun condiments for dipping available for guests to try such as horseradish ranch or nacho cheese.

In addition to your "meal", snacks are must-have for a Superbowl party.  Don't go crazy with the gourmet stuff.  Sure, guests may appreciate the puffed pastry savory bites, but really, where are the chips?  If you are offended by a bag of Lay's and ranch dip - by all means, tempt the palate of your guests with new taste experiences.  But have some basic bar food available as well.  Or, try a twist on the traditional that will satisfy everyone! 

• Chips and dip - ranch, French Onion, a great fresh salsa (check in your produce section - if it's in a jar it sucks).
• Pretzels and fun pretzel dips like honey mustard and peanut butter.
• Nachos - make a "bar" of it so that guests can pile on their toppings of choice.
• Hot cheese dip or artichoke dip with fresh bread.

Have a plan!!!!  You don't even want to miss the commercials or half-time of the Superbowl, so make sure you spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.  Select make-ahead items that can be prepped and set out prior to the game.  Hot dips should be in small slow cookers and cold dips can be placed in bowls resting in larger bowls with crushed ice.  Chip bags should be easily accessible allowing guests to refill bowls easily, and your meal should be buffet friendly without the need to replenish or reheat. 

Drinks.  For most of us Superbowl involves the consumption of alcohol.  Some party planners out there will suggest that this is an opportunity for cocktails.  For some, it may be.  But here's the problem - unless you hire a bartender, guess whose making those drinks???  My take is that Superbowl is a beer and wine event.  Toss in a couple of pitchers of a PREMADE signature drink if you must - but don't create a scenario where you spend more time pouring than watching! 

Have some good beer on hand - either in a bottle or a pony keg (your keg option is going to be more cost effective and taste better if you have a larger crowd).   

• If you must serve mixed drinks, have a little fun with this!  Select one or two signature drinks and give them a fun name or select drinks that are in team colors.  High alcohol content drinks could be called a "Fumbler" and be a color of the team you are hoping will lose!   
• Find fun stirrers and ice cubes to get a little silly.

Super Bowl Party

 

 

Activities and Entertainment

Um, the game, and the TV, right, what else do you need???  Nothing.  BUT adding a little something extra can be fun.  Have a pool for what the final score will be, or how many times a player fumbles.  This gets your guests even more invested in the game since they have money or pride riding on certain utcomes.  Or consider having trivia cards with questions about past Superbowls or the teams playing.  

Consider upscaling your event by combining your Superbowl party with a beer tasting.  Sample a few beers before the game, at half time, and after the game is over and see which beers everyone preferred.  It's different, not a lot of work, and will make your party a little more memorable.

 

THE TV.  Okay, Superbowl is about the game.  Watching the game.  On a TV.  Test your system before the party - sound, picture, cable… make sure everything is up and running.  If your TV doesn't live up, either don't host the Superbowl party, or upgrade (permanently or temporarily).    There are places that rent big screens - if you aren't in the market to buy a new TV, upgrade it for the day!

IDEAS: Super Bowl Party

• A pool pre-game where everyone chips in $5 with a vote on what the first commercial will be (beer, travel, chips, diet, etc.)

 

Supplies