If you are a die-hard football fan, then the Super Bowl is all about watching the game. If you are a casual football fan, but really enjoy viewing your local or regional team, and they make it to the Super Bowl, you want to watch the game. But even if you are not really into the game, you might still enjoy the commercials that Madison Avenue develops, and the advertisers pay serious money to have them aired during the big contest. Still not a fan? The halftime show is just for you!
Whatever category you fall into, hosting a Super Bowl party can be a lot of fun for both the hosts and the guests. If it is your turn to put on the party, here are four focus areas that can make your party a hit with apparel, decorations, games and food!
There are a couple of ways to go with apparel. Rather than your invitation saying “casual dress,” why not say “football related attire”? Most of your guests will arrive wearing the jersey of their favorite team, but some might get creative and come as cheerleaders, referees or play-by-play commentators. These days, most invitations are sent by email, and it would be easy to offer some subtle hints by attaching pictures of some alternatives. Or you could offer, “optional dress, come representing your favorite Super Bowl commercial.” Imagination takes over, and someone shows up as a Pepsi can or a Budweiser Clydesdale!
Decorate the space for the party with balloons, paper lanterns, streamers, pom-poms and other party decor in the teams’ colors. Paper plates and plastic cups are fine for this casual affair, and your local party supply or big-box store will probably have them in team colors. You can probably find a green tablecloth marked with yard lines to look like a football field. If you have some green cloth, you can make your own yard lines with a simple piece of white chalk. Goal posts are simple to make with a few straws, a hot glue gun and a couple of squares of Styrofoam to support them. Use a big water cooler (the kind they use at the end of the game to dump Gatorade on the winning coach) for holding punch, and maybe a bucket of ice decorated with streamers to hold other canned or bottled beverages.
Some guests will be too far into the game to want to participate in other games, but others may want some side action. An inexpensive football board that pays a dividend on the score at the end of each quarter may actually spark some additional interest in the game. Some other games can be played before the big game comes on and during half time. Challenge your friends to a football trivia contest, and award a simple prize to the winner. Change it up a little by having a Super Bowl commercial trivia contest! A 1992 Nike ad showed Michael Jordan playing hoops with what cartoon character? (Bugs Bunny!) Another idea for the commercial lovers is charades, but all of the clues are acting out a Super Bowl commercial from prior years, and the opponent tries to guess what product is being advertised. If you can take the games outdoors, bean bag toss is popular, and if you have time to make the bean bags in the shape of footballs, even better. Smaller children could even have a variation of the game indoors, using a green felt “football field” with a large round or square design to land the fleece football on. Kids love LEGOs, so you could have them make goal posts with the LEGOs and use them either on a table or on the floor with paper triangle “footballs.” (Warning — the dads may take over this game!)
Finger foods rule at a Super Bowl party, and guests are often more than happy to bring simple things like chips and dip. Staying with the football theme as the host, you might want to have a “concession stand” with food like your guests would find if they were at the stadium — corn dogs, fries and popcorn. If Buffalo is in the big game, Buffalo wings might be in order. If it’s Kansas City, how about barbecue? Serve Tex-Mex if Dallas is playing. Philadelphia would lead us to cheesesteak! You get the idea.
Just remember, it’s not whether your team wins or loses, it’s just about how much fun we have. Now get ready for
the kickoff!
Sources:
1. https://play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/super-bowl-commercials-quiz.
2. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g4953/super-bowl-party-games/.
3. https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/super-bowl-party-food-ideas/.
Written by Bill Smith
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