Last Updated on January 30, 2024
Now that the big game matchup has been established, it’s time to get started on planning your best Super Bowl party ever. Even if you’ve rarely hosted friends of family because the thought of throwing a party seems like too much work, getting your feet wet by throwing a Super Bowl gathering is a no-brainer. After all, this party practically throws itself, right?
You don’t need a theme or even a reason to have the party, simply just turn on the TV, put out some snacks and let the two teams dueling it out on the field do all the work. Now, certainly there’s no shame in that type of game, but if you want to kick things up a notch, here’s your unofficial guide to throwing your best Super Bowl party yet.
Essentials
Before you get ahead of yourself, let’s back up and go over the essentials you should think through to make sure your gathering runs smoothly.
Drinks: What will you serve? Will you have beer and wine on hand? Perhaps you’d like everyone to bring their own drinks. Or maybe you’ll prepare one or two signature drinks. Either way, decide what would best suit your guests. It’s a good idea to have something to keep your drinks cold in and accessible so that guests can easily grab them. This might be a cooler or a pretty ice bucket big enough to store several drinks. P.S. Don’t forget about having enough bottle openers on hand!
Beyond alcoholic beverages, you want to have things like soda, water and coffee. We like the idea of leaving a pretty pitcher filled with water out so guests can grab water as they need to.
Beyond beverages, make sure you have enough glassware, whether you’re going with disposable or not.
Plates, napkins, utensils, and serving dishes: If you’re going the disposable route, this job is fairly simple. If you’re using what you’ve already got, ensure you have enough of everything on hand. If you discover you don’t have enough utensils, places like Marshalls and TJ Maxx often have inexpensive cutlery. Fun cocktail napkins are always a hit, and you can find a wide variety at home stores or Amazon.
Decide on what you’re going to serve and think about how you’ll display everything. Do you have enough serving dishes on hand or do you need to pop into the store or borrow some from friends?
Seating: Spend some time thinking about seating. Do you have enough seats for everyone? You might have to rent chairs or even borrow some from neighbors. Also, think of bringing in some non-traditional seating like ottomans, stools, benches, etc. from other areas of your home.
The menu
The easiest thing to do is to plan a bunch of appetizers for your Super Bowl party. Many of these can be made ahead of time, which helps on prep. Plan on preparing as much as you can the night before so you don’t feel stressed the day of.
Keep things simple for dessert by doing a dessert board. You can even ask guests to contribute to this. Consider adding nutella, creamy peanut butter dip, cheesecake dip, or melted chocolate to the board.
Decor
With the theme already decided for you, simple football decor can make things fun.
Want even more Super Bowl inspo? Here are 10 more appetizers to make while you watch the big game.
