Do you want to share the excitement of attending the big game with friends and family? Good news: You can throw a great tailgate party with all the guests you want, even on the tightest budget.
If you have more friends and family attending the game than you can possibly feed, don’t trim the guest list! Instead, throw a potluck tailgating party and let your guests do the hard part for you.
Who Brings What?
Start by making a guest list of friends and family you know will be attending the game, then contact each person through a friendly email, with a paper invitation or by phone.
Ask invitees if they have dietary restrictions such as lactose intolerance, allergies to nuts, if they are vegetarian, etc. Now is also a good time to ask about special dishes. Maybe your aunt always makes a gelatin mold, or your neighbor makes the best deviled eggs in town.
When doling out the food assignments, don’t get too specific — some of your guests won’t know how much time they’ll have to prepare the day of the game, which means that they’ll have trouble committing to a specific dish. Give people general categories and let them get creative — just make sure that each guest brings enough to feed 4 to 6 people. Cover the following areas:
- Appetizers
- Chips and dip
- Rolls or buns
- Main courses
- Desserts
- Drinks
- Disposable cups, plates, napkins and utensils
Be sure to state when and where in the stadium parking lot everyone should convene for the delicious pre-kickoff eats and festivities.
Make the Theme “Team Spirit”
This is a potluck tailgating party and your team has the home advantage. Show it by incorporating a team spirit theme into your potluck. Give guests hints in advance as to what you’re looking for:
- If your team colors are red and yellow, tell guests to bring food only in these colors. (They’re going to have to get creative!)
- Make it a costume tailgating potluck party! Ladies can don cheerleaders’ pom-poms and pigtails, men can wear jerseys. Give a prize to kids for best mascot-look-alike.
- Prepare some team sports trivia questions in advance. Toss candies in theme colors to those who shout out the right answer first.
- Other prizes can be given out for best team chant, best face paint and best homemade team-encouragement sign.
- Offer sidewalk chalk in team colors to keep kids happy and occupied.
Know What's What
One of the problems with potlucks is that it's not always easy to tell what’s in each dish or who made what. To avoid this, start by having the guests bring ingredient lists for their dishes. Then, put together a creative referee costume (a black-and-white-striped shirt and a whistle should do it) and have one of the kids “officiate” at the tailgate. The referee will be in charge of the ingredient lists so that anyone who has any questions about the food (or just has to have the recipe!) can consult the official first. Not only will this allow everyone to know what they’re eating, but it will also add a game-like feel to your tailgate party and make the referee feel special.
Your Contribution
Put together some easy, inexpensive appetizers and snacks from the Deli and let the guests do the heavy lifting on the main courses.
If you want to do more, score a touchdown with creative miniature sandwiches. Make some sandwiches with your favorite cold cuts, cheeses and bread and use cookie cutters to cut them into sports shapes like footballs, helmets and sneakers. After all, wouldn’t a football-shaped sandwich be more fun to eat than a regular sandwich?
Be Prepared for the End of the Party
To make sure you don’t get stuck lugging home all the leftovers no one will eat, have some disposable containers on hand to send leftovers home with your guests. Bring plenty of large black garbage bags to keep the mess under control. Pack moist wipes and paper towels to keep little hands and mugs clean.
Make It Memorable
Don’t forget all the fun you and your family had at your potluck tailgating party. Relive it again and again by taking photos at the event and posting them on a photo-sharing website. Pick a few of your favorite photos to display in a digital picture frame or print a few extra-special ones at the Photo Center to hang on the refrigerator.
