You know what they say: Christmas only comes once a year. And, as football fans know, so does the Super Bowl. The biggest game of the year is this weekend, with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots eleven years after their 2015 matchup. That game went down as one of the more controversial Super Bowls in history, with the Seahawks’ decision to pass at the one-yard line rather than run ultimately losing them the game with just 26 seconds left on the clock. Both teams are wildly different now than they were then, so what happens on Sunday is anyone’s guess. What feels a lot safer to say is that the parties will be plentiful — so make sure yours is worth pulling up to.
What’s the key to a good Super Bowl party? If it came down to one factor, anyone could throw one. The alchemy of putting on a good Super Bowl bash isn’t dissimilar to throwing a regular party — it’s a subtle blend of the right guests, the right food, a good game, and an X-factor that can’t quite be defined. Still, we’ll do our best.
The Key Ingredient For Your Super Bowl Spread? Effort
Common wisdom will tell you the move for your Super Bowl party table spread is bar food staples: wings, potato skins, cheap pizza, and chips. Respectfully, this isn’t a sleepover for teenagers. It’s a party for adults. You don’t gotta put out a caviar tray or anything, but put in some effort — get real pizza from a real spot, not Domino’s. Make a charcuterie board. Include a couple of foods with hints of green, just in case any of your guests aren’t trying to ingest a metric ton of fry oil. Are you going the burgers route? Make a Smashburger station by your stove or order out sliders from a favourite local spot.
In short, do anything and everything you can to avoid your table consisting of stuff you picked up at the grocery store two hours before everyone arrived. If you provide something good, your friends will be far more inclined to show up with something good in turn.
Serve Drinks (Not Just Beer)
Again, common wisdom here says “Get a couple cases of beer and call it a night.” Go a step above, though — in addition to those cases of beer, you should pick up a bottle or two of decent wine and maybe set up a cocktail station for anyone not trying to crush a *Benicio Del Toro voice* few small beers. In theory, a Super Bowl party is about sitting around and watching the game. In reality, however, just as many people are going to see it as an excuse to hang out with friends. Make sure the space caters to those folks, too (hence the wine). Make it possible for some people to pour a glass and catch up on gossip while everyone else is yelling at the TV.
Everything Else You Need For A Super Bowl Party
Is it enough to just put on the game? Sure, maybe. But it never hurts to go the extra mile for your friends. Make the night into an event or game in and of itself. Create a betting pool for who wins the game or something sillier: Which celebrities will pop up in commercials? Which movies will we see trailers for? Which songs Bad Bunny plays during the halftime show? Anything at all that pertains to the night. Provide a good prize, be it a team jersey or a Bad Bunny tee. Do anything you can to keep your loved ones off of sports betting apps and let them pour their energy into something more fun and more responsible. Encourage dancing during the halftime show, tell folks to dress in themed attire. Just get creative with it — make the party about spending time with people you love, not a game that, ultimately, doesn’t matter. That’s the best way to ensure a Super Bowl party nobody forgets.
