How to Throw a Football Party that Doesn't Suck

January 30th, 2023

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If you're a football fan (or even if you're just a fan of expensive TV commercials), we don't have to tell you what time of year it is. That's right; it's time to get ready for "The Big Game." The one with the heavily trademarked name that starts with an "S" and a "B!"

So, if you're going to have a "Big Game" party — and we think you should — there are a few things you can do to ensure it's the best in the neighborhood. Maybe even the whole community!

Let's dive right in...

Determine your party location.You'll want to think of a space that's welcoming for everyone, spacious for guests to hang out, has room for food and decor placement and has floors that can be wiped up in case ol' Bob gets excited over a play and spills his beer again. (We may be biased, but a garage is perfect for this — provided it's clean and organized.)
Let the invite set the tone.Right out of the gate, let your attendees know this is a legit party and that they won't want to miss it. You could go all out and send printed invites in the mail. Because, honestly, who expects that these days? Or there are websites like Evite with plenty of free themed options that you could send via email or text.
Make everyone dress the part.Let's face it, everyone has more fun and lets loose when they dress for a theme. So, make it mandatory for your guests to dress for the occasion by wearing something related to their favorite team or sport or dressing like a mascot or referee — anything sports-related. If you want to ensure everyone does it, throw in a prize for best dressed! Make a fun football-themed basket full of goodies or craft a handmade traveling trophy they'll fight over each year.
Deck out your space.Invest in the decorations. Just do it.Amazon, Target, the Dollar Store...they're all brimming with cheap and fun football — or sports-related decor.

Here's a top tip: You could buy the $15 balloon arch package from Amazon and spend six hours trying to assemble it, ending with bloody fingers and a full swear jar — or you could just pay the $150 for a local and talented company to come in and install it in five minutes. I promise it will become a talking point, and people will use it for photos that will be looked at for years.

Get creative with the placement of decor. Your garage is filled with areas that you can transform with decorations. Hang a football garland or a photo backdrop from your track system, create a football chandelier out of balloons that you could hang from your overhead storage or utilize your storage shelves and workbench for your game-day snacks.
Ambiance is key.No one likes walking into a party that's dead silent and stale. Make sure you have background music playing prior to the game starting. Of course, you will turn it off when the game begins, but I highly recommend a good Jock Jams playlist to set the mood.

Lighting is also essential. You want to create a welcoming space through the lighting. Add some fun uplights or battery-operated LED strip lights to bring color into the mix. Why, yes, Hello Garage does sell garage-specific lighting. So glad you asked!
Provide adequate seating.There's nothing worse than getting to a party and having to stand the entire game, fumbling around with your artichoke dip and beer. Get creative with what you can pull in from your house to add seating. Don't forget to add height in the back to help with viewing. You could even use truck beds parked in the driveway for additional high seating in the back.
Get creative with your food and beverage displays.In fact, just go all in and make an entire football stadium out of food!

Here's another idea: Use your workbench to make your own concessions stand with everyone's favorite game-time snacks: popcorn, peanuts, soft pretzels, cotton candy, burgers, slices of pizza, etc. Use items around the house that add height to your food display to enhance your presentation.

You can also use your slatwall and baskets and create a "drink wall." Fill each basket with a different beverage and have your guests pull from it when thirsty.

Incorporate game-day-themed props into your food displays — such as using large Gatorade cooler dispensers to dispense your favorite adult beverages, bringing out the footballs lying around in the garage and propping them up on buckets in between food items or investing in some turf placemats to use underneath your platters.

Label your food items with football lingo. You can use mini chalkboards to write these, or hundreds of editable printable designs are available here. Here are just a few examples:

Bucket of napkins: "Penalty Flags"
Bottled water: "Water Break"
Brownies: "Blitz Brownies"
Veggie tray: "Victory Veggies"
Taco or nacho bar: "What's Your Play" and list the toppings

Provide props at the door.As soon as your guests enter, set them up with game-day gear. Things like pom poms, large and mini foam fingers, branded stadium cups, football beads, etc.
Provide things to do for guests who really just don't like football.Let's face it; some people simply come for the snacks and the halftime show. Here are some ideas to get people involved:

Football trivia
Big-Game bingo
Rate the commercials
Tailgate game favorites, like cornhole, yard pong, ladder toss, etc.

Party favors aren't just for kids.

Get your garage game day-ready with a Hello Garage makeover.

You want to leave a lasting impression, right? Have your guests leave with items that they will thank you for later. Game-day recovery kits, anyone? Fill it with bottled water, Gatorade, Advil, hydration packets and football-themed snacks.

You can do all or just a few of these things, and they'll kick your game-day party up a notch or ten. The main point is to put in some effort rather than simply pop the game on the flat-screen and hope everyone has a good time.

And if you're ready to really deck out that garage for the big game (and for a ton of future gatherings for family and friends), give Hello Garage a call at 1-888-59-GARAGE or click here to schedule a free estimate for a dream garage transformation!