As football season approaches, so does the time-honored tradition of tailgating. If you’ve never been to a tailgating party before, it can seem like a mysterious mess of wings, face paint, and light beer. But it’s a great time that both die-hard fans and football newbies can enjoy.
Are you overwhelmed with the idea of hosting a tailgating party? These five easy tips for planning a tailgating party cover the basics you need to know to ensure everyone has a great time.
Plan Ahead
Check with the venue and research its policies on food and drinks. You should find out whether it allows alcohol and glass containers. There are also general tailgating etiquette rules to keep in mind, such as cleaning up before you leave and bringing food or drinks.
Pick Good Food
For food, you can prepare the night before to save time in the morning. Grilling is always a classic tailgating move, but there are also things like nuts or chips you can bring to snack on. You can also serve nuts in creative ways. For example, you could make a trail mix or put the nuts in personalized mason jars for easy handling.
Choose a Prime Location
Try to get to the stadium early and bring at least two cars to claim your spot. Text your friends so that they know your location. Think about getting something to mark your location, such as a tent or balloons. Having a marker will make things easier.
Consider Food Safety
You’ll need to keep foods at the right temperature. You should store cold items in a separate cooler from drinks. Alternatively, you could use a cooling insert and ice packs in insulated bags to keep them chilled.
Want to keep hot foods warm? You can use a cooler for that, too. Place bricks in the oven for 20 minutes, wrap them in foil. Then, place them into the cooler with the warm food. This arrangement should keep your foods at safe temperatures for several hours.
Make a Checklist
A checklist of all the items you’ll need on game day will make organizing and planning simpler. Be sure to include grilling tools, paper plates, cups, and other things for cleaning up, such as trash bags and paper towels. Also, don’t forget to bring games!
Using these easy tips for planning a tailgating party will make the experience great for everyone!
