Great Superbowl Party Ideas

The Essentials

Super Bowl XLV, in which the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the most watched American TV show in history. The February 6th averaged 111 million viewers, which surpassed the previous record of 106.5 million set in 2010 by Super Bowl XLIV, which broke the record of 105.9 million, set in February 1983 by the final episode of "M*A*S*H".So this event has definitely become an unofficial American holiday with reason to party. When planning a Super Bowl party, you’ll need to make sure food is provided, as well as side-entertainment for when the game draws out too long for the average attention span. And of course, you need to deck your place with appropriate colors, either with both teams as featured decorations, or if your partial to one, your teams colors. Super Bowl parties aren't just to watch the game, but to actually “party” which is usually why people watch these games together.

Food

Food may be the most important thing at a Super Bowl party, besides the Super Bowl, so you want to make sure it’s good. Here are some common dishes that you can make before the big game.

Chips and Dip:

1 pound ground beef

1 cup of shredded cheese

1 small onion, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1 package of tortilla chips (16 oz)

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced

1/2 cup of the salsa of your choice (Pace, Tostitos, On The Border)

Directions:

1) Brown the beef in a frying pan on medium heat along with the onion, adding salt and pepper to season.

2) Place chips on a platter underneath half the cheese, place the beef, then the rest of the cheese. Microwave it until cheese is melted then serve with salsa on the side.

Buffalo Wings:

24 chicken wings   

2 cups of canola oil

1 teaspoon of garlic powder 

2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons of butter

Hot Sauce

Directions:

1) You chop off the tips of the chicken wings and throw them away, then split the wings at the joint to get a drumette and a double-bone. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. When the temperature reaches 375, add the chicken, making sure it’s fully submerged. You cook these in batches. Once they’re golden brown and floating, they’re ready.

2) In a saucepan, add the butter, hot sauce, white wine vinegar, and garlic powder and cook until all is blended and butter is melted.

3) Combine the chicken and hot sauce mixture in a bowl and toss until all the chicken is coated. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side.

These are classic dishes that are common to Super Bowl parties. If you’ve never prepared these items before and instead store-bought everything, try doing this instead. Homemade dishes are usually better than store-bought.

Entertainment:

Even though the game is the main-feature, it can sometimes drag on, especially if your team isn’t winning. So it’s good to have extra entertainment provided for your guests.

Fantasy Game:

Along with doing the classic betting grid game, you could have your guests write down on a piece of paper who they think will win the game. Below that, have them write who will be the MVP, and then have them write down the score. Have each guest playing put in a dollar and the top three who have the closest answers would receive the prizes. Third place would receive 25% of the money, second place would get 35% and 1st place would get 40%. Of course, if not into betting, you could offer other prizes.

Commercial Rating:

There are many who watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials. This would get them involved if they aren’t that into sports. Simply have each guest rate the commercials and at the end compile all the votes and decide the best by popular opinion.

Decorations:

As far as decorations are concerned, there’s no need to be fancy when it comes to the Super Bowl theme. If you have classic art or cultured fixtures in your home, you might want to take them down as this isn’t meant to be a classy party.

Instead of serving dishes on an elegant silver tray, serve them on a Boston Warehouse Touchdown Tray. Totally un-posh, and uninspiring as far as class is concerned, but it does make a good tray and it looks like a football field. You can also serve your chili in these not so luxurious chili bowls that make it seem like your eating right out of a football! Second to actually eating out of a football.

Put away that antique Persian rug, and let people find their way to the party with a rug that mimics the green turf on the screen. And adorn your table with a football field tablecloth. Even though it may not be as fashionable as your Bombay pintuck tablecloth, you’ll at least know how many yards it’ll take for you to get the ketchup.

This can be a fun Super Bowl party for adults and kids alike. You can always add your own twists to any of the suggestions made to make it more personal. But remember, the most important thing in a Super Bowl party is that you get to spend time with friends and family. Don’t you know? That’s why the Super Bowl was created!