Posted by Rae Lynn on 9/8/2021 to
Autumn & Fall
Theme: Football
Concept: Viewing
Party Title: Football & Fondue
Think...house party tailgate with a gourmet menu
Whether you're planning a gathering for a college bowl game, NFL playoff or the super bowl these football themed party ideas are a winning combination.
Assemble the ranks of fellow football fans bedecked in spirited attire to talk smack and root for the home team, then raise the bar by with fondue and tapas-style selections. Everyone will be focused on the game, but win or lose, a great-tasting menu brings comfort to the soul.
- Choose a theme color:
- For a generic football color scheme use green, brown and white. Decorate with green football fields, white lettering and brown footballs.
- Use the colors of one team to support a home favorite.
- Use one color from each team for a mixed crowd.
- Create 2-color place settings by using a smaller colored plate inside a larger one in white or vice versa. Then, wrap glasses, soda bottles, and/or napkins in free printable football wrappers, find them here.
- Put out a portable "EVENT PARKING" road sign.
- Paint stars, numbers, logos, or any football motif on the front lawn with a stencil and flour, white paint or glow-in-the-dark paint.
- Use colored light bulbs at the front porch, LED ice cubes in drinks and floral lights in vases and/or pitchers for a unique presentation of team colors.
- Paint pumpkins with team football helmets and as mini footballs.
- Decorate the ceiling by criss-crossing strands of team or generic pennants.
- Make cheerleader megaphone decorations with with spray glue and glitter on floral Styrofoam cones.
- If you don't have a fireplace, hang an Insta-View Fireplace on the wall for some wintertime cozy ambiance.
Maximize TV visibility by raising the screen and arrange seating in a U shape of ascending seat heights, for example, floor seating in the front, followed by couches, table seating (facing forward) and bar stools.- Alternate votive candle holders in each color for table, counter, and shelf accent lighting.
- Set up a face paint station for the kids and die hard fans.
Food service:
- Place chalkboards with play diagrams as decorations.
- Build mini football field goal posts from wooden dowels. Here's how.
- Orient your buffet and food service directly parallel or perpendicular to the TV screen, ideally within view.
- Add atmosphere and protect your carpet by laying down a green artificial grass rug.
- Transform your serving or dining table to a mini football field using green felt or fabric, white tape and white numbers. Here's how.
Use yellow beverage napkins to flag penalties and cocktails, or use yellow "flag" bandanas or napkins to wrap utensils, line bread baskets or as placemats.
Favors:- Fill a football helmet with football party beads in team colors as favors.
- Paint plastic eggs to look like mini footballs as favors with treats.
Food ideas:- Skewer hors d'oeuvres and drink garnishes with football picks.
For fondue & tapas:
Beer cheese fondue:
| Tapas:
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Banana slicesDrinks:
- Variety of craft beer – light, medium, dark brews
- Punch/cocktail in team color and served from a Gatorade cooler
More cute food ideas:
  | Pass out peanuts (or chips for less mess) in brown paper lunch bags, add football laces to the side of the bags with white tape.  Make football-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches with rye bread and mayonnaise or mustard for laces.  Serve up mini football players and footballs with Lit'l Smokies, olives, and mustard. For dessert offer football ice cream sandwiches. Carve a football helmet fruit bowl from a watermelon. |    |
Items associated with this concept (Motifs):
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Alternate football theme ideas:
Location: Decorate as if you were there, by choosing a theme related to the location of the game. For example, a beach party for Miami, a luau for Hawaii, Bourbon Street for New Orleans, or country western for Texas.
Bowl names: For football bowl games, coordinate with the bowl name, such as rose, sugar, cactus, citrus, cotton, orange, fiesta and peach.
Super Bowl: Make it a Souper Bowl, by serving hearty soups & stews, such as, gumbo, chili, Irish stew & beer cheese soup. Or, make it a competition with a potluck Souper Bowl showdown or chili cook-off.
Share your college and NFL football themed party ideas.
