by Kevin De Silva Piques

Created on: October 29, 2009   Last Updated: October 30, 2009

There is no better way to beat the winter blues than to throw a Super Bowl party the first weekend in February. After all, the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event of the year. Throwing a successful party will take some planning, but it really isn't all that difficult. You certainly don't have to be a great football fan to have a lot of fun at a Super Bowl party.

Guest List

Write down a list of people you would like to invite. Be sure that your guests will know some of the other guests. This helps everyone to naturally start conversations. This will help to ensure there is no awkward quiet moments where you will feel compelled to start talking.

Plan the correct number of guests that will comfortably be seated in your house. Too many guests will make it difficult to be comfortable, both for seating and viewing the game.

Food and Beverages

One of the best things about a Super Bowl party is that it is casual. Finger foods like chicken wings, veggie trays, as well as a good variety of snacks, makes it fairly easy to deliver a great party experience.

A tradition we started was to have a chili making contest. Each year someone takes a turn at making a big pot of chili. It is compared with those of previous years. It is a lot of fun and it helps to divide some of the work of preparing all the food.

Beverages do not take a lot of planning. A good variety of soft drinks mixed with some beer usually does the trick. A few bottles of wine will also help to satisfy some of the female guests. A bar fridge is perfect for this occasion, but if you don't have one, coolers and ice are a great way to keep the drinks chilled and very close to the action.

Football Pool

A great way to keep all your guests involved and interested in the big game is to have a football pool. This is one of the highlights of our parties. No prior football knowledge is required when a pool such as "The 100 Square" pool is used. Have a large piece of bristol board prepared ahead of time with 100 squares drawn on it. Each guest buys a square for 50 cents. They can buy as many as they like till all the squares are filled. Once the board is completed numbers are randomly drawn and assigned to the squares. If the score at the end of each quarter is matched by the square you have, you win some money. You will find that everyone will be cheering and checking the board to see if they will win. It's a lot of fun and adds some excitement to the game for all your guests.

Super Bowl parties are a great way for friends to get together and have a great time for very little cost. Starting traditions that carry over from year to year helps to make each guest anticipate the event. The Super Bowl is so much more than just a football game, it's more about the party!

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