Throw a super bowl party!

The majority of the party will take place in the room with the largest entertainment setup. Streamers and football-shaped balloons create a festive atmosphere with a green and brown color scheme for a generic football theme. To decorate in team colors, you can either choose the team you support, or decorate half of the room in each teams' colors to foster the competitive nature of your guests. Other creative decorations include team posters, pennants, and memorabilia. Masking tape can be laid on the floor to create yard lines and end zones, and a simple set of goalposts can be created with inexpensive wooden dowels framing the television. For a more elaborate touch, use astroturf as a rug around the seating area, which will not only add to the decorations but also protects carpeting from accidental spills. Astroturf is available at most home improvement stores.

Electronics

The more people you invite, the larger your television must be to insure that everyone has a good view of the game. Many stores offer sales on large televisions and sound systems in the weeks preceding the Super Bowl, and if you take advantage of such an opportunity, purchase the equipment at least two weeks in advance. This will provide enough time to fully install, test, and learn to operate the electronics before entertaining, guaranteeing that everything will be fully operational on game day.

For a large party, consider setting up multiple televisions in the same room. While the largest will obviously be the main focus, a smaller set near the snack table as well as small sets near rear seats will be appreciated, and insures that no one misses a moment of the action. For the best sound quality, however, only the largest television should be audible - either mute the others or make sure the volume is as low as possible. An additional television or radio in the bathroom is always appreciated by die-hard fans.

Be certain that you have adequate seating for all your guests, allowing enough room for them to circulate around the room for snacks, drinks, and exuberant antics during close plays. Chairs should be sturdy and unlikely to fall over when fans jump up in excitement or frustration, and everyone should have as unimpeded a view as possible. This is easier to arrange if you use multiple televisions, because fans who are less enthusiastic will gravitate toward smaller televisions and out-of-the-way seating.

Being A Host

Even though your guests are united for a common purpose, you must still act as a host. Introduce guests to one another, and watch for anyone who doesn't seem to be having a good time. Try to keep everyone involved in conversations, and be sure that everyone feels welcome to the snacks, knows the way to the restroom, and is otherwise comfortable in the surroundings. As the host, if snacks run low or drinks need to be refilled, that duty falls to you. If possible, you can enlist a spouse or child to help, but they could serve as more of an interruption than an assistant.

Rivalry is inherent to any sporting event, and the Super Bowl is no exception. Encourage friendly rivalry among your guests by having everyone guess the final score, and offer a prize to the winner. The prize could be a new football, jersey, tickets to a local game, or other related item. Even more rivalry can be introduced by asking your guests to dress in team paraphernalia and handing out coordinating party hats when they arrive. If you have decorated each half of the room in one team's colors, have your guests sit in the appropriate section to create rival benches during the game.

As the party's host, you are responsible for everyone's safety. Encourage carpooling, or offer to pick everyone up before the party and take them home afterwards to insure that there is no alcoholic impairment. A spouse may be willing to act as the designated driver, but you should be prepared to assume that role if necessary.

Not all of your guests will be interested in the game. Offer to set aside a room with a VCR, video games, music, and snacks for spouses or children. Not only will this allow all family members to attend, but it will help minimize disruptions while they are otherwise occupied. Ideally, two families could host a single Super Bowl party, with the game-oriented party at one house while other family members congregate at another house.

Refreshments

No Super Bowl party would be complete without an array of snacks and drinks. Super Bowl Sunday is the busiest day of the year for pizza delivery, so if you plan on ordering pizza or other delivered food, make the phone call well before kickoff. It is better to reheat the food than wait until after the game has started for it to arrive, requiring someone to miss crucial plays while answering the door.

All foods should be laid out within easy view of the television. A long table at the back of the room works well, and covering the table with astroturf or green felt adds to the party's theme. Handy snacks like popcorn, pretzels, chips, dip, and salsa are always popular, and healthier choices such as vegetable bites, sliced fruit, cheese, and crackers are welcome alternatives. Homemade dips and salsa often have less salt than store-bought varieties, so a bit of advance preparation can create healthier treats. For serving dishes, party stores offer disposable plates, bowls, and napkins in a rainbow of colors to coordinate with each team, and football-shaped dishes are easy to find.

For more substantial choices, pizza, sandwiches, and tacos are popular selections. Pizza can be cut into smaller pieces, while sandwiches and tacos can be laid out for each guest to create their own entrée. A slow-cooker of chili is a frequent standby for Super Bowl festivities, and is not only easy to make but will remain hot throughout the game. Desserts can include football-shaped cookies in team colors, or a sheet cake decorated as a football field.

Drinks are necessary to hydrate throats dried out from cheering. While beer is a staple for Super Bowl parties, do not forget to offer soft drinks and bottled water as well. Unobtrusively removing alcohol after the third quarter will help guests regain their composure after the game, and such thoughtfulness will be appreciated. To keep drinks cool, position a cooler or metal tub filled with ice near the snack table so that no one needs to continually check the refrigerator. This will also keep a ready supply on hand, and any refills can easily be accomplished during commercials or halftime without missing a moment of the game.

Preparing adequate snacks and drinks for a Super Bowl party can be an expensive undertaking. While it is in poor taste to demand that guests contribute, many people will be willing to bring along a few snacks or donate a few dollars to help defray the costs. Though you should not solicit such help, be prepared to make appropriate suggestions if anyone offers, insuring that you have an adequate stock of varied foods.

Whenever food and enthusiastic cheering are combined, spills are inevitable. Keep a supply of paper towels, napkins, and damp rags on hand to facilitate cleanup, and strategically place large trash cans near the snack table to encourage proper disposal. If you place a set of goal posts over the trash and recycling containers, the entire cleanup is sure to be a touchdown.

Novelty Details

While any Super Bowl party with adequate television coverage, ample snacks, and great friends is sure to be memorable, adding extra details will make it a championship event. Miniature beanbag footballs or foam bricks are handy tools to throw at the television to protest bad calls. For greater safety, remove breakable items from the room to prevent frustrations being taken out on them accidentally.

Depending on which teams are playing, you can provide themed food along with more traditional fare. For example, sourdough bread is appropriate when the San Francisco 49ers are in the game, and oranges are acceptable for any Florida team. Other themed foods include New York bagels, Chicago deep dish pizza, and Texas barbeque. These considerate selections demonstrate your planning and dedication to a winning event.

When your guests are arriving, greet them with music from the scheduled halftime artists, or begin a friendly game on the front lawn (even in the snow) to help burn off excess energy before kickoff. As they leave, offer miniature footballs or mock trophies as souvenirs.

Teams practice, strategize, and refine their skills for months before the Super Bowl. Throwing a winning Super Bowl party may not be as intensive, but it still requires extensive planning to coordinate decorations, refreshments, and themed activities - without forgetting to tune in to the game. By carefully considering each detail, your Super Bowl party will score highly with every guest, and the camaraderie will outlast even the final crucial seconds of the game.