Are your boys ready for the NFL playoffs to begin? Tis the season! Super Bowl Sunday (February 2) will be here before you know it–that means it will be time for football decorations and a party! On my blog, Spaceships and Laser Beams, I specialize in boy parties so I have lots of ideas to help you plan a great Super Bowl party. Get your party supplies together, bake a football shaped cake, make invitations to a great group of friends and get ready for some winter football party fun!

What’s the most important part of a Super Bowl party; is it the game itself, the commercials, the halftime entertainment, the food…or who you’re watching the game with that matters the most? The answer depends on who you’re asking! Most Super Bowl parties will include a mix of levels of football enthusiasm, but everyone likes to eat!

How to Plan a Super Bowl Party

To best accommodate rabid fans and casual interest viewers (which might include the younger set), you might want to consider two viewing areas, but one common food service area. The more serious sports watchers will be happier without extraneous conversations (interpret that as NOISE!) and the more social types will enjoy kibitzing with everyone. Your dual viewing posts might be divided more by age, with adults in one area and kids in another. Make sure you have enough comfortable seats because this isn’t the kind of party people stand through. Even pillows on the floor can work in this casual setting.

And speaking of the kids, I’d like to recommend that you engage an older sibling or even a sitter to keep a watchful eye on the younger guests. That way you know their needs are being met and you can focus more on the overall party or the game itself, if that is your interest. Have a few activities planned for the kids. This might include board games, crafts, hand puppets or even a movie as the evening progresses.

A football themed photo booth is a fun option for all ages at the beginning of the party. Include some grin worthy props such as game-face masks, shoulder pads, helmets, megaphones or cheerleader poms and let guests get silly. It’s a great way to break the ice and they’ll have a fun visual to take home at the end of the evening.

Super Bowl Party: Food Ideas

Back to the food! There are more football food options available than I have room to describe here, but hand-held, finger types of food are most popular in this casual party venue. Here are 50 Popular Party Appetizers to help you plan your menu. Keep the table well-stocked and the beverages cold! Whatever menu choices you decide on, make them party worthy by the way you present them.

Decide if you’re going for a vintage football vibe or capitalizing on the here and now teams and decorate accordingly. A main food table can be covered in artificial turf, felt or fabric. Use paint, tape or even ribbon to mark faux yard lines. Miniature goal posts can be constructed with wooden dowels or PVC pipe. Scoreboards, pictures of roaring crowds or even black and white referee type stripes are all potential table backdrops.

Food labels help guests identify what’s being served. Using football themed tent cards and beverage wraps give the party extra “wow”. Pennants, pompoms and football paraphernalia add to the party atmosphere too. You’ll get extra kudos from guests when you include novel football shaped treats. Check out my football party round-up for lots of different ways football parties have been celebrated for even more inspiration.

Because of all the commercials (I admit, my favorite part!) and a lengthy half-time show, the Super Bowl lasts longer than a regular televised NFL game. You’re going to be with your guests for a chunk of time, so carefully think through your strategy for a successful gathering; be sure to include lots of food and beverages—and may the best team win!

More Super Bowl Party Ideas

DIY Football Wreath

DIY Game Day Banner

How to Host a Frugal Super Bowl Party

What will you do at your super bowl party?

Stephanie Keeping is mom to a boy named Sam, a blogger, and an Etsy-preneur. She celebrates boyish charm at Spaceships and Laser Beams, where she talks about all things boy and birthday parties.