Grab your chips, dips, and beanbags — it’s Super Bowl season!
Whether you’re watching for the on-pitch action, the half-time performances, or even the commercials, one thing’s for sure: the best way to enjoy the Super Bowl action is with an unforgettable watch party.
If you’ve bravely volunteered to play host this year (and are now coming to regret that decision), this blog has all the advice you need to put on a watch party that people will remember for years to come. From game-day snacks to on-theme decor, use the tips below to transform your living room into the perfect venue to watch the biggest football event of the year with your nearest and dearest.
Make Sure Everyone Gets The Perfect View
Firstly, let’s cut straight to the chase: ensuring everyone has an unobstructed view of the screen for the main event is paramount.
Depending on the number of guests you’ll be hosting, some serious feng shui might be needed for this one. Start by removing any non-essential furniture that takes up space in your living room, such as bulky bookcases or statement pieces. This is not only to fit more chairs in, but to reduce congestion around walkthroughs and entry ways during those all-important breaks from the action.
Clear The Decks
You can also use this rearrangement as an opportunity to hide any breakables. Big-win celebrations can often involve a great deal of involuntary arm swinging (which doesn’t usually mix well with expensive vases perched on the edge of mantelpieces).
Seating
Once you’ve cleared the decks, it’s time to make sure you’ve got enough seats for everyone — nothing’s more uncomfortable than perching on the edge of a sofa for hours.
If you’re running low on chairs, why not bring in any garden furniture you have? Just give it a wipe down and add a cushion for comfort. Similarly, any beanbags or fold-up chairs you have lurking around will also do the trick.
Consider Comfort
One vital thing to consider when placing your seating, though, is the position of the viewer in relation to the TV. You don’t want your guests to get a neck cramp by straining to see the screen from an awkward angle. So, ensure you position the seats in a semi-circle around the TV to make sure everyone gets a good view without fights over ‘the best seats’.
To maximise viewing comfort even further, be sure to strategically place side tables around the room for your guests to place their drinks down while watching. Remember to add coasters unless you want rings on your furniture!
Lastly, for the finishing touch, add blankets and pillows to the seating area so that your guests can really make themselves feel at home while watching. You might also want to consider adjusting your thermostat to a more comfortable temperature to keep your guests nice and cool when things heat up during the game.
Get the Best Possible Picture
Aside from making your guests comfortable, you also need to make sure that they’re enjoying the clearest possible picture as part of their Super Bowl watch party experience. With that being said, give your TV a spray with some window or glass cleaner beforehand to ensure it is truly streak free.
If you’ve got a considerably large audience attending your watch party, you might even want to consider upgrading your screen size to a larger option like a projector.
Make sure there won’t be any glare from the sun on the day, too, by positioning your blinds and curtains just right.
Serve The Perfect Snacks
Up next, time to tackle the snacks. No party is ever truly complete without an assortment of treats, so it’s up to you as host to put on a spread of top-tier foods for your guests to fuel up on before the sporting action begins.
To save yourself some time (and effort washing up), opt for easy options as opposed to a super-involved and elaborate cooked meal. Your guests will have their eyes glued to the screen most of the time, so a messy spaghetti carbonara is not the right option for you and your cream carpet. Finger-food and light bites, on the other hand, are the perfect solution.
Transform your dining room table into a buffet station with an on-theme tablecloth and plenty of serving platters featuring nibbles like chips, dips, sliced vegetables, hot dogs, sliders, and mozzarella sticks for the ultimate treat touchdown!
Platters Upon Platters
Your worst nightmare as a host? Running out of plates. Do yourself a favor and either stock up on disposable plates, bowls, and cutlery or borrow some crockery from a friend or neighbour for the big day. For game-day snacking, bowls and serving platters will be your friend, especially little dishes for dips.
“Snack-cessibility”
To avoid a mad rush to the serving area, remove any obstacles for maximum “snack-cessibility”. This might look like pushing multiple tables together to create a larger serving space or moving your dining chairs away from the table so that your guests can serve themselves.
The location of the table itself matters — you don’t want to place the food zone in too close a proximity to the TV or you’ll risk grazing guests getting in the way of game-time action.
Game-Day Drinks
Celebrating good football is thirsty work, so be sure to stock up on fan favorites — from soda to classic beers. You’ll also want to make a designated drinks station so that partygoers can refill their cups with ease. While you can tell your guests to BYOB, having an area ready for them to store their drinks and keep them cool is a must.
It’s a good idea to prepare a cooler and some ice so that your guests can keep their drinks cold while they watch the action. Essentials like bottle openers, coasters, ice tongs, and straws are also handy to keep in this area so that your guests won’t have to root through your kitchen drawers every time they need to crack open a bottle.
Football Decorations
Lastly, what’s a party without decorations? The Super Bowl is a fun event for all the family and an excellent opportunity to deck out your home with on-theme decor to get your guests in the sporting spirit. Whether you stick to the classics with balloons, streamers, and string lights, or you get innovative with homemade themed decorations, take some creative license and deck the halls!
Why not opt for a color scheme to truly get into your team’s spirit? Welcome your guests with banners and bunting and keep the theme going with decorative napkins and serveware too.
Super Bowl Decor at Displate
To cut back on single-use decor options, why not opt for a decoration solution that you can use for Super Bowl watch parties for years to come? At Displate, we have an impressive range of Super Bowl-themed metal posters that can be put up in your living room to add another, classy element to your game-day decor.
From cartoon footballs to humorous Super Bowl slogans, we’ve got all the posters you need to put together a decorative display that your guests won’t forget in a hurry. For more inspiration, keep an eye on the Displate blog and discover decor that will bring new life to your walls — Super Bowl season or otherwise.
