The LIV Super Bowl will take place on February 2, 2020, with kick-off at 6:30pm EST between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Whether you’re an avid fan of either team or just a general football fan, the Super Bowl has something for everyone. From enjoying time with family & friends, to laughing through all the best commercials of the year, to of course watching a great football match-up.
65,000 lucky people will get to enjoy the action in person, in beautiful Miami, Florida. But with over 100 million people projected to tune in, most people will either be watching from a local bar or at someone’s home. If you’re planning to host a party, here are some great ideas and tips to take your viewing party up a notch!
Create a Tailgate Type Experience
One of, if not, the best parts of watching football, is the pre-game tailgate… so we suggest bringing as much of that atmosphere to your event as possible.
For those who have a backyard, or access to your building’s rooftop or common space, you can create a tailgate-style party, or what we like to call a home-gate. Pop-up some 10’x10’ tents with team flags, set-up some tailgate style chairs, put out some bags (cornhole) games and speakers for music. If you’re an avid fan, you may even have a whole portable TV set that would be great to set-up to allow for multiple viewing locations at your party, especially if you have a big turnout. This is a great opportunity to utilize all your tailgate gear in a different setting and bring something extra to your Super Bowl party.
If you don’t have access to gear and are interested in creating this experience, feel free to give the team at Tailgater Concierge a call, and if we support teams in your area, we can help!
If the home-gate isn’t an option for you, there are other ways to decorate your home, apartment, etc. to give it the right atmosphere. A quick trip to Party City should do the trick. They have a great assortment of colored tablecloths, napkins, cutlery, etc. Luckily with this year’s teams, picking red is a safe bet to keep all attendees happy ????. They typically will also supply team balloons during the Super Bowl. You might also consider ordering these ahead of time online if you live in either Kansas City or San Francisco just in case your local store runs out before the game day. If you’d like more team-specific items, I’d suggest hopping on Amazon now and snagging some team flags, cups, etc. They have A LOT (per usual) of options as you can see here.
Gameday Eats
When it comes to food at viewing parties, you want to keep it simple and easy to eat while standing, very similar to the type of foods you’d serve at a tailgate event when seating and tables are limited.
Appetizers
It’s always great to have a variety of appetizer options. A good place to start is with the fan favorites: veggie tray + dips, charcuterie board (make sure it’s insta worthy), watermelon slices, grilled chicken wings. If you want to spice things up a bit, here are some great recipes that I can vouch for:
Pull-Apart Pigs in a Blanket
A fun twist on a traditional game-day appetizer
10 Servings l Time: 1 hour 25 mins
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
6 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
All-purpose flour
1 tube Pillsbury pizza dough
2 (12-oz.) packages cocktail wieners
Dipping sauces: Marinara, warmed, Mustard, Ranch, BBQ, Ketchup… whatever your heart desires!
Directions:
1 – Preheat oven to 400°. Grease inside of an 8” springform pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper flakes.
2 – On a lightly floured surface, unroll pizza dough and cut into 1”-x-2” rectangles.
3 – Brush top of each with butter mixture, then wrap each cocktail wiener in pizza dough and pinch seam shut.
4 – Place pigs in blanket standing upright in springform pan. They should be snug, but not too tightly packed together. (Otherwise, dough won’t bake!) Brush top with remaining melted butter mixture.
5 – Bake until golden, 50 to 55 minutes.
6 – Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
7 – Serve warm with dipping sauces.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
12 Servings l Time: 35 mins
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 c. Buffalo hot sauce (we used Frank’s Red Hot)
3 c. finely shredded white-meat rotisserie chicken
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
Potato chips and celery sticks, for serving
Directions:
1 – Heat oven to 425°F. In large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Fold in chicken, Monterey Jack, and scallions.
2 – Transfer mixture to 2 shallow 2-cup baking dishes, top with blue cheese, and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with potato chips and celery sticks.
Main Dishes
It’s always a safe bet to go with the standard game day cuisine: grilled hot dogs, brats, cheeseburgers, and the veggie burgers for your vegetarian friends. They’re not only easy to manage for large groups, but it also makes the party smell great having the grill going. If you’re interested in some not so typical offerings, check out some of these recipes I’ve found:
Frito Pies
Always a fan favorite, and super easy when there’s limited seating.
6 Servings l Time: 1 hour 5 mins
Ingredients for Chili:
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped and divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4-oz.) can green chili
Ingredients:
6 (1-oz) bags Fritos
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
2 c. shredded Cheddar
Sour cream, for serving (optional)
Directions:
1 – In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add half onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more, then add tomato paste, stirring to combine. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain fat and return to heat.
2 – Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour in crushed tomatoes, pinto beans, and green chili and bring chili to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper, if necessary.
3 – Build Frito pie: open bag(s) and ladle in chili. Top with cheddar, remaining chopped white onions, jalapeños, and sour cream if using.
Baguette Pizzas 
6 Servings l Time: 25 min
Ingredients:
Buffalo Chicken Baguette Pizza
1 baguette (24-inch)
2 c. shredded rotisserie-chicken
2/3 c. Buffalo-style hot sauce
1/4 c. ranch dressing, plus more for topping
6 oz. mozzarella, coarsely grated
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Chopped cilantro, for topping
Caramelized Shallots, Goat Cheese, and Honey Baguette Pizza
1 baguette (24-inch)
1/4 c. olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt
pepper
1 c. whole milk ricotta
4 oz. mozzarella, coarsely grated
1/2 c. goat cheese, crumbled
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/4 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped
Honey, for drizzling
Pepperoni 2.0
1 baguette (24-inch)
1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely grated
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
6 oz. mozzarella, coarsely grated
2 oz. pepperoni, thinly sliced
1/3 c. pickled pepperoncini peppers, thinly sliced
Directions:
1 – For each pizza, prepare the bread: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat broiler. Split baguette and arrange on baking sheet cut-side up. Broil until light golden brown, 2 to 3 min. Reduce oven temp to 375°F and top bread using recipes below.
2 – Buffalo Chicken Baguette Pizza: In a small bowl, combine chicken and hot sauce; set aside. Spread 2 tablespoons dressing over cut side of bread and sprinkle with mozzarella. Top with chicken mixture and blue cheese.
3 – Bake until cheese has melted, and bread is crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with scallions and cilantro and drizzle with additional ranch, if desired.
4 – Caramelized Shallots, Goat Cheese, and Honey Baguette Pizza: Heat oil in medium skillet on medium. Add shallots and garlic, season with a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 18 to 22 minutes.
5 – Spread ricotta over cut sides of bread and sprinkle with mozzarella. Top with shallot mixture, then goat cheese and thyme leaves. Bake until cheese has melted, and bread is crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with walnuts and drizzle with honey.
6 – Pepperoni 2.0: In a medium bowl, hand-crush the tomatoes then stir in oregano, garlic, and anchovies.
7 – Spread 1/2 cup sauce onto cut sides of the bread (there will be extra sauce). Top with mozzarella, pepperoni, and peppers. Bake until cheese has melted, and bread is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
Desserts (obvi the most important…)
Football Brownies
2 Dozen l Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix, plus ingredients called for on box
1/3 c. heavy cream
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp. Baileys Irish Cream
2/3 c. powdered sugar
3 1/2 tsp. milk
Directions:
1 – Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9″-x-13″ pan with parchment paper.
2 – Prepare brownie mix according to instructions and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes. Let cool completely.
3 – Cut football-shaped brownies out of baked brownies and place them on a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet.
4 – Place semisweet chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and microwave cream until hot, about 40 seconds. Pour cream over the chocolate and let sit 3 minutes, then stir until creamy and no lumps remain. Add Baileys and stir until smooth.
5 – Dip brownies in ganache and place in the refrigerator to set, 30 minutes.
6 – Making icing: In a small bowl, stir powdered sugar and milk until thoroughly combined. Place icing into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag and cut a very small hole in the tip. Decorate each football with laces, then return the tray to the refrigerator to harden, 5 minutes more.
Super Bowl Beverages
When it comes to beverages, you need to first start with the basics, water, some selection of sodas (e.g. Diet Coke, Coke, Sprite), and a bubbly water option is always nice. La Croix tends to be a favorite. From there, we can start getting into the fun stuff, BOOZE.
You don’t want to go crazy here and have 14 different cocktail selections, but I think having a good assortment of beers, white and red wines, and two select cocktails are a great mix. If you have a heavier hard alcohol drinking group of friends/family (guilty), you can always stock your kitchen with vodka, tequila, whiskey option, and make sure to have some tonic/soda water and limes, and you should be good to go.
When it comes to the specialty cocktail, here are a few of my favorite recipes:
Apple Cider Mojitos… I mean, come on.
Servings: 2 l Time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
Ice
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c. gold rum
Apple cider
Mint, for garnish
Apple slices, for garnish
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Directions: Fill 2 glasses with ice. Add the juice of half a lemon to each glass. Divide the rum between the two glasses, then fill 3/4 of the way full of apple cider. Top each with a splash of seltzer and stir to combine. Garnish with mint, thyme, and a slice of apple.
Moscow Mule Punch… who doesn’t love a good Moscow Mule?
Servings: 8 l Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
4 c. ice
4 c. ginger beer
3 c. vodka
1 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 c. mint leaves, plus more for garnish
2 limes, sliced, plus more for garnish
Directions: In a large punch bowl, combine ice, ginger beer, vodka, lime juice, lime slices, and mint. Ladle punch into glasses or copper mugs and garnish with more mint.
Super Bowl Potluck
Hosting a viewing party and providing food and drinks for a handful of folks can quickly become a big task. A great idea to help alleviate some of the burden is to host a potluck style event, where all attendees bring their favorite dish, or go to football drink, to the party. You can either take the risk and put no requirements on what folks bring – you may end up with desserts for days, or beer in your fridge until the next Super Bowl, but it’s a lot of fun to see what shows up! Or establish a sign-up sheet that covers all your basics – using google spreadsheets is a great way to have all your guest’s sign-up for an item ahead of time. It also gives them visibility into what everyone else is bringing in case they have any dietary restrictions or special requests.
If you need some more food & drink inspiration, check out some of these great blog posts full of more Super Bowl friendly recipes:
1 – Appetizers & Main Dishes – https://www.delish.com/entertaining/g2171/super-bowl-food-menu/
2 – Appetizers – https://www.gogogogourmet.com/super-bowl-party-food-recipe-ideas/
3 – Desserts – https://www.delish.com/cooking/g3792/super-bowl-desserts/
4 – Drinks – https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/g14928476/super-bowl-cocktail-drinks/
Additional Entertainment
SUPER BOWL SQUARES – aka the best Super Bowl game of all time
How to play:
1 – pick-up a large poster board, and create a 100-square grid
2 – set an amount to purchase each square, typically I’ve always done $1 per square, but if you and your friends are in a gambling mood, there’s no limit.
3 – sell off all the squares – i.e. if Megan purchases 10 squares, she’ll write her name in 10 random squares that are still available
4 – set a payout structure of all the funds (see below for an example)
5 – assign each side to a team, this can be done with a coin flip, or just having a random person say a team name
6 – assign numbers, I typically pick a random person and have them count off the numbers 0-9 in a random order
If you’ve done everything correctly to this point, your board should look like this:
Example Payout Schedule – $100 board (here’s a simple one, but feel free to make as complicated as you’d like!)
Q1 Score – $10
Half-time Score – $25
Q3 Score – $10
End of Game Score – $55
Drinking Games
This is a fun way to keep people engaged during the game, set rules before kick-off of all the things you need to take a sip of your beverage for when it happens (e.g. every time a flag is thrown, if someone runs into a ref, etc.), and make sure to set ‘penalties’ for those who miss a drink!
Cornhole Tournament
This one does require some outdoor space, so space permitting, a cornhole tourney is a fun side event for folks to do, especially those who may not be avid football fans! We’d suggest setting a lower threshold of points to win – e.g. 11pts, instead of 21, to keep the turnover going, and keep more people engaged in the tournament. There’s nothing worse than having a SUPER long game that causes everyone else involved to lose interest.
Do you have any other Super Bowl Viewing Party suggestions? If so, let us know! We can be reached at [email protected]. We’d love to add your feedback to this article to help other fans.
Looking forward to the 2020 season and helping you with all your tailgate needs!
Tailgate on,
Team Tailgaters