The 20 questions people ask before hosting a Super Bowl party or any football party, answered plainly: when to send the invitations, what to put on the card, food and potlucks, fans of the other team, how squares work, inviting coworkers, and, for guests, what to bring and what to wear. Plus tailgates, fantasy drafts and team banquets.
When the details are settled, make the card in the free football party invitation maker: 65 designs, each in three team-color palettes, printable at home or sent as a phone-sized image. The Super Bowl wording and the football party wording have ready lines, texts and emails.
A football party runs on the game's clock, so the card has one job the other invitations don't: tell guests when the food starts and when the kickoff is.
Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable. The matchup is often only settled two weeks before the game, and many hosts send invitations right after the conference championships, when fans know who is playing and are in the mood.
For a bigger party, a church or office watch party, or anything people need a sitter for, send a save-the-date in January and the card two weeks out.
Who is hosting, what game it's for, the date, when food starts, when kickoff is, the address and how to reply. Then one practical line: wear your team colors, bring a dish, kids welcome, or where to park.
Put the kickoff time on the card even if everyone knows it. Guests plan around it, and a party that starts an hour before kickoff gives them a reason to arrive early.
An hour is typical: long enough for guests to arrive, fill a plate and find a seat before the game starts. Fans who want the pregame show will come earlier; say "food from 5:30, kickoff at 6:30" and let them choose.
For a single college game, one to two weeks ahead is plenty; for a rivalry game or a bowl game around the holidays, give two to three. A fantasy draft needs the most notice of all, because every league member has to be there: settle the date three or four weeks ahead and send the card once it's fixed.
The questions hosts ask once the invitations are out: food, seating, fans of the other team and the games people play during the game.
Food guests can eat standing up or from a plate on their knees, set out before kickoff and kept warm through the game: wings, sliders, chili, dips, a vegetable tray and something sweet for halftime. A slow cooker or two saves you from missing the game in the kitchen.
If guests are bringing dishes, say so on the card and ask them to reply with what they're bringing, so the table isn't all chips.
Yes, a football party is one of the most natural potlucks there is. Say it on the card ("Bring a snack to share") and cover the basics yourself: the main dish, drinks, plates and napkins. A chili cook-off turns the potluck into a game.
Welcome both sides on the invitation ("Both teams' fans welcome") and keep the teasing friendly. Some hosts seat each side on its own couch; a house-divided party makes the rivalry the theme.
A 10-by-10 grid: guests write their names in squares, then numbers 0 to 9 are drawn for each team's row and column. At the end of each quarter, the square matching the last digit of each team's score wins.
At a home party, play for bragging rights or small prizes, such as first pick of the dessert table or a homemade trophy. The squares designs here say "pick your squares" and leave the stakes to you.
Give them a job and a game of their own: rate the commercials on a ballot, run the halftime dessert table, or judge the chili. Say on the invitation that no football knowledge is needed; plenty of guests come for the food and the company.
If you're the one invited: what to bring, what to wear and how long to stay.
Whatever the card asks for. If it doesn't say, ask the host, or bring something easy to share that needs no oven: a dip with chips, a tray of cookies, or a drink to share. Bring it ready to serve.
Your team's jersey or colors if you have a team, and something comfortable if you don't. If the invitation says "wear your team colors", the host means it as fun, not a rule.
Not if you tell the host when you arrive. A Super Bowl party is a come-and-go gathering for many guests, especially families with school the next day. Thank the host on the way out.
Reply as soon as you know, thank the host and say you can't make it, then wish them a good game. You don't need to give a reason.
A watch party for coworkers, a congregation or a club needs a lighter touch: some guests won't care about football, and some will care too much.
Invite the whole team or a clearly defined group, not a handful of favorites, and make it easy to say no. A message in the team channel or a printed card in the break room works; say partners and kids are welcome if they are, and that everyone is welcome whether or not they follow the game.
If it's at your home, keep it an invitation, not an expectation, and invite your manager only if you'd invite them anyway.
Make it a potluck with a sign-up, set out tables as well as rows of chairs, and plan something for the children. Check with whoever manages the building about the screen and the room booking.
It's an easy, low-pressure way to join in: invite everyone to wear a jersey or team colors on the Friday before the game, and make it clearly optional. A rivalry between departments is part of the fun.
The football parties that aren't watch parties: a tailgate in the lot, a fantasy league's draft and the end-of-season banquet.
Be precise: the lot or section, a landmark and something that marks your spot (a tent color, a flag, a pennant). Put your phone number on the card so guests can text when they're close.
A chair, a side to share, their own drinks if the card says BYOB, and layers for the weather. Check the stadium's tailgating rules before you plan the menu; some lots limit grills, glass or time before kickoff.
Pick a date every league member can make, and send the invitation once it's fixed. Have Wi-Fi, outlets and chargers ready, a big screen or a draft board on the wall, and food that doesn't need a fork. Draw the draft order at the door or decide it beforehand, and say which on the card.
Players and their families, the coaches, and usually the booster club and anyone who helped through the season. Send the invitation home with players and by email to parents three to four weeks ahead, with the RSVP date and how many guests each player may bring.
