I can’t tell you how much fun it’s been to live in the Kansas City area the past two years. There’s just something incredible about going out on Fridays during football season and seeing half the people around you wearing red for red Friday. And the team, the team is just so fun to root for. I’ve never been a huge football person, but I am a Chiefs person. I’ve (okay maybe Mahomes and Andy Reid and the rest of the players…) even converted my Dallas born husband into a Chiefs fan and that’s saying something.
Game Day Party Tips
While I know this year is a little different than normal with everything going on, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still have a small or family only game day party with the perfect game day spread! I mean that’s half the fun of watching right? And I’ve got all sorts of tips for your celebrations this year! If you’re looking for just the football printables, scroll down to the bottom to find what you’re looking for!
1 – Don’t make it all
Football games can last forever and you don’t want to run out of food. Make it easy on yourself by enlisting help – ask people to bring something to share and get at least some of the food catered. I ordered most of my food from Hy-Vee catering and then just made a few of my favorites like buffalo chicken dip, homemade Chex mix, and white chicken chili.
2 – Create height and volume
I know game day is typically all about the food, but I really wanted to make a big statement with my party table. I went all out with large pieces to really fill the table. Chiefs balloons from Hy-Vee (and that awesome metal tin), a big drink bucket (get the DIY instructions here), goal posts, and then a duffle bag with football gear. Since football parties typically include lots of appetizers and food that’s best laid flat (wings, pretzel bites, etc.) – adding large non-edible items gives you the height and volume you want while still being able to place flat trays of food!
3 – Start with Desserts & Drinks
I’m not talking about starting your meal with dessert first, although I do really like to do that! I’m talking about adding desserts and drinks to your table first. I typically use cake stands to add height and keep the desserts out of the reach of the littlest hands. Plus, they just stack better. Since Hy-Vee has such a large selection, I decided to go with just Chiefs desserts. It was hard to choose out of all the options, but these sugar cookie sandwiches were my personal favorite! For drinks, I typically like to give options. Always water. Typically some sort of carbonated drink like soda. And some other non-carbonated juice option that’s more for the kids. I went with a sports drink, red soda, waters, and some fruit punch in the pitcher – mostly because I wanted to show off my cute straw flags but also because well it’s red!
5 – Add Room Temp Snacks
After I have all my desserts and drinks out, I like to add any appetizers and snacks that will still be good once they’ve cooled off to room temperature. For our party, this meant spinach artichoke dip with chips, pretzel bites with cheese, and meatballs!
6 – Save hot foods for last
Anything that needs cooked and is better warm, heat it up and plate last minute so people can enjoy it as warm as possible.
7 – Incorporate Team Colors
If you’re a fan of the teams playing, you can either do a full party table using their colors. Or dial it back a bit like I did and go generic football look with team colors incorporated. We’re obviously rooting for the Chiefs and luckily Hy-Vee has a TON of Chiefs specific items right now going into the big game next week. I picked up some balloons, a bucket, Chiefs’ popcorn, cookies, cupcakes, and more! Plus, I just had to grab a Patrick Mahomes Bobblehead, it seemed appropriate to put him in the center of the table. And don’t worry, Andy Reid made it onto our table as well. I saw this cookie in the Hy-Vee bakery and knew I had to have it. It may just be the cutest cookie I’ve ever seen, maybe too cute to eat!
Football Printables
I’m a sucker for a good set of printables. If you just add a few here and there to tie your entire table together, they’re the perfect way to finish a table. I included a few cupcake toppers, food labels from this set of Chiefs game day printables, a banner behind my table, and bottle labels. And I’ve created a set of simple football printables just for you – download them at the bottom of this post! They’re all football themed with things like a football field, football texture, playbook, and more! Nothing super over the top, just a few items to make your table look more impressive and polished!
Download the Football Printables
As promised, I create a set of generic football printables for you to use for game day parties all year long! Just click the button below to get the printables! The file will include:
2 Banners – one with no words and one with GAME DAY! letters2″ cupcake/treat toppers1″ cupcake/treat toppersCircle favor tags Straw flagsWater (or other drink) labels Food cards
Note: This post was originally sponsored by Hy-Vee and has since been updated.
