It’s Tailgate Time! Football Party Ideas | Andrew’s 11th Birthday

August 15, 2015

Are you ready for some Football? It’s just about that time of year! Kick off football season with a tailgate party, fun at any age!

This year Andrew chose to have a football party for his 11th Birthday. He invited friends to all wear their favorite team (can you tell we are in Chicago?!) and the boys played a little Madden in the Game truck and some nerf football in the front yard.

Here are a couple of my tips for throwing together a football party and adding that extra bit of attention to detail:

1. Astroturf. Inexpensive at home improvement stores. Use it to cover your table or your tailgate.

2) Printables. Pennant flags go a long way in a tailgate set up. Go Team!

3) Engineer Prints. Large chalkboard Backdrops and menu boards are very inexpensive when you print them as engineer prints.

4) Tissue paper. Easy to make poms poms on sticks and use as garland. Cheer on your team! We used basic football brown and turf green, but you can personalize the colors of your party to your favorite team too.

5) Wrapped food. Make it easy to grab and go with wrapped and labeled hot dogs and subs. Plastic cups with lids make great popcorn and other sideline snack containers.

We had a true tailgate party, setting up the food on my husband’s tailgate. Andrew requested his favorites….chili with all ) the fixins, hot dogs, Chili Cheese dogs, Chicago mix {cheese and carmel} popcorn, ham & cheese hoagies and salami subs.

Powerade and Root Beer Bottles were the tailgate drinks of choice. The porch had a drink station and desserts too.

Found these inexpensive drink koozies at oriental trading company.

Desserts included the best brownie cake pops and sugar cookies made by my sister, Double chocolate football cupcakes, Chocolate taffy, rootbeer candies and more.