Hosting a Great Game Day Party
Sports! We love them, all of them, but none brings people together as much as football.
In 2021, the NFL regular season averaged 17.1 million viewers. Fifty percent of the entire U.S. population considers themselves avid or casual fans of college football.
Because it’s a sport almost anyone can get behind, whether we’re talking about professional teams or collegiate ones, nothing celebrates your favorite team more than a game day party.
Whether tailgating on site or gathering with friends around the big screen, hosting a great game day party means building the right menu. It’s also a perfect opportunity to make some sustainable choices. Here’s how you can accomplish both.
The menu
A perfect game day party combines the right food and drinks to allow guests the ability to eat throughout the entire game. With so much action following kickoff, it’s harder for people to sit down and eat a proper meal. That’s why the right mix of finger foods and appetizers always wins the day.
Drinks
It’s best to provide a combination of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Consider a variety of beer, soda, juice, and water.
Make sure to only purchase beverages in recyclable containers and set out a special (and obvious) trash can just for empties. A good tip for a solid game day party is to avoid unnecessary waste, and being able to recycle as much as possible makes a big difference.
Ask guests to drink out of the original container their drinks came in (so no extra cups) and provide paper straws for anyone who wants one. These will biodegrade even as trash and avoid creating plastic waste.
Food
It’s all about the apps when you’re creating a game day menu. Start with items that taste fine at room temperature. Chips, pretzels, and even snack mix can sit out for the entire game. Take advantage of a dollar store for big serving bowls you can reuse again and again the entire season, and buy your snacks in bulk to decrease packaging waste.
Bringing out hot snacks throughout the game will also be well received by guests. Pick a few that are easy to make in large quantities. Create your own cookie sheet of nachos or bake up some frozen pizzas. You can even make your own casserole or two to bring some fresh ingredients into the mix.
Serve everything on compostable plates. Even if the food isn’t the best for you, the waste will be kinder to the environment.
The decor
You may want to really create a vibe at your party that screams team spirit. And, while that may involve decorating in those matching team colors, paper decorations generate a lot of waste. They’re often used just once too, leaving you with a huge trash bag full of material going straight into a landfill.
To avoid this, but still keep things festive, hit up your local thrift store. Look for team gear or items that are properly color-coded and put them on display instead. You’re buying used and reusing. It’s perfect.
When all else fails, buy a few footballs, paint them the right colors and bring them out as your key decor pieces every time you host a game day party.
The lighting
This may not be something you’re thinking about for your party, but when you’ve got a house full of people, there’s a good chance every light in every room is on. People are moving around, and guests are less likely to flip off a switch than those who actually live in the house.
If you’re a stickler for saving electricity on a regular day, game day shouldn’t be any different. Once everyone settles in to watch the game, make sure you’ve turned off any unnecessary lighting. Definitely check the guest bathroom to keep those lights off, and consider decreasing the lighting you’re using in the TV room. That screen is most likely bright enough.
Going to a game day party?
When you’re a guest and not the host of a game day party, it’s still possible to carry your best practices with you. Offer to bring a dish, in a reusable container, to prevent waste. You can also offer to bring over your reusable decor.
If you know other people who are attending, try and coordinate a carpool. This can also help establish designated drivers to keep everyone safe.
On your way to the party, make sure you fill-up the car at Twice Daily. Through the Twice Daily Thrive program, every gallon of gas you purchase enables Twice Daily to make investments in certified carbon reduction projects, offsetting a portion of the carbon dioxide released by your vehicle.
While you’re at the gas station, you can also swing into Twice Daily’s beer cave and grab a six-pack of recyclable cans to share with friends at the party, or an assortment of baked goods to tempt everyone’s sweet tooth. It is, after all, a day to celebrate (hopefully) your team’s victory. What better way to do it?