7 Things You Need to Host the Best Tailgating Party

Fall is here, which means the football and tailgating seasons have arrived. Tailgating is a huge part of football culture, and it’s a great way to spend time with family and friends. However, throwing a top-notch tailgating party is important. It may seem pretty easy to just grab some food and chairs, but there is much more that you can do to take your tailgating party from pretty good to the best tailgate you have ever attended! Here are seven things you need to host the very best tailgating party.

You can’t tailgate without the cold drinks. No matter the weather, most people love having a cold soda or beer to chase down their snacks. Most people’s drinks are either not cold at all or they’re semi-cold from the drive over in a cooler. Speaking of coolers, you might be tempted to bring your big obnoxious cooler that you took fishing last week. This is fine, but there is a much better option. 

A Keter Cool Bar is both a cooler and a sleek pop-up bar table. It’s also super easy to clean, weather-resistant and looks amazing while doing it. No one wants hot drinks that they have to place on the ground every time they need to use their hands. That’s why having a cooler/pop-up bar table is so helpful. It will keep your drinks ice cold and give people a place to set their drinks down.

While most guests should bring their own folding chairs, it’s always good to have a few extras on hand. So, bring along a few of your favorite folding chairs for guests who may forget. While guests may be able to use their lap as a table of sorts, your dinner will be much better if you bring a few folding tables. It’ll make the experience much more comfortable and less messy. After all, when was the last time you tailgated and someone didn’t accidentally drop their drink or plate on the ground? The tables will be a game-changer!

No matter what, you are planning to be there tailgating, rain or shine, right? It may sound great in theory, but the elements can take a tailgate from amazing to “it’s time to go home” with just a slight change of the weather. So, be prepared with at least one pop-up canopy. The canopies come in many sizes and colors. Some teams even sell pop-up canopies in their colors and with their logo. So, you can also look like their number one fan while being semi-protected from the elements. These canopies can keep the sun off as well as rain or even snow. You also might want to consider getting one with “walls” or hanging tarps along the sides if it gets super wet or snowy.

What’s a tailgate without the barbecue? You need to make sure you bring along a grill to cook up your famous ribs or hot dogs. However, since you will be outside, you might be a little low on prep space. That’s where a Unity XL Kitchen Cart and the Patio Cooler Cart can come in handy. It will give you extra room to prep and serve your food. It also includes a built-in bottle opener as well as a spot for paper towels. It’s easy to clean, and it even has wheels so you can pack it up and put it away when you need to head home.

While most of the tailgating might be centered around the food, consider bringing a few games along. Corn Hole, Ladder Toss and KanJam are a few favorites. If you want to do something on a smaller scale and you bring a table, you can also play card games or Jenga to pass the time. While you’re getting hyped for the game, there’s nothing worse than finishing your food and then not knowing what to do until the game starts. So, having a few games can break the ice and keep people occupied longer.

This might seem like a silly one, but hear us out. Tailgating season can have very volatile weather. It might be 95 degrees the week before and then next game it’s 55 and raining. Having a few blankets on hand might keep your guests more comfortable. It can’t hurt to bring 1-2 team-branded blankets along in case a friend forgets a jacket or is extra cold. They’ll be able to enjoy your tailgate and the game so much more comfortably.

If we’re being totally honest, tailgating can be made or broken by the food. As we talked about above, you’ll want to have your grill and prep space with you to barbecue. While burgers and hot dogs are fine, you can also opt to go a bit fancier. Ribs, kabobs, steaks, etc. are all things you can make on the grill, too, that will be a huge hit.

As far as snacks go, you don’t have to be super fancy to have people love them. Nachos, chips and dip, and well as comfort foods like macaroni and cheese will all be fan favorites! Don’t forget to bring along plates, napkins and utensils if you’ll be tailgating at the stadium. 

It can be nearly impossible to exit the parking lot once you’re tailgating. So, it’s important to make a list of whatever items you decide to bring. Then triple-check the list while you’re packing so you’re not missing anything critical. With your list and these items, you’ll be on your way to having the best tailgating party. 

When all is said and done, make sure you have a place to store all of your tailgating goodies. A Keter storage shed is the perfect place. This way, you’ll always know where everything is, and you won’t be cluttering up your garage.