Updated on: Sep 01, 2024
Let's be honest, theme parties are great. Tailgating is one of the best parts of the game day. A good tailgate party is essential if you’re gearing up for a big game or birthday tailgate-themed party. Whether you’re tailgating at the stadium or staying at home, we have some great ideas that are sure to make your next tailgate better than the last.
Tailgate Party Decorations
1. Pennants Banners and Flags
Pennant banners are typically seen at sporting events and are great for sprucing up your sports den. Whether you are tailgating for college or the NFL, Pennants can be used as decorations for various areas of your venue according to the kind of party theme that you're going for. Hang pennants on railings, tables, or around your house! Another great way to show off your team pride is to get flags. This is a great example of flags people could use for their tailgates!
2. Balloons
Balloons can add even more team spirit to your party. They come in every color imaginable and theme, it won't be hard to find your team colors. Use balloon weights as décor for the table where food is served and tie balloons to the chairs, cars, and railings. Balloons are the perfect go-to if you’re looking for a quick decor option and area default decoration for a tailgate birthday party.
3. Seasonal Decor
Since one of the big tailgating sports, football, coincides will the fall, place a few pumpkins and leaves around your tailgate table to augment your food display. You can even turn your decorations into a fun activity where guests can paint the pumpkins the team's colors.
4. Photo Backdrop
Tailgates are experiences you want to remember forever. You can't forget to take amazing photos while you are there, so you will always have the memories. You need something to kick your picture up a notch though, a sports-themed backdrop for any tailgate would be perfect for your pictures. Disposable cameras are also an amazing, vintage idea you can do and with the backdrop, they will be the best pictures ever.
5. Photo Props
Along with the amazing photos you need at the tailgate with your great backdrop, photo props take your pictures to a whole new level. The props will add great humor in the moment for your photos and will always give a good laugh when you are looking back at the picture.
Tailgate Party Favors
6. Themed Goodie Bags
Every good tailgate needs goodie bags, especially with kids there. The kids need something to put all their extra candy, bracelets, and other favors in. Don't worry the adults can use them too! It is an easy way to store leftovers and carry them around the stadium.
7. Football Bracelets
Football bracelets are a great item to give to the people you are with at a football tailgate. It is a memory of the game and the day itself. Football bracelets are a great item that a lot of people will get a lot of use out of and wear all the time. People also love representing the sport they love or their team, so they will wear whatever they can that represents that.
8. Sweets for the Adults and Kids
While tailgating, people love amazing food, but people also have a sweet tooth while tailgating and want something sweet while waiting for the exciting game. Candies are great for traveling with and for a quick treat. If you also have kids at the tailgate with you, they love the sweets more than the food and they can bring home any extra sweets that are leftover.
9. Sports Themed Bubbles
This example of sports-themed bubbles is a great favor for the kids. It can keep them occupied at the tailgate and can also be fun for the adults. This favor can work for all ages and you can customize them for any sport.
10. Mini Foam Sport Balls
These are a great small favor to have at a tailgate. These are small foam sport balls that people can play with at the tailgate and also help keep the kids busy and occupied and you can get them in all different colors, sports themes, and more.
Tailgate Party Food
When tailgating, You want to make sure you have all the right supplies to make your food look and taste amazing! Below we’ll give you some of the top tailgating food supplies and ideas that are easy to prepare.
11. Cupcake Toppers
Tailgating means having all kinds of different foods and treats. It is so much more fun to make your tailgate food and treats look good by adding cupcake toppers. Toppers are decoration and appeal to a normal cupcake and you can fit it to any theme your tailgate is for.
12. Cookie Cutters
Along with those yummy mini candies, yummy cookies are an amazing tailgate food for both kids and adults. What makes them even better is the cookie being shaped to relate to the sport you are watching. Cookie cutters are the best way to get the best-shaped cookie that you want.
13. Food Covers
When you have food while tailgating you don't want them getting all gross, especially if you are outside. Food covers are amazing for when food is out and people are grabbing as they please.; the food will always be covered and they come in all different colors.
14. Condiment Container
A condiment container is not something everyone would think they need at a tailgate. This is super important because you are able to easily travel with all your needed cocktail garnishes, all right in the container. Also, if you are not using it for garnishes, it is great for small-sized picky foods.
15. Coolers
Coolers are an essential part of tailgating. If you are having any kind of food or drinks at a tailgate, especially during the hot seasons, you are going to need to keep things cool. For this kind of event, an inflatable cooler would work fine.
Tailgate Party Games and Actvities
16. Drinking Games
Drinking games are a fun way to get into the spirit of the game during a tailgate. There are countless drinking games adults can play at your party. To make sure you have all that you need to play, be sure to bring a long table, like the white plastic ones, for beer pong. Also, bring a deck of cards for those who want to participate in card games. Whether you are a tailgating pro or just starting, drinking games are a great idea for tailgating parties when kept under control.
17. Cornhole
You can't have a successful tailgate without a few cornhole matches. This game works especially well if you're in a wide-open parking lot. Pair up your guests to have a cornhole tournament or have a little friendly competition with tailgaters supporting the other team.
18. Kan Jam
Another way to have a successful tailgate is to have one of the best games there is Kan Jam. It is a great, competitive game that is great for tailgate right before a competitive game.
19. Face Painting
Now that we have covered the more adult games, let's talk about how to involve your little ones! Face painting is an excellent way for children at tailgates to have a lot of fun while feeling involved in the action! Have some face paint available for guests who want to get their faces painted before the game. It is an amazing way to show off that team spirit. You can hire a professional face painter for your event or purchase stencils. Be sure to have a template of the team logo, so you know how to paint it.
20. Temporary Tattoos
Having any kind of temporary tattoos at a tailgate event is so much fun for the little kids. They will feel involved and become excited once they see all the different tattoos they get to choose from. This is a great way to help the kids stay occupied while all the adults are occupied with their games.
Tailgate Party Supplies
21. Cups, Plates, and Utensils
When it comes to the tableware for your party, the easiest option is to use plastic cups and cutlery. you can use great sport-themed plates that go great with your tailgating. You could use the iconic Red Solo Cup or get decorative and use cups that are your team colors! For eating utensils, it is best to use utensils that are easy to dispose of.
Sports Plate, these come in all different varieties
22. Paper Towel
Paper towels are a must-have at tailgating events. You can easily get messy at tailgates with all the eating and drinking going on. Even with the kids running around with paint and drinks, you never know what can happen. It is a great idea to have some paper towels on hand to clean up both big and small messes.
23. Tents
Tents are not needed to have a great party, but they are useful! Not only does it look awesome, but it protects you and your buddies from the weather if it's cold or rainy. Tents come in many varieties. There are tents that are open on all sides or tents that have a screen. Whatever one you choose, it will be perfect for many tailgates to come.
24 . TableCloths
A way to keep your table looking nice but also trying to keep it neat and festive is to get a tablecloth. You can get any kind of table cloth that represents what kind of sport you are tailgating for. This will also help you have an easy clean-up at the end of the tailgate.
25. Stereo, Speakers, and Music
Music can transform any normal event into an energetic one. Tailgating is no exception, so you’ll want to include a stereo, loudspeakers, and good music. A stereo has multiple functions besides just playing music. Most stereos have a radio function so you can listen to the game while enjoying time with friends.
Tailgate Invitations
26. Football Invitations
One of the most tailgated events is football. It is huge for both college and the NFL, so one of the best invitations for a tailgate party would definitely be to have it football-themed.
27. Personalized invitations
Choose a personalized invitation that you would like that correlates with your tailgate theme colors or team. It is a great way to get people intrigued and excited about the tailgate.
28. Coozie Invitations
Since the adults are typically drinking at tailgates and great invite would be a personalized coozie invite with the date and time of the tailgate. They can bring the coozie with them to the game to put over the ice-cold drink.
29. Personalized Cup Invitations
Along with the coozies, since there is usually drinking that goes on at tailgates, it would be a great idea to send people the invite on a customized cup with the tailgate information on it. There are so many different sizes and designs you can choose from. You can even get them for the kids too. It is a great way to get people excited and ready to drink. They can even bring the cup to the tailgate so it can get some use.
30. Ticket Invitations
Now since we figured out some way to give adults invitations, it is time for the kids. They also normally need a ticket to go to a sporting event, I think this idea would be great for the kids, you can send them a sport-themed ticket invitation. It fits in with the vibe of an event but also adds uniqueness to an invitation rather than getting a normal everyday invitation.
Tailgate Party: Conclusion
No matter where you host it, you have the elements to make an awesome pre-game tailgate party even if you are on a budget. All you really need are some fans, some friends, and good food! If you're looking for gift ideas to incorporate into your tailgate party, you can try visiting some of our gift idea pages that are tailored to specific celebrations. I hope this has inspired some excellent tailgating for the sports season!
Written by Tammy Tu; Contributors: Chris Legere and Gianna Rutigliano