The best football parties start with a great host! Whether you’re throwing a super football party, fantasy football party, or game watching party, or looking for game day graze boards or best food for football party, need football party bag ideas, or want fun football party games for adults, there’s something on this list for a super party!
Best Football Parties Ideas
Football parties are fun party themes for everyone (even if you hate watching football, you can still make it fun!). From bowls, birthdays, and banquets, to start of season to kick it off (aka: kick off party ideas) and end of season football party ideas, these are great ideas for a themed party gathering!
How do you throw a football party?
- Send out fun football jersey party invites in favorite team colors.
- Make sure you have sturdy football party plates and napkins because food is a big part of football parties!
- Give out really good football party loot bags. (See our suggestions below!)
- Plan football party games indoors and outdoor football games (if weather allows).
- Create a fun football party playlist to play before the game starts or in the rooms where people aren’t watching the game.
- Don’t want to have the party at home? Search indoor football party venues near me or football party locations [your town] and take your party elsewhere! You still get to have fun, but someone else gets to clean up the party mess!
KEEP SCROLLING for more party football ideas like football party meal ideas, including appetizers for football party and football party dessert ideas! Tons of fun football party theme ideas and football party supplies below!
What do you do at a football party?
- Watch the game (and cheer for a sports team!)
- Listen to the game online or on the radio
- Eat football themed foods – serve a variety of snacks and refreshments, such as chips, dip, and beer for a tailgating-style party
- Play football theme games (and other fun party games like this)
- Play flag football or touch football outside
- Have fun half-time competitions and minute to win it games for prizes
- Play half-time football trivia
- Wear football jerseys to show team spirit
- Hang out with friends and have fun!
What do you call a football party?
Fun Football Themed Party Names:
- Game Day Gathering
- Touchdown Tailgate
- Field Goal Fiesta
- Penalties and Prizes
- End Zone Excitement Party
- Hail Mary Hoe Down
- Super Bowl Shindig
- Pigskin Palooza
- Blitz Bash
THIS IS A FUN THEME TO GO ALONG WITH THIS PARTY: ANYTHING BUT CUPS PARTY (Creative Things To Drink Out Of)
Fantastic Football Party Ideas
These foot ball party ideas are great for football theme nights, draft party ideas, superbowl parties, or anytime you need fun football party ideas for adults and kids!
Football Party Decorations
Football party decorations really set the mood for this party theme.
(And, there are tons of budget-friendly football decorations for party if you’re throwing a football party on a budget!)
These are even fun ideas for football birthday decorations!
Football Party Decorations DIY Ideas:
- Use streamers and balloons in team colors for cheap party decorations.
- Welcome party goers with fun football banners like this.
- Use real footballs for football centerpieces ideas (or use these cute football centerpiece popups).
- Put food in fun football helmet bowls.
- Place bottled waters, beer, and other drinks in an inflatable goal post cooler.
- Hang a fun Football photo backdrop (with football party photo props like these and football photograph frames for Snaps, TikToks, and Instas! (Don’t forget to give your party a fun party hashtag so the entire group can see all the party pics on social media.)
PARTY PRO TIP: Want to save money and throw a party on a budget? Let those football plates and napkins go and use your own dishes or cheaper paper plates and napkins. Those themed plates and football napkins can sometimes cost double the regular plates! Same goes for printed balloons. Plain balloons in the team colors are cheaper and look just as good!
Food For Football Party
Food and snacks for football party are super important — from bowls of finger foods, football party hors d’oeuvres, and charcuterie boards to dips, here are some great ideas for party foods and quick football party food!
Football party main dishes can be super simple — pizza, wings, chili, or even a nacho bar / taco bar with different toppings.
Make a football party spread, including these fun snacks for football party…
Football Party Menu Ideas Easy To Make:
- Football party sandwiches shaped like footballs (PARTY PRO TIP: Use football cookie cutters to cut mini sandwiches.)
- Wings with a variety of wing sauces
- Football party charcuterie board
- Easy football party queso recipe
- Football deviled eggs (regular deviled eggs with football laces made on top)
- Football party punch in the colors of your team (or you could layer drinks like this in your favorite team colors — great for football party cocktails!)
- Football party meatballs
- Hot dogs and toppings
- Seven-Layer Taco Dip
- Football Krispies
- Nacho bar or taco bar
- Popcorn bar with different toppings and popcorn seasonings (these popcorn boxes are cute for this!)
If you’re throwing a budget party, it’s also OK to tell everyone that you’re doing pitch-in order out pizza. That let’s everyone know to bring a little cash to help pay for the pizza.
Many people will ask what they can bring to a football party, so just tell them instead of bringing a dish to just chip in for the pizza.
Football Party Favors
What you put in your football party goodie bags will depend on the ages at the party, so we’ve given you a range of ideas so you can pick and choose.
Football party bag ideas:
- Football shaped chocolates
- Mini footballs
- Mini bulk football helmets
- Football suckers
- Foam fingers
- Mini throw footballs
- Referee whistles
- Penalty flags
- Football black eye stickers (if you want dye black ideas for football)
- Football wrist bands
- Football squish balls
You can also grab a DIY football favor party set like this that has all the favors for a football party included.
Games for Football Parties
A rookie mistake for this party theme is to NOT plan football party entertainment. Remember, not everyone coming to your party will be interested in watching the game the entire time.
Have different rooms or areas where party guests can do different things.
Football Party Games and Ideas For Things To Do At Football Parties:
- Assign everyone a party football player and keep points for your individual player to win prizes.
- Have a football crafts table for kids and adults. (Put things like how to make a paper football
- Play football bingo.
- Get lots of laughs with football hat ring toss.
- Play pin the football on the field. (Even adults will get competitive with this party game!)
- In another room, play football movies like Remember the Titans, The Blind Side, Draft Day, The Longest Yard or any other best football movies for people who want to take a break from watching the game (or don’t want to watch the game).
- Play football toss.
- Have fun with a giant inflatable football.
- Play the football pool game (football squares).
- Set up a football throw.
- Play football sling puck table top game.
READ THIS NEXT: More Sport Party Ideas and Sports Themed Birthday Party Activities
About Football Parties
If you’ve never been, you might be wondering what all the fuss is around football and party!
What is a football party?
A football party is a gathering of friends and family to celebrate a football game or event. It usually involves food, drinks, decorations, activities, and watching the game together. Football parties can be held at home or in public locations such as bars or restaurants or kid-friendly venues. No matter where it’s held, the purpose remains the same: to have a good time, do football themed activities, and most often enjoy watching the game with friends.
What is football tailgate party?
A football tailgate party is a pre-game celebration that usually takes place in the parking lot or other area outside of a stadium, before the start of a football game. Fans gather at tailgates of cars to celebrate the game, make and eat food, drink drinks, play music, and do other activities to help fans get into the spirit of the game.
The purpose of these gatherings is to build camaraderie among the fans and show support for their favorite team.
While tailgates usually take place in the parking lot, it can also be held inside a bar close to the stadium. Sometimes people even have tailgate parties at home.
No matter where it takes place, a football tailgate party is sure to add an extra element of fun to your game day experience.
What To Wear Football Party
Football parties are generally casual events. Most people wear jeans and their favorite football party jersey or tshirts or cute casual outfits. Some people really get into it with football face paint and over-the-top football outfits.
As always, when in doubt ask the party host what is appropriate.
What To Take To Football Party
What you bring to a football party is up to the host of the party, so check in with them. It may be a pitch-in party where you bring a food item like an easy football party casserole to share or they may tell you that you don’t need to bring anything!
