Tailgate Party Ideas and Tips

What is Tailgating?

Tailgating is a game day party set up around a car or truck with an open back. They’re typically set up in parking lots or fields surrounding the stadium while you’re cheering on college teams or pro sports.

I’ve been tailgating since college, and continued into adulthood for football games, concerts, horse races & steeplechases, Nascar races, and festivals.

A tailgate party combines the best of camping and a potluck party as people can bring their own drinks and food to share, or you can grill on site.

If your vehicle doesn’t have a tailgate just set up tables outside the vehicle, and put up a party tent to help define the space and get out of the sun.

What to Serve

I’m sharing some recipes below but here are the main things to keep in mind.

• Popular tailgate food includes picnic and grilling staples such as bratwurst, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, fried chicken and bbq. You can also serve your favorite summer side dishes like coleslaw or potato salad.
• Tailgating typically involves the consumption of beer, large batches of punch, or soft drinks.
• Snacks include potato chips, dips, tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole among others.
• If you have an adapter for your vehicle you can actually plug in a slow cooker to keep food warm. Chili is great for this and I’ve got a fun way to serve it below.
• My main philosophy is to keep things simple, that’s why I personally like to take food that’s already cooked through and just needs warming. For instance kielbasa, smoked sausage, and hot dogs.

Whatever you decide to serve, make sure it’s easy to eat while standing or sitting with a plate on your lap.

Grilling Tips

It may be fun barbecuing and grilling food with fellow fans but when it comes to tailgating you MUST be prepared. Follow these safety tips.

If you’re grilling burgers, have the patties already formed and ready to place on the grill.

Chicken or kabobs should be seasoned or marinated and ready to add.

Never reuse utensils used for raw meat on cooked or ready-to-eat food. That goes for plates and dishes too.

Grilling Recipes

Here are some great grilling recipes. You can also consider a hot dog roast with hot dogs, bratwurst or smoked sausage.

• Juicy burgers. Prepare and shape the patties at home so all you have to do it place them on the grill.
• Teriyaki chicken skewers. Skewers are easy to place on the grill because the end of the stick acts as a handle you can pick up.
• Jerk chicken skewers. Prepare skewers before you leave so all you have to do is place them on the grill.
• Grilled honey chicken wings. Chicken wings and football go hand in hand, and this tasty recipe hits the spot. Grill them on site or make ahead and bring them ready to eat.
• Bacon wrapped chicken bites. Prepare the bites at home. Place them on the grill using long tongs. Do not touch anything else with the utensils that touch raw meat.

Hang a DIY pennant banner on the back of the car or truck to help establish the party atmosphere.

How to Pack a Cooler

• Start with a clean cooler and chilled food and drinks.
• Have a separate cooler for drinks and add a layer of cans or bottles on the bottom. Top with ice and let it fall in between the crevices to chill everything.
• Use a separate cooler for raw meat if possible. Otherwise make sure it is wrapped completely or packed in storage containers so no juices can run out, and put them on a layer of ice at the bottom of the cooler.
• Next, use water tight storage containers to pack other foods like cooked meats, cold cuts or side salads.
• Use a separate cooler for warm and hot storage.
• Pack your food in a ready-to-serve state as much as possible to avoid unnecessary needs for tools like can opener or storage container. This includes condiments!
• Use chilling packs, ice, or frozen bottles of water to help keep things cold. As the bottled water melts, you can drink it!

Easy Make Ahead Recipes

If you’re like me and you don’t want to worry about cooking on site or handling raw meat, take along an easy-travel tailgate menu with some of these items that don’t have to be served while they’re hot or cold.

• Delicious deviled eggs with bacon
• Sausage balls
• Bean & corn salsa dip served with tortilla chips or scoops
• Pimento cheese spread
• Hummus with vegetables, crackers and pretzels
• Doritos corn dip
• Roast beef party sandwiches
• Pesto pasta salad
• Asian noodle salad with peanut sauce

Keep Hot Food Hot

Use a smaller cooler like a heating drawer. Wrap hot sandwiches and other food while they’re still warm, in aluminum foil. Put them in an insulated cooler with other hot items, a heating pad or hot water bottles.

Newspaper (if you can find it) can act as an insulator too.

Warm Food Recipes

• Try any of my favorite bacon appetizers for those early morning games.
• If you love the nostalgia of corn dogs but don’t like the idea of frying them, try these easy baked corn dogs instead.
• It doesn’t get much better than mini party sandwiches with brown sugar glaze. They’re another good recipe for early games. That sweet crust is addictive!
• Classic baked ham and swiss mini sandwiches are seasoned with melted poppy seed butter, and oh so good!

Buffet Set Up

Pack your car or truck efficiently when you’re heading out for tailgating. Make storage bins, baskets, crates, and wood boxes do double duty. They can hold items during the drive and then be used as levels and hard surfaces to place food on when you’re setting up.

Use an Easy-Up tent to help define the tailgating party and to shade you from the sun.

Show your team spirit with themed decorations. Use your team’s colors in table coverings, blankets and throws, pompoms, and other décor.

In leu of a traditional table cloth or runner, place turf grass or kraft paper as a base for the food and drinks.

Rustic items like wood crates and baskets can double as storage while transporting to the event, and then be used in the food display.

Galvanized tiered servers, trays and wood serving boards are also a great way to display food.

Fill a basket with cheering paraphernalia like poms, megaphones and pennants. You can use them during the game and as photo props for the “gram.”

Provide snacks that are easy to grab and nibble on. Take a canister of popcorn or sweet & salty Chex mix.

Take mini bags of chips for individual portions.

A color coordinated punch, either adult versions or kid-friendly, becomes a centerpiece when you serve it from a dispenser.

Here’s a fun idea. Place buckets of beer on ice around the tailgating spot so people can grab one easily without opening a cooler over and over.

Serve chili in clean up-cycled cans. They are great vessels and can be thrown away for easy clean up. I wrapped these cans of chili with chicken and sausage with corrugated paper similar to coffee cup wraps, to keep your hands from getting hot. TIP: Add a couple of glue dots to keep the band in place, or make sure you tie it on very snug so your can doesn’t slip out (party foul!).

Serve a variety of small deli sandwiches that are wrapped in color coordinated paper and twine.

PARTY TIP: Upcycle an empty laundry detergent container – the kind that holds liquid detergent and has a dispenser spigot at the bottom. Clean it out and fill it with water that you can use as a hand washing station.

See this genius idea here.

What to Drink

As I mentioned earlier, consuming alcoholic beverages is a big part of any tailgate party. A variety of 6-packs of beer on ice is as classic as it gets, but you could step it up a notch and get a keg or pony keg for the day! It’s the ultimate way to be a social butterfly.

PARTY TIP: Get a keg of beer for your outing. It’s a great way to encourage the social aspect of tailgating and meet new people.

Large Batch Punch Recipes

Here are some more large batch punch recipes you can make ahead and serve from a large thermos or drink dispenser.

• Beer margarita. This may be my personal favorite for a tailgate. A large batch of beer margaritas combines beer and tequila and is simple to make. You won’t believe how refreshing it is!
• Sangria. Whether you like red wine or white wine, there’s a sangria recipe for you. These are great because you can double a recipe to feed a crowd. Try this fall apple sangria or this delicious spiced rum sangria. For a lighter touch, add white wine peach sangria.
• Flavored lemonade. Keep in mind that not everyone wants to drink adult beverages all day. Plus, someone has to drive home! Serve up a batch of flavored lemonade made the easy way, in flavors like autumn spiced, strawberry, or pomegranate peach lemonade.

PARTY TIP: Did you forget to chill your beverages beforehand? Fill a cooler with ice and add plenty of water. Sprinkle in some rock salt (or regular) to help lower the temperature and keep it cold. Now submerge the drinks and let them chill for at least 10 minutes. Help the process along by stirring the cans or bottles around in the icy water.

RELATED: What to wear to a tailgate party and still look chic.

Dessert Recipes That Travel

Even though the day is largely about savory snacks and adult beverages, don’t skip the dessert! You want no-fuss treats that travel well and that you can eat with one hand.

Things like brownies, bars and cookies are perfect for tailgating and you can make them ahead. Try these yummy recipes.

• Chocolate marshmallow nut bars
• Best glazed lemon bars
• Peanut butter double chip cookies
• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars
• Shortbread cookies – you can decorate them to look like footballs.

What to Do at a Tailgate Party

If you’re tailgating in a field or in a parking lot, it’s fun to have activities to do. Some classic favorites are cornhole, bocce ball, ladder ball, and football for tossing.

• Cornhole
• Toss the football
• Frisbee
• Beer Pong
• Flip Cup
• Card games or Poker
• Giant Jenga
• Giant Connect 4