How to Host a Great Tailgating Party + Recipes

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Hosting a great tailgating party is a lot of fun.

Going to a big game often means hosting a gathering at the back of a SUV.

Making it look easy means careful planning.

Take the pressure off hosting a great tailgating party, especially if it’s your first time to do so, with our easy tips.

Collage of 7 dishes for tailgating. Text reads over 20 tailgating recipes.

Hosting a Great Tailgating Party

Of course you want your tailgate party to be fun, unforgettable, and the envy of all who walk by and see the champion spread you’ve laid out for your guests.

All you need to do to host a great game day party out of the back of your van or SUV, is to start with the proper plan.

Timing is Key to a Successful Tailgating

Timing your tailgating is the key to success.

Since the start time of your tailgate party is tied to kick off, you need to make sure you plan carefully, and get to your parking spot early enough to set up.

It’s best to work backwards from kick off.

Make a list of all the tasks involved, and the time you’ll need to accomplish them.

Be generous with time; things can take longer than you might think they should.

Remember to include often forgotten tasks, like pre-heating the grill and cleaning up.

Things to Bring for Successful Tailgating

A grill that is charcoal or gas can be used, or a propane hotplate.

Make sure to bring charcoal or extra fuel.

Do bring your grilling tools.

You might need a long handled fork, tongs, and spatula along with a brush for applying BBQ sauce.

Bring plastic cups (two or three per person), plates, knives and forks, serving spoons, and plenty of paper napkins. 

You can find disposable dishware that can be recycled of is biodegradeable.

You will need at least three coolers: one for meat, one for drinks and one for ice.

Don’t forget garbage bags and paper towels.

Bring fold up tables and nylon camping chairs.

Large bowls and platters for serving.

A couple gallon jugs of water for clean up.

Condiments.

Enough food and drink for everyone, plus a few extra.

Tips for Hosting Tailgating for the First Time

Make sure to have plenty of food.

Stick to a few basics for your first tailgate party, like hamburgers and hotdogs, steaks, or chicken and shrimp.

For cold days, think about a crock pot of chili and spiced cider to drink.

You never know who may drop by, so bring enough for new friends.

You can also share the load by asking some on your guest list to bring a favorite dish.

If your guests are arriving while you are still getting the food ready, give them a drink, put out some chips, and ask them to help.

To avoid any unpleasant surprises at the last minute, make sure to check out the stadium’s website for their tailgating rules.

Now you’re ready to put on your team’s colors and have a great day!

Easy Tailgating Recipes

If you are hosting for the first time, it’s important to keep it simple.

It’s important to remember that tailgating is about having a good time yourself as well as making sure your friends enjoy themselves.

So I recommend starting with serving recipes that are relatively simple to make.

It’s a good idea to give a new recipe a trial run at home too.

We’ve collected some great tailgating recipes that will help you save time.

Many of these come together easily on site, but some have elements that you can prepare ahead of time.

We’re all about keeping it simple.

Appetizers and sides for tailgating

3 Ingredient French Onion Dip

Firecracker Beef Meatballs

Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Southwestern Jalapeno Poppers

Gluten-free Tortilla Chips with Guacamole Bites

7 Layer Black Bean Dip

Caramelized Onion Dip

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip

Macaroni and Cheese Bacon Jalapeno Cupcakes

Baked Artichoke and Cilantro Pizza Dip

Instant Pot Baked Beans

Gochujang Glazed Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Loaded Baked Potato Footballs

Cajun Shrimp Cups

Roasted Artichoke and Mozzarella Salad

Air Fryer Shrimp Skewers

Homemade Sauerkraut

Cheesy Garlic Stuffed Meatballs

Spicy Pecans

Main dishes perfect for tailgating

Pork Belly Strips

Buffalo Chicken Bowtie Pasta

Barbecue Meatballs

Easy Pork and Beef Stovetop Chili

Easy Barbecue Grilled Shrimp

Slow Cooker Whiskey Beef Stew

Shrimp on the Barbie

Easy Grilled Hawaiian Steak Skewers

Quesadilla Burgers

Easy Meaty Chili in the Pressure Cooker

Open Faced Grilled Veggie Panini Sandwiches

Cuban Mojo Pork Tenderloin

Desserts that are easy for tailgating:

Caramel Popcorn Balls

Easy Football Brownies

Chocolate Brownies with Peppermint Frosting

Nutter Butter Football Player Cookies

Cookies and Cream Fudge

Pecan Pie Fudge

Easy Caramel Apple Dip

Cherry Crumb Bars

Apple Walnut Bundt Cake

Caramel Apple Cookies

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Drinks for a good time tailgating

Long Island Iced Tea Jello Shots

Apple Rosemary Whiskey Cocktail

Skinny Margaritas

Blackberry Pie Fireball Cocktail

Spicy Ginger Mule

Ginger Peach Bourbon Kentucky Buck

Cran Apple LIT

Jamaican Lemonade

Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade

Big Red Margarita

Crown Royal Washington Apple

Fireball Spiced Apple Cider

Texas Peach Sangria

Spiked Hot Chocolate

Caramel Apple Sangria

try it and share!

Please let us know how you enjoy our Tips for Hosting your First Tailgating Party.

Disclaimer: Never use blogger photos without permission.

Champagne and Coconuts obtained permission to use the photos included in this article as a member of a Facebook roundup group.

Links were submitted by blog owners/representatives and are being used in accordance to the group rules.

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