Awesome Tailgate Ideas

The most important piece of equipment in any tailgater’s arsenal is the grill. Get a great portable grill that will fit in your car/truck and bring along foil to line the grill for easy clean-up! You won’t have to clean the base—just remove the foil and the mess of spent charcoal goes with it. When planning your menu, be aware of what you can prep at home: form burger patties, coat chicken wings, and cut up veggies! Everything will be grill-ready when you arrive.

Next, are the drinks. If you’re over 21, this means beer. Be sure to bring enough, but more importantly: be sure there’s a designated driver. Beyond the beer, don’t forget to hydrate, and that means water. Freeze your water before you go. This can serve a dual purpose—put it in the cooler to keep other food and drinks cold, and drink it, ice cold, as it melts!

Thirdly, comfort is key. Seating and shade are tailgate treasures, so be sure to bring some collapsible chairs. Camping chairs fold up nicely and many have cup holders, and a pop-up canopy will help to keep your friends cool. Music is a nice touch, and if you don’t want to run down your car’s battery consider purchasing some portable speakers. Put together a pre-game playlist, hook up your Mp3 player and let the good times roll!

Now, for the main attraction—team spirit! You may have a team jersey to wear and team flags to fly, but do your guests? Bring along face paint to help your friends (and their kids) get in on the fun of supporting the team.