Football season is here! And with that comes the time-honored tradition of tailgating with brats, burgers, buddies, and more before the game. Be sure your car is up-to-date on all of its car maintenance before heading off to the big game. Below, we’ve compiled some major keys and important things to consider when preparing to tailgate on gameday.
Get There Early
You and your group weren’t the only ones with the idea to tailgate. While that makes the experience so much more fun, it also means that you’ll want to arrive early enough to secure an ample spot. You want to keep the horror that is pre-game traffic to a minimum and want to park close enough to the rest of the tailgaters. Double-check what time the grounds open for tailgaters and wake up early and be ready to go at that time to ensure that you’ll have the best experience possible.
Food. Bring Lots Of Food
Food is the cornerstone of any tailgating experience, so come prepared. Tailgating foods for later in the day includes everything fresh off the barbeque, including hot dogs, burgers, and ribs. Games set to start earlier in the day might have tailgates featuring the classic steak and eggs combo. Whatever the case may be, be sure to pack your cooler and your grill and get ready for a delicious cookout. Don’t forget the potato chips!
Plan Some Activities
Once you’ve got your tailgate spot and your grill running, it’s time to enjoy passing the time with your group. Sure, you could stand around and just eat the whole time, but where’s the fun in that?! Bring a football to play catch, set up a game of bags (or cornhole, if you prefer), bring a table for some table games or even a deck of cards, the choice is yours and the options are endless!
Be Social!
All tailgaters are brought together by the common force of rooting for the team, so enjoy the camaraderie! Talk about the upcoming game, season stats, talk about how awesome your fantasy team is doing or trash talk the opponent. After all, you’re all fans and you’re all there to have a great time. Who knows, you just might get lucky and get to share some tailgating recipes as well.
And Lastly… Don’t Forget About The Game
It’s like the old saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. It’s really up to you and your group to decide when you want to wrap things up and head into the stadium for the game. If you don’t want to miss a single moment of the action on the field, keep track of time and make sure that you can clean up and find your seats in time for the start of the game.
Perhaps you want to enjoy the tailgate some more before heading into the game or maybe you weren’t planning on going to the game at all and just want to tailgate outside. Whatever the case may be, have a plan in place so you can get to where you want to go with time to spare.
That concludes our guide on hosting a fun tailgate event. We hope you have a great time and wish your team the best of luck this season!
