Key Takeaways:

• With budget-friendly tailgate party ideas, you don’t need to spend a bunch of money to have fun on game day.

• The best tailgate food ideas are easy to grab and share between plays.

• Ollie’s is a great place to pick up your tailgate essentials before kickoff. 

Whoever said you need to drain your bank account to have a tailgate party? We sure didn’t! With some good food, cold drinks, comfy seats, a few games, and a little creative flair, you can support your favorite team in style without blowing your budget. 

Whether you’re in the stadium parking lot, the driveway, the backyard, or your football watch party at home, Ollie’s has you covered with a few essential football tailgate party ideas.

Plan the Perfect Tailgate Setup

Before you buy any snacks, pick your spot. Think about how much space you'll have and what the weather is going to look like that day. When are people arriving? How are you going to serve the food?

From there, the best game-day strategy is to create “zones” for your tailgate party ideas: one area for seating, another for food, another for drinks, one for trash, and a humble little corner for the losing side’s fans to regroup. You don't want people digging under a pile of napkins to find the chip bag.

A good starter list of tailgate essentials includes:

• Folding tables

• Tablecloths

• Napkins

• Paper plates

• Utensils

• Trash bags

• Wet wipes

• Sunscreen

You can look for outdoor recreation finds and patio pieces at Ollie’s, but remember, inventory changes. It’s all part of the treasure hunt!

If wherever you decide to tailgate allows for some good ol’ fashioned grilling, portable grills can make all the difference.

Affordable Seating and Shade

Have enough seats for the whole gang if you can. Of course, some people prefer to hover near the snacks, and we respect that, but for everyone else, folding chairs from Ollie’s can help make your setup more comfortable.

Add umbrellas or shade canopies to your list of outdoor tailgate party ideas as well, especially for daytime games. 

Easy Tailgate Snacks & Drinks

A tailgate is no place for fancy food. If it needs twelve steps to put together and a team of caterers to serve, maybe best to leave it for that fancy dinner party you’re throwing next week. 

Good tailgate party food ideas are the snack-table classics:

• Chips

• Pretzels

• Crackers

• Dips

• Popcorn

• Trail mix

• Cookies

• Fruit

• Wraps

• Sliders

• Hot dogs

• Candy

A simple selection keeps most crews happy. Plus, you want to watch the game, not play server all day.

As for drinks, mix it up. Some juice and sodas for the kids. Some adult beverages for the rest of the crew. And, of course, a few cases of bottled water. Hydration is key! 

Also, keep your beverages in a separate cooler from the food. That way, people can grab a cold one without opening the food cooler every two minutes and letting all the cold air out.

And while we are on the subject, one of the not-so-fun-but-important tailgate party ideas is proper food storage. The USDA tailgating food safety guide recommends not leaving food out for more than two hours, or one hour when it's over 90 degrees outside. So if you’re hosting at home, make sure you have enough coolers or refrigerator space to avoid sending the whole crew home with fourth-quarter stomach aches.

Outdoor Games Everyone Can Play

With a few outdoor games, you can fill up time in the pregame hours.

In terms of tailgate party game ideas, we like ones that are easy to set up and easy for people of all ages to play. Just a few tailgate essentials can elevate your game day. Here are a few game ideas depending on the type of group you have:

• Best for kids: Ring toss, sidewalk chalk, soft football toss

• Best for mixed ages: Bean bag toss, ladder toss, jumbo games

• Best for small spaces: Cards, dice games

For the trivia-obsessed folks (we know you’re out there), you can even get some research going and create your own football trivia quiz with a prize for the winners. 

Don’t Forget to Show Your Spirit

You don't have to shell out big bucks on a bunch of licensed fan gear to show your team spirit.

One of our favorite football party ideas is using team colors to decorate: napkins, cups, face stickers, beads, hats, table covers…grab ‘em in your team colors and you’re good to go. You can even go as far as making snacks that rep the same colors. Color mist cookies, anyone?

Here are a few easy tailgate party ideas for adding spirit without overdoing it:

• Team-color snack bowls

• DIY score prediction cards

• A little photo shoot set up with team-color props

Keep it fun and let everyone show up loud and proud.

Tailgating on a Budget

The main thing we always recommend for people looking for tailgate party ideas is to start with a quick budget huddle and decide what's most important for your crew. Snacks? Food? Games? Shade? A portable speaker to get the vibes going before kickoff?

A potluck setup is your friend here, and probably one of the best football party ideas to ever grace game day. Ask everyone to bring one thing, then fill in the gaps with snacks, drinks, plates, and other basics. That way you won't have to pay for the whole spread and hope someone gets you back. 

Also, avoid overbuying. Running out of chips is bad, but buying six different bags of chips to try and please everyone is far from a victory. Come up with some tailgate food ideas and choose a few you know most people will like. 

Shop Ollie’s Before Kickoff

Ollie's is the ultimate treasure hunt for tailgate essentials, so if you’ve decided to plan ahead this football season, take a look at our current flyer before you shop your local Ollie’s.