{ "slug": "hosting-a-super-bowl-party", "url": "https://checklists.org/c/hosting-a-super-bowl-party", "markdown": "https://checklists.org/c/hosting-a-super-bowl-party.md", "title": "Hosting a Super Bowl Party", "description": "What to line up before, during, and after game day so the food, the TV, and your guests all make it through safely.", "category": "life", "tags": [ "party-planning", "game-day", "food-safety", "entertaining" ], "version": "1.0", "updated": "2026-10-21", "sources": [ { "name": "USDA FoodSafety.gov", "url": "https://www.foodsafety.gov" }, { "name": "National Fire Protection Association", "url": "https://www.nfpa.org" }, { "name": "CDC", "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol" } ], "intro": "Game day at your place means feeding a crowd, keeping the TV and snacks running for hours, and making sure everyone gets home safe. Here's what that actually takes, roughly in order.", "itemCount": 27, "essentialCount": 5, "sections": [ { "title": "1–2 Weeks Before", "items": [ { "id": "1lvbugw", "text": "Send the headcount request", "note": "Text or post the invite with an RSVP deadline; your food and seating plan both depend on a real number." }, { "id": "12ljpzz", "text": "Plan the menu around make-ahead and slow-cooker food", "note": "Picking dishes that hold at temperature (chili, dips, wings in a warmer) saves you from being stuck in the kitchen during the game." }, { "id": "oc1nhf", "text": "Check your TV/streaming access works for the game", "note": "Confirm the channel is actually included in your cable package or streaming subscription; blackout and carriage disputes happen most years, and finding out at kickoff is too late.", "essential": true }, { "id": "1pv1tjb", "text": "Order or reserve extra seating and a folding table if your crowd is bigger than your furniture", "note": "Rental or borrowed folding chairs need lead time.", "when": "crowd-bigger-than-furniture" }, { "id": "imeww9", "text": "Tell close neighbors it's happening if you share walls or a driveway", "note": "A heads-up about noise and parking avoids a bad night for everyone.", "when": "shared-walls-or-driveway" } ] }, { "title": "A Few Days Before", "items": [ { "id": "11m0rhd", "text": "Shop for food and drinks, buying perishables last", "note": "Build the list around your RSVP count plus a buffer." }, { "id": "i4soo7", "text": "Count your coolers and ice", "note": "You'll need more ice than you think once drinks and food both need chilling." }, { "id": "ahnrbc", "text": "Check your smoke alarm batteries if you'll be frying or deep-frying anything", "note": "A kitchen full of guests and a hot fryer is exactly when you don't want a false (or real) alarm going off.", "when": "frying-food", "essential": true }, { "id": "10id82l", "text": "Stock disposable plates, cups, and labeled cups or markers", "note": "Labeling cups cuts down on half-finished drinks left everywhere." }, { "id": "1ia9fus", "text": "Set a Super Bowl squares or pool, but check your state's gambling rules first", "note": "Informal, no-cut-for-the-house pools among friends are treated very differently than ones where someone takes a rake; laws vary by state, so don't assume it's automatically fine everywhere.", "when": "running-a-pool" } ] }, { "title": "Day Before", "items": [ { "id": "1a07nr6", "text": "Prep anything that can be made ahead and refrigerated", "note": "Dips, casseroles, and desserts taste the same reheated and free up your game-day hours." }, { "id": "112lrgm", "text": "Set up extra tables and clear traffic paths to the bathroom and food", "note": "Walk through it once; narrow paths get worse once people are standing around." }, { "id": "1dquupy", "text": "Test every extension cord and power strip you'll use for the TV, warmers, and slow cookers", "note": "Don't daisy-chain multiple power strips or overload one outlet with space heaters, warming trays, and the TV at once; that combination is a known cause of house fires.", "essential": true }, { "id": "1ysjkzc", "text": "Chill drinks and ice down coolers overnight", "note": "Cold drinks ready to go means less fridge-door traffic during the game." }, { "id": "1th0yno", "text": "Arrange a designated driver or rideshare plan if you're serving alcohol", "note": "Decide now who's staying sober or how people are getting home, rather than figuring it out at 11pm.", "when": "serving-alcohol" } ] }, { "title": "Day Of — Before Kickoff", "items": [ { "id": "1rej4i8", "text": "Set food out in stages, not all at once", "note": "Starting the spread closer to kickoff and refreshing it keeps things fresher longer than one giant buffet sitting out for hours." }, { "id": "14qps0k", "text": "Keep hot food hot and cold food cold, and don't leave perishable food out more than two hours", "note": "Dips, meats, and anything with mayo or dairy should go back in the fridge or onto ice after the two-hour mark (one hour if the room's hotter than about 90°F); this is the single biggest food-safety number to actually follow.", "essential": true }, { "id": "utr6bv", "text": "Set up a drink station away from electronics", "note": "Keep cups and pitchers clear of power strips and the TV stand so a spill doesn't become an electrical problem." }, { "id": "92x2qy", "text": "Have a working fire extinguisher accessible if you're frying food", "note": "Grease fires can't be put out with water; know where the extinguisher is before you start frying, not after.", "when": "frying-food", "essential": true }, { "id": "6kjn5j", "text": "Put out a few extra trash and recycling bins", "note": "One bin fills fast with a full house; spreading them around cuts down on overflow." } ] }, { "title": "During the Party", "items": [ { "id": "g6rsb1", "text": "Check the food timer periodically, not just at the start", "note": "It's easy to lose track once the game's exciting; a phone timer for the two-hour mark helps." }, { "id": "ft63xp", "text": "Keep an eye on anyone who's had a lot to drink", "note": "Slow down service, offer water and food, and don't let someone who's clearly impaired decide they're fine to drive." }, { "id": "dyb67q", "text": "Keep pets in a separate room if your crowd includes young kids or people unfamiliar with the animal", "note": "A loud, crowded living room is stressful for most pets.", "when": "kids-or-unfamiliar-guests" } ] }, { "title": "After the Game", "items": [ { "id": "192acn8", "text": "Hand out or arrange rides for anyone who's been drinking", "note": "This is the moment the designated-driver plan from before the party actually matters; don't skip it because people seem fine." }, { "id": "1w47bfk", "text": "Refrigerate leftovers promptly, within that same two-hour window", "note": "Food sitting out through a long overtime game should be tossed rather than saved." }, { "id": "6xhyci", "text": "Unplug warmers, fryers, and space heaters before you go to bed", "note": "Appliances left on overnight are a common and avoidable fire risk." }, { "id": "17ezzsi", "text": "Settle up any squares pool or pot winnings before people leave", "note": "Easier to do in person than by tracking people down later.", "when": "running-a-pool" } ] } ] }