Planning the perfect tailgate is a science. If you stumbled across this blog, you’ve probably been to a tailgate or two. Hopefully, there have been more parking lot parties than your liver would like you to remember. If there is a missing piece to the puzzle, you sometimes will have to get creative. Let’s break down the key pieces of the tailgate.
Food
No Tailgate is complete with something yummy to munch on. ALWAYS make sure you have the essentials: hotdogs, burgers and lots of cheese! These are the staples of tailgating, and I believe that is truly where the party starts; with the basics. Some other great tailgate food items are steak, chicken and ribs. The next star of the show: THE DIPS: buffalo chicken dip, cheeseburger dip, pickle dip, you name it, make it into a dip.
PRO TIP: make sure you bring scoops not regular tortilla chips (rookie move).
Drinks
By drinks, I mean booze. I believe this category doesn’t need much detail. Beer is king, but never underestimate how good a Bloody, Mimosa or a Hot Toddi, could be just about any time of the day really. Vodka, rum and Malibu are other great ideas to have on hand. Always keep one case of water hidden in someone’s trunk. Believe me you will thank me later.
Music
A good playlist sets the tone for the day, so always have one on hand. From experience, every friend group has one person who is the unprofessional DJ and this is their time to shine. On occasion you may roll into a lot that has someone jamming out loud enough for the lot already, but it’s best to be prepared. A speaker and a good data plan may come in handy especially when you are the first ones in the lot at 7 Am.
Games
Tailgates are all about fun and what could be more fun than playing games all day. There are the obvious Corn hole, Stump, washers, and bean bag toss, but make sure you are prepared for the smaller scale games too. Make sure to pack extra solo cups and pong balls; an intense game of flip cup could happen at any moment. Group drinking games bring the group together and help create a cohesive group of people. *PS. Bring a football you never know when you feel like showing off that cannon of an arm. Chicks dig the guy who can hit the 18 yard out.
The Plan
Having all the essentials for a tailgate will get you pretty far, but without a plan, you could end up alone in the lot looking like Glansberg. The key to the plan is delegation. Make sure everyone is responsible for bringing something different. By everyone bringing different essentials, it saves the planner from laying out a ton of money that they will never get back. The plan can start as early as the group meet up to drive to the lot together. This makes sure everyone can score a spot in the same area. As long as everyone shows up, cracks a beer, and has a great time: there isn’t much room for error.
Miscellaneous
Now, I am just going to list the rest since it’s pretty self explanatory.
· Plates
· Napkins
· Paper towel
· Coolers (filled with ice)
· Garbage bags
· Toilet paper (you’re welcome ladies)
· Tongs & Spatula
· Cutlery
· Sharp knife (My most forgotten item)
· Ketchup and Mustard
· Pong Balls
· Wiffle Ball Bat
· Bottle opener
· Sunscreen (someone will ask)
· Tylenol (someone will need)
· Grill
· Propane
Cheers !
The Tailgate 