Have party plans in place before Super Bowl kickoff

The Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers aren’t the only ones preparing for Super Bowl 50.

Folks all over Orange County are readying their homes for the big game day on Feb. 7.

Super Bowl partying is a big deal. Last year, almost 43 million people in the U.S. said they were planning to host a Super Bowl party at home, with viewers spending an average of $77.88 on food, decor and other Super Bowl-related purchases, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2015 Super Bowl Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.

Whether hosts spend $77 or $770, Orange County planners are happy to share ideas for how to have a great Super Bowl party.

*

Occupying the kids

Watching the big game can be tough with children around, especially when they are not interested in the sport.

Lisa Cohen, director of Creative Parties For Kids in Orange, suggests hiring some energetic entertainers wearing the opposing teams’ colors to wrangle and focus the young ones.

“The key here is to make sure whoever is in charge is creative, energetic and has skills to keep the kids busy,” Cohen said.

Games Cohen suggests:

•A football training camp with simple training exercises, jumping jacks, running in place, tug of war and obstacle courses.

•A football uniform relay race, where children race to dress in helmets, jerseys and pads.

•Capture the flag and freeze tag, both active outdoor games.

•Halftime karaoke show.

•Cheerleading training camp.

•A game of pass the Nerf football with no hands.

•A treasure hunt for the lost football.

For something more stationary, an artist can be hired to paint kids’ faces in the logos of favorite teams or draw caricatures of their favorite players, Cohen said.

For the social media savant, Cohen suggests creating a scavenger hunt to find three items, taking a selfie with each item and using a party-specific hashtag — #SmithSuperBowlParty, for instance.

“This documents the scavenger hunt and can lead to a prize or just fun,” she said.

Or make your own silly halftime commercials and post them with the hashtag, Cohen said.

*

Do-it-yourself projects

Everyday items can be repurposed to create fun game-day decor.

Lowe’s Home Improvement has a few low-cost, DIY projects. For instance, hosts can turn a piece of turf, number stencils and white spray paint into a “turf table” that can serve as either a tablecloth for party food or mini-field for finger football.

Or build a ring toss using a whitewood board, spray paint, plastic buckets, flat washers and number stencils.

“I hope customers take away some projects and products that they can put together at their home for a Super Bowl party,” said Erick Cooksey, store manager at the Lowe’s Home Improvement in Huntington Beach. “The projects themselves are very inexpensive to put together.”

The turf table project is available at lowes.com/creative-ideas/decorate-and-entertain/turf-table/project.

The ring toss project can be seen at https://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/woodworking-and-crafts/build-a-ring-toss-yard-game/project.

*

Food and fun

The staff at Intertwined Events in Irvine, which specializes in weddings and other special events, love a good party.

The Super Bowl is the ultimate Sunday fun day, which means people need to host a winning party, said Intertwined Events co-founders Katie Webb and Meghan Clem.

Impart a personal touch with a signature drink incorporating both NFL teams, like Bronco Mules or Spiked Panthers’ Punch. For something different, assemble a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar.

For food, Webb and Clem pull from the playbook of one of their favorite catering companies, 24 Carrots Catering and Events in Irvine, suggesting that hosts think outside the standard nachos and hot dogs and opt for foods like chicken and waffle sliders, pretzels and beer shots, or mini-grilled cheese with tomato soup cups.

For dessert, incorporate fun signage on small doughnuts with chocolate syrup, making funny puns like “Donut worry, there’s always next year!”

Keep guests engaged with fun questions such as: How many commercials will feature puppies? Will the opening coin toss be heads or tails?

“Remember, the best parties are always made in the details,” Webb said. “Make it personal, inviting and fun for your group, and you are sure to get the MVP award.”