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One of the best parts of March is the big tournament game and having a big watch party. To be honest, I am not a huge college basketball fan, BUT I love following the tournament. There’s something about filling out a bracket and watching the teams go from sixteen, to eight, to four and then finally the big game! I find it so exciting and never predictable. It’s also a great excuse to get your friends together and have a watch party! I am sharing 5 tips to throw the easiest big tournament watch party for you and your friends.

Tip 1: Get your home ready

Once the date is finalized and the invites go out, get your home ready! Since this party involves watching the game, you will need to make sure your TV and seating is the main focus. Another thing to consider is your WiFi. Will you have people filling out their brackets on their phones? Then Wifi is a must. This year, we are actually creating a special Wifi log-in for our guests to use while they are here, just to make sure the internet connection is strong for them.

Another option is printing off brackets for everyone to complete. You can find a printable here. Just make sure you have enough pens ready to go!

Tip 2: Pick a theme

To add a little something fun to your watch party, you can have everyone wear their favorite college jersey or colors. Or colors of the team they think will win the big game. You can have the decorations match accordingly. Just make sure to include all the details in your invite for your guests.

Tip 3: Food

Now for the best part. The FOOD! Big games always have the best food, but since we have two littles ones at home, we try to keep it as simple as possible. I headed to Jewel-Osco to pick up a few essentials for the party. I picked up an Open Nature Rotisserie chicken and chicken wings. If you haven’t had Jewel-Osco’s chicken wings before, they are some of MY FAVORITE. The spicy wings are so good!

What I like to do is make a taco bar with the rotisserie chicken. This way, everyone can make their own tacos with their topping preferences, even vegetarian. You can have toppings like lettuce, cheese, salsa, avocados, sour cream and more. It makes for an easy clean up and feeds a lot of people.

Tip 4: Drinks

As for the drinks, it’s good to have a variety to appease everyone. At Jewel-Osco, you can pick up Coca-Cola classic, Diet Coke, Coke Zero Sugar and/or Sprite to have a little something for everyone. Plus, the drinks go really well with the wings and rotisserie chicken!

Tip 5: Entertainment

I love to have at least some form of entertainment because there are always commercials and people will always stay after the game as well. Creating a good playlist or having some games to play is key to a good party.

Besides filling out brackets, you can have a guests score the commercials or even set up your own mini basketball hoop in your home. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, just little things to keep the party flowing.

So that’s it! There are the 5 tips to throwing a Big Tournament watch party. Whoever wins, the party will be a good time! Just head to Jewel-Osco to pick up your party essentials and enjoy the game!

As always, thanks for following along. You can sign up for weekly emails here and follow me on Instagram.

Until next time,

Christine