A good Super Bowl party needs four things: food people can grab without a plate, cold drinks they can reach themselves, a screen everyone can see, and a game or two for guests who do not follow football. The next one to plan for is Super Bowl LXI, on Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on the NFL’s calendar.
That date is also Valentine’s Day, which is worth knowing before you send the invitations. The rest of this guide is the menu, the setup and the games, in the order you will need them.
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The menu: snacks all game, one main, one fresh plate
The game runs four quarters plus halftime, so the food has to hold up for hours rather than one sitting. Build it in three parts.
| What the party needs | What to serve | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Snacks through all four quarters | Wings, chips and dip, sliders | Eaten with one hand, refilled in a minute |
| One filling main | Pizza, chili or a taco bar | Feeds a crowd from one pot or one order |
| Variety | Nachos, meatballs, pretzel bites, a veggie tray | Something for every guest |
| Less work for you | Order ahead, or cook dishes that stay warm | You watch the game too |
Two wing flavors beat five: one classic buffalo and one milder sauce, such as honey BBQ or garlic parmesan. A spread that is all fried and all spicy wears people out by the second quarter, so put out one lighter dish, a fruit plate, a pasta salad or a vegetable tray with a cold dip.
Pick one centerpiece and make it look planned. A taco bar with the toppings laid out in rows, or a chili pot with cheese, onions, sour cream and jalapeños beside it, turns a counter of snacks into a table people talk about.
Drinks and the room
Put the drinks away from the food. Two tables mean two lines instead of one crowd, and nobody has to reach over the wings for a can. Stock beer, soda, sparkling water and plain water, plus at least one non-alcoholic drink that is more than cola: a citrus cooler or a flavored sparkling water. Buy more ice than you think.
Then walk the room before anyone arrives. Can every seat see the TV? Is the food table out of the sight line? Are there chargers near the couch? Set up four zones if the space allows it: one for watching, one for food, one for drinks and one corner where people can talk without blocking the screen.
Games for guests who do not follow football
Super Bowl squares are the easiest. Draw a 10-by-10 grid of 100 squares, let guests write their names in them, then draw the numbers 0 to 9 for each team’s row and column. At the end of each quarter, the square that matches the last digit of each team’s score wins that quarter. Our guide to Super Bowl squares has the full rules, the types of pools and how to pick numbers.
A prop sheet keeps the rest of the room involved. Keep it to questions anyone can answer:
- Who wins the coin toss? Our Super Bowl coin toss page covers the odds and how the last toss settled
- Which team scores first?
- Which team leads at halftime?
- Which commercial gets the loudest reaction?
For the betting version of the same questions, the sportsbook markets appear on our Super Bowl prop bets page once they are posted.
What guests should bring
Hosts who divide the list do less and get a better spread. Close friends bring drinks or dessert, family brings a side dish, casual guests bring chips, ice, cups or napkins, and one reliable friend brings something warm. That split stops the classic failure: six desserts and no ice.
If you are the guest, bring something even when the host says not to. Ice and dessert are always used.
Watching somewhere else
Sports bars and restaurants with big screens fill up for the Super Bowl, so book early if you go out. On February 14, 2027, you will be competing with Valentine’s Day dinner reservations as well.
Following the game itself
For the football side of the night, our NFL predictions cover the season game by game. The two Super Bowl teams are decided on January 31, 2027, the day of the AFC and NFC Championship Games. Our sportsbook reviews compare the books if you want a bet on the game, and the handicappers at PicksToday sell picks for it. More on the league is in our gambling news and on the blog.