Football season is the perfect excuse to entertain friends and family outdoors. For this year’s tailgate, I skipped the parking lot and created a game-day gathering at home with an outdoor tablescape, a console filled with favorite tailgate foods, comfortable seating around the fire pit, and just enough football-inspired details to make the day and evening feel festive.
I wanted the setup to feel like an extension of my outdoor space rather than traditional football party decor. I layered neutral dinnerware with football-shaped plates, filled vases with flowers from the garden, and mixed classic white and wood serving pieces with a few whimsical football finds. Homemade food, including pepperoni pizza, bruschetta, a football-shaped Boursin cheese appetizer, stadium cheesy beer bread, chocolate-covered strawberries, and caramel apples with football laces made out of frosting, became part of the decor.
I am so excited to partner with Wayfair once again to create this fun and fabulous at-home tailgate! Wayfair has everything you need to entertain friends and family throughout the year, especially for special occasions like football tailgate season! I love their selection of outdoor furniture, fire pits, and grills, to dinnerware, serveware, backyard games, and seasonal entertaining finds. Not only do they offer gorgeous outdoor furniture and entertaining essentials, but they also offer free shipping!
An Outdoor Football Tablescape That Still Feels Like Home
A neutral plaid tablecloth brought warmth and pattern to the setting while still feeling appropriate for the beginning of football season. If you love this look, Wayfair has a wonderful selection of table linens, including this neutral checkered tablecloth that works beautifully for fall and winter football gatherings.
At each place setting, I layered a round woven charger, as well as Certified International Perlette melamine dinnerware, starting with the dinner plate and adding the salad plate. On top, I placed a Trinx football-shaped melamine plate. My guests loved it!
The football shape became the focal point of each place setting while the neutral dishes underneath kept everything looking polished.
I carried the theme through with Godinger League football mugs. The rich brown color works naturally with wood, wicker, and neutral outdoor furniture. These mugs are perfect for football season! Sunday morning coffee will feel extra special this season.
Fresh flowers softened everything. I filled a ceramic vase with hydrangeas and garden roses rather than using overtly autumnal flowers. A textural vessel like the Joss & Main Tova Lainie terracotta table vase brings that same organic quality to an outdoor tablescape.
Turn an Outdoor Console Table Into a Tailgate Buffet
A two-tier console table such as the Highland Dunes Rectangular All-Weather Outdoor Console Table is a must for outdoor entertaining because you aren’t limited to the tabletop. The second shelf gives you additional room for serving pieces, dishes, and entertaining essentials.
I also like mixing materials on a buffet rather than using an entire collection of matching serving pieces. White platters, wooden boards, football-shaped bowls, mugs, and plates were the talk of the party! Everyone adored them, and I love that I can use them year after year!
Game-Day Food That Doubles as Decor
If you love football as much as I do and are searching for simple ways you can make game-day food that your guests will love, you’re in luck!
I shaped 2 rounds of Boursin cheese into a football, covered it with bacon bits, and used sliced cheese to create the laces. I placed the finished cheese football on my Ebern Designs Touchdown football cutting board and serving tray and surrounded it with crackers.
It’s an incredibly simple appetizer, but presenting it on the football board makes it look like it was made specifically for game day.
I kept some of the other snacks even easier. One football serving bowl held dill pickle-flavored kettle chips while another held pub mix. The Godinger League football serving bowl is ideal for chips, pretzels, popcorn, snack mix, and other foods guests can grab throughout the afternoon.
For more substantial tailgate favorites, a Godinger League football platter provides plenty of room for traditional snacks. Think sliders, sandwiches, wings, vegetables, cookies, or whatever your family considers essential game-day food.
My Stadium Cheesy Beer Bread
One of the showpieces of the buffet (and tablescape!) was homemade bread in the shape of a football stadium!
I used my Nordic Ware Stadium Pan to make Nordic Ware’s Stadium Cheesy Beer Bread recipe that came with the pan. Once it was baked, the detailed stadium shape made an incredibly fun centerpiece for the food display.
I filled the inside with sweet mini peppers, celery, grape tomatoes, and charcuterie cheese, essentially turning the stadium into an edible appetizer tray.
For presentation, I placed the stadium on a wood serving board. An acacia piece such as this Tabletops Gallery rectangular serving board gives the bread a larger base while introducing another warm natural material to the buffet.
Pizza Is Always a Good Tailgate Idea
Pizza kept the main course casual and made it easy for everyone to eat whenever they were ready.
I made a pepperoni pizza in my induction oven using my Nordic Ware ceramic pizza stone. Once it came out of the oven, I transferred it to a large white platter for serving.
Wayfair has beautiful platters for every type of entertaining, and I especially like classic white pieces because they work with virtually anything. The Juliska Berry & Thread 20-inch platter is a beautiful option for pizza and can just as easily be used for appetizers, desserts, or holiday entertaining.
The combination of white serveware and warm wood also helped balance all of the football-shaped pieces elsewhere on the buffet and tablescape.
The pizza was so popular that we made homemade bruschetta and served it along with pizza for the second round. Both were delicious and paired well together!
Football Desserts Were the Finishing Touch
The football-inspired desserts were so fun and delicious!
I made chocolate-covered strawberries and caramel apples and decorated them with white laces so each one resembled a little football. Rather than arranging everything on another flat platter, I displayed them vertically on my white cake stand.
The stand gave the console table some much-needed height while making the homemade treats part of the display.
Hosting Tip: If you are hosting a party and are limited on space, you can’t go wrong with a tiered stand! They’re perfect for drinks, desserts, or appetizers.
Don’t Forget a Self-Serve Drink Area
I used a glass pitcher for drinks and festive disposable football cups in the setup. Wayfair carries fun football party cups that make an easy addition when you don’t want to worry about collecting glasses throughout the yard.
For a larger party, however, I love the idea of using a beverage dispenser with a lid such as this Twine Modern Manor drink dispenser.
A dispenser turns the beverage area into a self-serve station, so friends and family can refill their own drinks throughout the afternoon. Fill it with iced tea, lemonade, fruit-infused water, or your favorite game-day punch and keep cups and ice nearby.
Create More Than One Place to Gather
An at-home tailgate becomes much more inviting when everyone isn’t confined to one table.
I created another gathering area around the fire pit with my four Beachcrest Home Shawnna white Adirondack chairs. They’re classic, comfortable, and easy to incorporate into different outdoor setups throughout the year.
A round fire pit works especially well with Adirondack chairs because it naturally encourages conversation. This George Oliver Jahidul round wood-burning fire pit is a great option for creating that type of gathering spot.
Even when it’s still warm at the beginning of football season, the fire pit area gives guests somewhere else to sit after eating. As the season moves into cooler weather, it becomes even more inviting.
Backyard Games for an At-Home Tailgate
While I didn’t set out games for my tailgate, games are essential for throwing a fun and unforgettable tailgate that friends and family will want to attend annually!
A Triumph Sports badminton set is a fun choice when you have plenty of lawn space, while a Birch Lane ring toss set can work in a smaller area.
They’re especially nice before the game starts or for guests who would rather socialize outside than spend the entire afternoon watching football.
Wayfair Tailgate Shopping List
If you’re creating your own tailgate at home, here’s the complete shopping list for the pieces featured throughout this post and additional options for recreating the look.
- Certified International Perlette Melamine Dinnerware Set — For creating the layered outdoor place settings.
- Trinx Football Melamine Salad Plates — The football-shaped top layer of each place setting.
- Ebern Designs Touchdown Football Cutting Board and Serving Tray — For serving the homemade Boursin football and crackers.
- Godinger League Football Serving Bowl — Perfect for kettle chips, pub mix, popcorn and other snacks.
- Godinger League Football Platter — An option for sliders, sandwiches, wings and traditional tailgate food.
- Twine Modern Manor Drink Dispenser — Creates an easy self-serve beverage station.
- Nordic Ware Stadium Pan — The pan I used for Stadium Cheesy Beer Bread.
- Triumph Competition Badminton Set — A backyard activity for larger at-home tailgates.
- Gibson Elite Tiered Stand — Used to display my football caramel apples and chocolate-covered strawberries.
- Birch Lane Ring Toss Set — An easy lawn game for guests.
- Nordic Ware Ceramic Pizza Stone — Used to bake my pepperoni pizza.
- Juliska Berry & Thread Whitewash Platter — A classic serving option for pizza and other party foods.
- George Oliver Jahidul Round Wood-Burning Fire Pit — For creating a separate conversation area.
- Beachcrest Home Shawnna Adirondack Chairs — I own four of these white Adirondack chairs.
- Kamado Joe Joe Jr. Charcoal Grill — An outdoor cooking option for an at-home tailgate.
- Highland Dunes All-Weather Console Table — A two-tier design with room for food, flowers, mugs and serving pieces.
- Neutral Checkered Tablecloth — A neutral plaid option that transitions beautifully through fall and winter football season.
- Joss & Main Tova Lainie Terracotta Table Vase — A textural vessel for hydrangeas, garden roses or seasonal flowers.
- Football Party Cups — Disposable cups that carry the game-day theme to the drink station.
- Godinger League Football Mug — Used on my console and dining table.
- Tabletops Gallery Acacia Wood Serving Board — A versatile wood base for serving bread, charcuterie, and appetizers.
How to Host a Tailgate at Home
The easiest way to plan an at-home tailgate is to think about the party in zones rather than trying to fit everything onto one table.
Start with a dining area where guests can comfortably sit and eat. Create a separate buffet or console for food, desserts and drinks. Then establish another gathering area with lounge seating, Adirondack chairs or a fire pit. If you have the space, set up a lawn game away from the dining area so guests can move around throughout the afternoon.
For decorating, choose a few football-specific pieces and let everything else coordinate with your home. Football-shaped plates, mugs and serving pieces will pair well with white and wood entertaining essentials.
And don’t underestimate the food as decoration. A football cheese ball, football strawberries, caramel apples, and stadium-shaped bread made this party feel very personal and memorable too!
At-Home Tailgate FAQs
What food should I serve at a tailgate party?
Choose foods that guests can easily serve themselves. Pizza, chips, popcorn, pub mix, cheese and crackers, vegetables and dip, sliders and finger foods all work well. For my tailgate, I also made a Boursin football cheese appetizer, Stadium Cheesy Beer Bread, chocolate-covered football strawberries and football caramel apples.
How do you decorate for a football party without using team colors?
Let the shape of a football become the theme instead. I used brown football plates, mugs and serving pieces alongside neutral dinnerware, plaid, wood, wicker and fresh flowers. The result still reads as game day without relying on a particular team’s colors or logos.
What do you need for an at-home tailgate?
Start with comfortable seating, a place to serve food, dinnerware or disposable plates, drinks and a few easy appetizers. From there, add pieces that make entertaining more convenient, such as a console or buffet table, serving boards, tiered stands, a drink dispenser, outdoor games and additional seating.
How do you set up a backyard tailgate?
Create separate areas for eating, food and drinks, and relaxing. Keeping the buffet away from the dining table prevents serving pieces from taking up valuable eating space and encourages guests to move around the backyard.
What outdoor games are good for a tailgate?
Badminton and ring toss are both easy choices for a backyard tailgate. Cornhole, lawn bowling and other casual outdoor games can work well too, depending on the amount of space available.
How do you host a fun football tailgate at home?
Keep it casual and make it easy for everyone to enjoy themselves. Serve favorite game-day foods, put drinks and snacks where guests can help themselves, and have plenty of comfortable seating. Football plates, serving bowls, and homemade football treats make the day more festive, while outdoor games give everyone something to do before kickoff or during halftime. Most importantly, don’t worry about making everything perfect. Football is about bringing people together, and an at-home tailgate should feel just as relaxed.
Disclaimer: #Ad Thank you to Wayfair for partnering with me on this post. Opinions are my own as always. #Wayfair #Wayfairpartner
