However hard I’ve tried to ignore the fact that the World Cup is happening very shortly, I can’t ignore it any longer. Whether it’s St Georges Cross flags hanging from car windows (and the accompanying facebook / email jibes ‘Erectile dysfunction is on the increase. If you suffer from this, please put a white flag with a red cross on your car to show your support…….), or the fact that my darling husband has already booked his ‘pass-out’ for the evening to watch the first England game on Saturday, I’ve decided that it can no longer be ignored.
So, if like me, you’ve decided to embrace the World Cup by throwing a World Cup Party, here’s a few ideas for you.
Creating the right environment with a big TV
To really recreate that ‘bar-full of people’ atmosphere, you need a big TV or even better an overhead projector that can be linked to your TV. This particular one is HD ready, so it should give a great picture for those all-important goals.
Party Decorations
As with the food, you have a couple of clear options here. Firstly go down the patrriotic 1966 replay route, supporting England all the way (can you guess how many times the 1966 England win will be mentioned within the opening match commentary. My guess is 6). To go with this theme you could consider St Georges Cross bunting, England flags and lots of red, white and blue plates, cups and napkins.
Or go for an African vibe, with lots of potted plants giving the impression of tropical forest and lots of green coloured plates etc.
Food
Again, you have a few choices here. You could go for traditional football fare, with pork pies, burgers & hotdogs immediately springing to mind. Or for something a bit more upmarket you could try traditional English grub, like mini fish and chips, or little Yorkshire puddings stuffed with roast beef (Yum!)
As a complete alternative why not try some South African themed food for a great talking point? Rainbow Nation has some great recipes, including frikkadels (hamburgers), klappertert (coconut pie) and bobotie (south african shepherds pies).
Drinks
For me, if it’s football, it’s got to be either lager or beer, with good old grufty ale being a favourite in our house. Or why not try making that party favourite, Punch? We like a version containing Southern Comfort, lemonade, orange juice, lemon juice and sugar to taste – with the obligatory cherries, orange and lemon slices on top.
Activities
If watching the match and the accompanying banter aren’t enough for you, you could consider face-painting with diffferent country flags. Or a good old-fashioned sweepstake will add to the excitement – first to score a goal, which minute, final score etc.
Hopefully that will have given you some ideas to make your World Cup party go with a bang – don’t forget your instant photo guest book to record the fun though!
