Disclosure: I was provided with a trip to Los Angeles for the Monsters University Premiere in return for my honest review of the event. All expenses were paid by Disney and no other compensation given. Regardless, all opinions are 100% my own.
If anyone knows how to throw a successful tailgate party, it is the students and faculty at Monsters University. These collegiate party-goers went all out at the premiere of Monsters University! It was the best tailgate party I have ever attended.
There were balloons, party favors, cheerleaders, food and much more. Not to mention, the crowd-favorites came out to play and hang out with the rest of us. We were living in the moment of a once-in-a-lifetime event. But, I did pick up some great tips for hosting a successful tailgate party!
How to Host a Successful Tailgate Party
1. Pass Out Party Favors
Before we even walked into the tailgate party, we were met with a table of goodies. Pennants, pom poms, wigs, and foam fingers were laid out for the taking. Everyone grabbed a party favor and we were ready to cheer on our team inside the party gates.
These types of party favors really get your party-goers into a festive mood and help rally the players during the game! Go team!
2. Have Plenty of Food
Your guests are here to party… and to eat! Make sure you have plenty of food on hand to serve them. Mix it up. Serve appetizers. Finger foods. Sweets. Salty varieties. And have plenty of drinks on hand, as well.
We began our tailgate party with an Heirloom Tomato Caprese salad from Wolfgang Puck.
For a main meal, we moved on to a Subway sandwich, packaged in a fun take-home bag with a souvenir t-shirt. Perfect gift for taking home to family and friends who could not attend with you… or a fun reminder for you to hold onto.
Next, you must have plenty of sweets on hand! The Monsters University Premiere had delicious Cinnabon rolls, as well as cake bites from BakedByMelissa.com. Yum! Not to mention, cotton candy on a stick and pretzels from Auntie Anne’s. Of course, I had to try them all.
3. Provide Live Entertainment
While walking down the middle of the tailgate party, we could hear the music from the marching band at the end of the row of tents. The drum line has always been one of my favorite sounds, so we made our way down to them as they began marching towards us.
Secondly, the Monsters University cheerleaders were leading the crowd in cheers and getting everyone pumped and ready for the “game” (or you can call it the movie premiere). A couple of cheers and chants and we were all ready to watch our team his this one out of the park!
I was even able to grab a quick Vine of one of their cheers:
4. Set Out Fun Things to Do
Knowing there would be a younger crowd, as well as the young at heart, the Monsters U staff and students set out fun things to do. In fact, my friend, Formula Mom, and I added a new tattoo to our collegiate tailgate party experience. Ok, so it was not a permanent tattoo but it was still going to stick around for a few days.
Our Resident Advisor (aka our Disney PR rep) even found a table full of crafts to make his very own googly-eyes, monster artwork. Fun, easy crafts of any sort are perfect for keeping the festivities entertaining and full of more great take-homes.
There was even a photo booth on hand so we could pick up our “official” Monsters University Student ID. Perfect for those that were running late and missed the first round of registration.
5. Invite Team Members
Ask the team players to come out and intermingle with your tailgate party guests. After all, without the team members you would have no game to watch, but without the the guests the team would have no one to play for. They both need each other and this is a way for everyone to hang out and have fun as their worlds collide before the game!
But, you probably want to let them invite a few of their friends as well. After all, friends are most likely the backbone of their success as well.
And this was only a “sampling” of the celebrity friends on hand! So many great friends came out to support the team. My own classmates were a pleasure to spend the evening with and I cannot wait to do something similar again soon!
Now, there you have it! Get out there and start planning your tailgate party! And don’t forget to invite your friends and family to the opening of Monsters University on June 21st at theaters everywhere!
Learn more and watch for movie updates by liking Monsters University on Facebook or following @DisneyPixar on Twitter.