7 tips to the ultimate March Madness party in your apartment
March Madness is nearly here – brackets will soon circulate among friends and offices, statistics and predictions will be pitted against fans and loyalties. It’s the perfect opportunity to have your friends over for any of the many games. Here are some tips to make sure you throw (and still get to enjoy) the ultimate March Madness party.
- If you’re ordering in, remember – so is everybody else. Add a little extra time for food delivery. Order a little early – even consider scheduling it in advance. But it never hurts to take that extra precaution and have snacks on hand when people arrive, so they’re not starving waiting for the pizza guy.
- Keep your devices handy. You’ve got your big screen tuned to the game everyone wants to watch, but everyone has their own bracket, and will want to keep an eye on the game they’ve picked to be the upset. Pull up a laptop to the side, maybe even encourage friends to bring laptops and tablets – line the back of the appetizer table with other games streaming, but put on mute so you can keep up on everything that’s happening.
- Have fun, but be courteous. The last thing you want is to have to break up the party for a noise complaint. If inviting the neighbors isn’t an option (basketball isn’t for everybody, after all) just remind the more wild fans that it is an apartment – you have neighbors to think about
- Don’t run out of drinks. Even if it’s BYOB, have a spare case or a few six packs stashed away in case of emergency. Nobody wants to make a run to the store in the middle of the game, or at the end.
- If you go for a marathon, reward the winner of the moment. Buy a crown or a jersey or something else fun that the winner may wear based on who has the most points as each game completes. If they’ve got a sense of humor, buy a hat of shame for the person with the least.
- Keep track on the wall. If it’s in black and white, it’s not too expensive to have your bracket blown up at a Kinko’s or office depot. Put it on the wall and keep a record of wins as they happen for a big picture of the tournament at large.
- Rent a Pop-A-Shot. You really want to impress the guys? Spend a little extra and rent the classic basketball minigame from an events vendor. Rotate one by one and count the highest score you can get over a commercial break.