The BEST March Madness Watch Party Ideas
Cheer on your college team this year with a March Madness watch party! FunFlicks® is the #1 screen rental company with state-of-the-art equipment that can be delivered to you from almost anywhere in the United States. Since 2001, we have been giving fans the ultimate tournament experience. While you are sitting back and waiting for a great day of college basketball, experienced technicians are at your location setting up our premium quality equipment, staying for the remainder of the day, and packing up at the end of the event.
Given our experience putting on many March Madness watch parties throughout the years, we have ideas to help you have an unforgettable event. Whether you plan on watching with a few friends in a college dorm room or with thousands of fans at a tailgate, we have ideas that will make your March Madness watch party an unforgettable experience!
How to Plan a March Madness Watch Party
To begin planning your March Madness watch party, pick a game that you and your guests will want to come watch. Games near the end of the tournament are always the most exciting. If you'd like to cheer on your favorite team, scheduling a party after Selection Sunday (March 17th) is best for planning a first round watch party. It's wise to always plan your party after schedules have been finalized if you are watching to support a particular team.
Select a Location
Once you’ve picked the best day to have a watch party, choose a location. Your party should be held in a large enough area to accommodate the expected amount of guests. Consider renting foldable chairs or telling guests to bring their own so that everyone is able to sit down and watch the game comfortably. To further maintain the comfort of your guests, provide restrooms with enough hand soap and toilet paper. Therefore, no one has to leave the party for a trip to the toilet. If you plan on having your watch party outdoors, be sure to make sure sprinkler systems are turned off. At the end of a successful watch party, the last thing you want to do is spend hours cleaning up. To minimize waste, supply trash cans around the area so that guests can have a place to dispose of any garbage.
Prepare for the Elements
It is very important to plan ahead and check what the expected weather conditions will be at your March Madness watch party location. If you are planning on having an outdoor event in the cold, tell your guests to dress warm and bring blankets. Supplying portable heating is also a great way to keep your guests from getting too chilly. March can bring a lot of wet weather. Don’t let rain ruin your watch party; have your event indoors if outdoor conditions are expected to be harsh. Having your party indoors is the safest option to ensure a great time without concern of stormy weather ruining your time.
Theme for a March Madness Watch Party
Decorate your March Madness watch party with team logos! Streamers, flags, and posters are all welcomed and will make your party look great. If you plan on having food and drinks, buy utensils that have team colors in them. Encourage guests to arrive in their game day apparel. Jerseys, shirts, hats, and face paint show your true team spirit!
Pregame March Madness Watch Party Activities
Play Basketball
What else is a better way to get excited for a basketball game than by playing basketball? Get a ball, find a hoop, and gather your guests together to shoot some baskets. To make things even more interesting, elevate the game rivalry by dividing teams by opposing fans. If you’d like to play a game of basketball yet you do not own a hoop, no problem! Simply use duct tape to make two large circles fart apart from each other. Within your circles, place a trash can in the middle. Players score by shooting their basketball into the trash can outside of the circle. If DIY trash can basketball is not what you’re wanting to play, consider having your event at a public park where a basketball court may be. Winner can get bragging rights or a nice prize.
Fill Out a Bracket
Before the madness begins, place your bets and fill out a bracket. This can be done as soon as the first round schedule has been finalized. Draw the slots, see what teams are playing against each other before the first tip off, and decide who wins each game. If creating your own bracket seems too difficult, simply visit the NCAA online digital bracket page. There you can easily choose who wins and outcomes will automatically update after games are over. Make things interesting by encouraging friends to create their own brackets; whoever predicts the most outcomes wins a prize after the tournament has concluded. Have fun!
Bring on the Beer Pong
Celebrate college style with a little beer pong before tip off. All you need is a flat table, 20 red solo cups, at least 2 ping-pong balls, and a beverage of your choice. To begin setting up, fill all cups half way with your beverage. Once the cups have been filled, split them and organize them in pyramid fashion, facing each other on opposite sides of the table. After deciding which player goes first, both players challenge each other at opposite ends of the table by taking turns throwing the ping-pong balls into their opponents cup. If the opponent makes their ping-pong into the other player’s cup, the player must drink until the cup is empty and remove it from the pyramid. Once four cups remain, reshape the cups into a diamond shape. The winner is the player who has made the ping-pong into all cups, leaving none left.
Play Giant Jenga
Jenga is a classic table game that everyone of all ages can enjoy. Giant Jenga takes the fun you had as a kid to the next level with bigger blocks and higher stakes. Simply find a flat surface and set up your giant Jenga set as instructed. Players take turns removing a block on each turn. The player who manages to knock over the tower on their attempt to remove a block loses.
Delicious March Madness Party Snacks and Drinks
Danger Dogs with Spicy Fruit Relish
Hotdogs are not only easy to make, but are a very popular game-time snack. Watching your team ball out while you munch on a great hotdog is an excellent experience. Cook your wieners on the barbeque or in boiling water on the stove. Ketchup, mustard, relish, and diced onions are classic condiments that complement your dog in a bun. If you are wanting to make an unforgettable hotdog, follow Guy Fieri’s “Danger Dogs with Spicy Fruit Relish” recipe.
Irish Lemonade (Alcohol)
Quench your thirst with an Irish Lemonade at your March Madness watch party. This alcoholic beverage tastes great and can be made to cater a large crowd. Simply mix 1 part Jameson whiskey, 2 parts lemonade of your choice, 2 parts ginger beer, and a pinch of mint. If you plan on having a family friendly event, be sure to supervise the area and label your container to let guests know that it's an alcoholic beverage.
Event Rentals for Your March Madness Watch Party
FunFlicks® Inflatable Movie Screen Rentals
FunFlicks® inflatable movie screens are professional quality at an affordable price. There's a size for everyone, whether you're throwing a massive film festival with thousands in attendance or a small birthday with family at your house. To make sure everything runs smoothly, a local FunFlicks® event technician will arrive at your location on time, set up the screen, oversee the technology, and pack it all away at the end of the screening. Booming high-definition sound, crystal-clear laser projection, and a larger-than-life display are all included when you book an event with us.
Backyard 16'
12'x7' Display
100 Guests
20 Cars
Premiere 21'
16'x9' Display
250 Guests
50 Cars
Blockbuster 26'
20'x12' Display
500 Guests
75 Cars
Elite 32'
26'x15' Display
750 Guests
100 Cars
Epic 40'
30'x17' Display
1500 Guests
150 Cars
Xtreme 50'
40'x22' Display
3000 Guests
250 Cars
FunFlicks® LED Screen Rentals
FunFlicks LED screens are perfect for day or night display in almost any environment. Utilizing electroluminescent technology, our LED screens generate light effectively at any time of day. Each panel is rated IP65, meaning they are both rain and dustproof. Day or night, rain or shine, you get to decide when the magic happens. All of our mobile LED trailers have onboard generators for portable power. Therefore, no power supply is needed. Similar to our inflatable screens, our fleet of LED screens comes in a variety of dimensions for a variety of crowd sizes. Local event technicians across the country are available to bring our LED trailers anywhere for you to enjoy video games, live sports, movies, advertisements, or almost everything else!
8'x5' LED Trailer
75 Guests
15 Cars
12'x7' LED Trailer
100 Guests
20 Cars
15'x8' LED Trailer
250 Guests
50 Cars
17'x10' LED Trailer
500 Guests
75 Cars
23'x13' LED Trailer
750 Guests
100 Cars
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