By Natalie Greenberg

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The biggest event of the football season takes place Sunday, Feb. 2, this year. For diehard NFL fans, Super Bowl Sunday is a given, but even those who are casually interested — or not at all — enjoy a good party complete with all the trimmings. Throwing an outdoor Super Bowl party is easy because when you celebrate outdoors, you can invite as many people as you wish.  Show off your true fandom and get ready to punt!

1. The Great Outdoors

Football is an outdoor sport, and with Super Bowl LIV being played in Miami, you can get the true feeling of being at the game. Set up a big projector screen and grab a bunch of stadium blankets. While the trees aren't blooming like the ones in Miami, you and your guests also won’t have to deal with lawn pests that plague us in the summer. You can still mimic the Florida climate, by putting some space heaters under a large tent. Show off your patio, pergola, deck, and other backyard amenities.  Coolers won’t need much ice. If your home has an outdoor kitchen, you won’t have to run back and forth to replenish the food and beverage supplies.

2. More Space  

Throwing an outdoor party gives you enough room to host more people. The more the merrier! (Especially on a cold winter night, because the more people wandering around, the warmer it will feel outside). When you’re outdoors, people have enough room to stand up and cheer.

3. Food

Outdoor parties give you more options on what to serve. Fire up the barbecue and keep the hot dogs, burgers, and chicken wings coming. It's also easier to serve other stadium favorites such as nachos, fries, tacos, and some healthier salads, cheeses, and wraps. When you’re outdoors, pass the spatula to your friends so they can help with the cooking. Get out of the kitchen!

4. Clean-Up

Cleaning up after a party can be a huge drag, but when it’s outdoors, the trash and debris are less of a hassle. Your indoor carpets won’t get grimy from people trampling on them. Assign a groundskeeping “crew” to go around collecting trash so that it won’t be so overwhelming to deal with when the party's over. Setting up sanitary outdoor restroom facilities keeps too much traffic away from the house bathrooms. Being outdoors means less of a mess indoors.

5. Socializing

If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to get to meet your neighbors, this is it! They’ll be peeking over the fence, why not get to know them? And partying outdoors in cooler temperatures is great to bring people out of their shells. Before long, chances are even the shyest guests will be rooting for their favorite and opining about that lousy call by the ref, who clearly is blind. It was interference! Super Bowl Sunday is not only about football – it’s a reason to party!

Tips for Throwing a Great Super Bowl Party Outdoors:

●     Set up a lot of comfortable seating in front of the big screen.

●     Have a few games out for those not interested in the game. Some folks just love to eat and watch the commercials!

●     Check with your local municipality to be sure there are no restrictions on how big an outdoor party can be. If you have a lot of people, you may need a permit.

●     Be sure to have enough space for parking.

Whether you or your friends enjoy watching the big game (or the commercials), the Super Bowl is a fun way to celebrate life in the dead of winter. Checking out the halftime show might be fun, too.

 Natalie Greenberg is a gardening and landscaping writer, and outdoorswoman extraordinaire. She’s hosted everything from weddings to proms on her 5-acre farm. She also hosts her annual family reunion, firing up the grill and cooking for 60-plus people every year.