Fall is upon us and with it comes one of the most exciting times of the year; the start of another football season. As the NFL prepares to kickoff its 104th season, fans across the country rejoice for the opportunity to spend their Sundays watching their favorite team. College Football fans may have a head start on football season with week one in the rearview mirror, but both fans have one thing in common; tailgating parties. Whether you’re hosting a tailgating party at your favorite team’s stadium or at home, your tailgate party will be a success with the right planning. Let’s take a look at our ultimate tailgating party checklist to help you prepare your game day essentials.

Your Ultimate Tailgating Party Checklist

First, to properly plan your tailgate party, you’ll need to answer a few quick questions for yourself. How many guests will you have? What food and beverages will you be serving? Will you have any yard games, or even a TV setup outside to entertain your guests? There’s a few important questions to answer first before you start getting all your items together.

• How many guests will you have?
• What type of food and drinks will you enjoy?
• Where will your party be located (i.e. at the stadium parking lot, on a college campus, at home, etc.)?
• What if it rains, or if there is inclement weather?
• What types of entertainment will you have for your guests yard games, TV setup, bluetooth speaker, etc.)?

With these questions answered, you’ll be able to change or amend these lists in a way that works best for you.

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Your Tailgating Party Checklist

As the host you’ll need to prepare with some standard items first such as tables, chairs, a canopy tent, grill, cooler, and of course, ice. You’ll want to take the weather into consideration as well, such as what you’ll want to do if there is extreme heat? With the increased likelihood of hot temperatures at the beginning of the season, along with the need for ice cold beverages, it’s a good idea to have at least a couple bags of ice on-hand. Let’s take a look at your ultimate tailgating party checklist below:

• Tables
• Chairs
• Cooler(s)
• Ice
• Grill
• Charcoal or gas tank
• Lighter
• Tin foil
• Grilling utensils: tongs, spatula, grill brush, thermometer
• Food: burgers, hotdogs, brats, buns, wings, tortillas, breakfast wraps for early kickoffs, taco mix for later kickoffs, chips, dip, salad or other sides, dessert, fruit plate, veggie plate, etc.
• Drinks: Soda, water, alcoholic beverages, lemonade (Check out our blog for drink recipes you can use for your tailgate: Smoothie recipes, 5 Non-alcoholic drink recipes)
• Condiments: Ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, honey mustard, hot sauce, ranch, blue cheese =, barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce
• Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese
• Serving spoons
• Plates
• Cutlery: Forks, knives, spoons
• Bottle opener
• Napkins
• Trash Bags or other cleanup supplies
• Phone charger(s)
• Bluetooth speakers
• Extension cords (TV for fans that want to catch up on other games during their tailgate party)
• Yard Games (Cornhole, Beer Pong, Ladder Toss, Spike Ball, Bocce Ball, Football, etc.)
• Sunscreen for hot game days, ponchos if there is a chance of rain

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How to Find the Best Ice for Tailgating

There are many places to get ice. To get the best ice for tailgating, it’s important to find ice that is clean and clear, but also affordable and convenient. Twice the Ice ice vending machines can meet all of your needs.

Clean 

Whether you’re just using your ice to keep your food and drinks cold, or you’re using your ice in your drinks, your ice should be clean, clear, and sanitary. Ice from Twice the Ice (TTI) is even cleaner than ice you’ll find from convenience stores or big box stores. TTI ice is also made on the spot and not touched by anyone except the consumer. Ice from convenience stores, grocery stores and similar locations is handled by the producers, shippers, and workers. In addition, contactless vending removes the need to handle cash or cards. This makes vending machine ice the cleanest type of ice available.

Convenient 

Ice from TTI vending machines is available faster than ice from most other stores. You don’t have to navigate through a store to find ice, or ask an attendant to unlock an ice bunker for you. With a TTI ice vending machine, you can simply drive up and put your ice in a bag, or fill up your cooler directly, or both. Using the TTI app, you can easily find your closest location, make a purchase directly from the app, and get your ice even faster.

Affordable 

Prices of ice vary quite a bit from place to place. Bagged ice averages at about $2.50 for a 7- to 10-pound bag. However, vended ice is about $2.00 for a 16- to 20-pound bag. This means you’ll get even more ice at a lower cost. You’ll have plenty of ice for your cooler, drinks, or any other container you need. You can fill your cooler directly at the ice machine, or fill up a bag.

How to Keep Your Cooler Colder Longer 

Ice from Twice the Ice is made on-the-spot, in the ice machine. This means it doesn’t freeze and thaw while waiting in an ice bunker, and turn into a solid block. You’ll have individual ice cubes, which will fit into your cooler much more easily. This is a great advantage of TTI ice machines, and it makes it easier to fit around the items in your cooler.

How Much Ice Do You Need?

Whether you’re hosting or showing up as a guest, your tailgate party will need plenty of ice for a variety of reasons. Whether you’re transporting perishable food items, need to keep your beverages ice cold, or want to hand out ice packs to your guests on a hot day, you’ll need to keep your tailgate stocked up with plenty of ice.

An ice cube melts in about 90 minutes in a 75°F room. However, the ice in the center of the cooler will melt slower, since it will be surrounded by cold ice cubes. So, a good cooler can keep ice, and the food and drink items within it, cold for 12 to 24 hours. However, there are a few steps you can take to make your ice last longer and keep your drinks and foods colder longer.

• Pre-freeze: If your items and, if possible, your cooler are already cold before you’re ready to tailgate, they’ll stay colder longer.
• Insulate: Adding a layer of insulation, like styrofoam, around the walls of your cooler will keep the cooler colder longer.
• Layer items: If you open the cooler less, your items will stay colder longer. Keep the foods you’ll access more often on the top, so you can reach them without digging around.
• Get rid of water: Water from melted ice will melt the rest of your ice faster. If you can release the water that will collect in the bottom of the cooler without emptying it completely, you’ll keep your items colder longer, and prevent them from getting soggy.

Don’t forget to check off ice on your tailgating party checklist! With the Twice the Ice app, you can make purchases directly on the app, take advantage of savings and rewards, find the closest machine, and more. This way, you can get the ice you need fast, and get on your way to your tailgating party faster. You can save money too, and get all of the party essentials you’ll need.