MAKE ANY OCCASION A TOTAL SUCCESS
We’ve got amazing ideas for throwing the perfect party
Sports are just not the same without Flamingo! We’ve got amazing ideas for throwing the perfect party (with your buds, your friends, everyone!), super recipes and an interactive meal calculator that will help you prepare the right amount of food so your evening is a huge success.
THE PRE-GAME PARTY
Familiar with tailgating? This fun activity keeps growing in popularity… when else do you get to invite all your friends to hang out in the trunk of your car? Which is pretty much what it is!
The idea is simple: gather all your friends in the parking lot of the football stadium at least one hour before game time. (Of course, you can always organize a party in some other public place, like your favourite park, outside the festival grounds, outside a show or a hockey arena, etc. Then comes the food and drinks to help everyone get in the game watching mood, and so you can have a few laughs with your buds. How? Just follow the step-by-step instructions!
How to tailgate in 10 easy steps
- Choose an event and send out the invitations well enough in advance so everyone has a chance to buy tickets.
- Plan on one vehicle with plenty of space in the back to haul and install everything you are going to need. Like a 4X4 or a pick-up, borrowed from a friend if necessary.
- In the days leading up to the big event, plan your menu (you’ll find tonnes of ideas in our recipes section), do your shopping and start getting things ready.
- If you need to, delegate certain things to others, just like a good old pot luck dinner. Ideally, you should be able to eat everything with your fingers: nuggets, bites, burgers, chicken mini pizzas, etc.
- The night before, put everything that needs to be served cold into the fridge. Freeze bottles of water into ice packs.
- Plan on hot drinks (cider, hot chocolate, coffee) to warm people up.
- Check the weather forecast and throw in a few umbrellas just in case.
- The night before, prepare all the cold foods: salads, dips, etc.
- Arrive at least an hour before your guests to set things up.Your gang should be invited an hour or so before the actual start of the game.
- Allow some time to pick up and put things away before the game, otherwise you might miss the opening kick-off!
What you need to bring
- A folding table for serving food, unless you think you can manage on the tailgate of your vehicle.
- Portable barbecue and utensils. It could be a charcoal or propane version. (you’ll find some inexpensive ones at Canadian Tire).
- Preferably 2 coolers, one for hot food and one for cold.
- Folding chairs (optional).
- Paper towels, unless you’ve already invested in napkins bearing the logo of your favourite team.
- Disposable utensils and cups.
- Bottle opener.
- Garbage bags.
- Bags and/or plastic containers for leftovers.
- Decorations for your vehicle (like the team banner), face paint and team jerseys (optional).
Don’t forget..
Before you start your planning, best to check with the stadium (or other authority in the case of a public space) if you are allowed to:
- Cook in public
- Serve alcoholic beverages
- Bring bottles (wine, beer)
HOCKEY AND FLAMINGO: FOR A WINNING OCCASION!
Enjoy yourself by planning some fun family time together before a hockey game. In no time at all, you can whip up a variety of tasty meals that’ll make your hockey nights with family or friends a weekly tradition.
The whole family’s coming over to catch the big hockey game. The kids adore BBQ chicken wings. You also make Flamingo chicken bites/chunkies/nuggets so you enjoy your time together even more!
Your son prepares his favourite dip for slathering on those succulent BBQ chicken wings.
Suddenly, the pre-game show comes on TV. The food’s all ready to go: the wings and chicken nuggets are cooked to perfection and are giving off the most tantalizing aroma.
You get comfortably ensconced in front of the TV to enjoy your family time together, with some awesome Flamingo chicken wings and a game featuring your favourite team.
FOR AN EPIC GUY’S NIGHT, IT’S GOTTA BE FLAMINGO!
Between your busy work and family schedules, you deserve a little hockey-watching time with your buds! Enjoy your little “vacation” and prepare some foods your buddies will clamour for time and time again.
Why not start out at the grocery store. It’s more practical and way less expensive than a restaurant. Stock up on BBQ and honey garlic chicken wings as well as chicken nuggets. Because tonight is the big night, the playoff final you’ve all been waiting for.
Start out your dinner by whipping up some guacamole dip that’s sure to get everyone’s taste buds warmed up.
Your friends all arrive together, beverage’s in tow, to cheer your favourite team on. Comfortably installed on the sofas, finally you’re ready to enjoy your evening, which took a bit of planning but was pretty easy to pull off after all.
If your team still hasn’t scored by the end of the first period, offer your guests the BBQ dip with extra cheese to add a little bit of spice to the proceedings