March Madness Basketball Party Table

Living in a house of boys, you would think I’m a sports lover.  Not really, only when my kids are playing.  I’m not a sports widow either…my husband follows but isn’t obsessive/ spends his free time in the sport of the season. However, he loves basketball…he did his March Madness brackets and gets very angry at the TV.

I, on the hand, look at it as another excuse to create a basketball party table with a few fun ideas for entertaining.  It started with a little inspiration from a giant basketball pillow from IKEA.  OK, I just wanted to buy the pillow. I used a traditional color palette, but feel free to swap the colors for your favorite college team that makes it past the Final Four.

• To start recreating the look, cover your table or counter with a base of kraft paper.  Add details with marker or black electrical tape to mimic a basketball court.

• Serve easy to eat (and prepare) traditional foods like wings, sliders and my favorite, fresh pretzels. Even snack mix gets classed up when served in fun cupcake liners.
• Having a mix of healthy and not-so-healthy snacks are a great way to balance your offerings…a quick swipe of a permanent marker on Cutie mandarins transforms them into basketballs.
• Don’t just set out a tray of veggies…replate them on platters or flat plates, or even small, clear juice glasses.
• Have fun with a plain white cake by creating a ‘basketball’ topping of Reese’s Pieces.  I lightly traced the lines in the frosting then filled in with candy. Easy right? Even I couldn’t mess that up.

• There is a time and place for paper products; this is the time, especially if you are hosting a lot of guests.  Head to your favorite party store for patterned napkins, plates and cups.  Mine are from Michaels a few years ago.
• Trophy cups and bowls are a fun way to display food, whether they are vintage or modern pieces like mine  from Rosanna.

• I love having fresh flowers on my party tables, especially with gerbera daisies that come in so many fun shades.  You can easily match them to your favorite college colors.
• Be sure and keep your guests hydrated with a variety of beverages…there will be a lot of sore throats from yelling at the TV.

I hope you’re inspired by the details above to style a fabulous March Madness basketball party table. Feel free to adapt them year round for end of season parties and birthday parties.