How to host an impromptu game night and make it a success! These easy tips are sure to make things a breeze for the host to set up and so much fun for everyone attending!

This post is sponsored by Kroger.

One of our favorite things to do on the weekend is game night with our friends.

I’ll be honest; It’s usually very last minute. With a trip to the grocery store in between work to pick up snacks, even then, I usually forget something! Sometimes (read: most times) hubby and I are scrambling to set things up minutes before the doorbell goes off. Needless to say, it’s totally hectic and it certainly puts a damper on the whole thing for the hosts. Everyone else seems to have a great time, but I’m usually left wishing I hadn’t opted to host this time around.

I find when things are that way, I often want to shy away from playing host. I’ll give myself excuses– it’s been a long week. I’d rather binge-watch a show. Even though game night is one of our favorite activities because when it’s not stressful, it’s lots of laughs and a great time.

But after hosting some successful (and some not so successful game nights) I’ve learned that the stress-free, impromptu game nights where I take some of the pressure off myself are so much more enjoyable than the ones spent scrambling or even days preparing for ahead of time.

So today, I’m sharing 5 tricks that make hosting an impromptu game night a whole lot easier and so much more fun!

1. Get plenty of snacks; and make it a variety!

You want to make sure there’s something for everyone. I like to start my cart by adding a veggie tray and some fresh berries or even grapes. Everyone has that one friend that dives for the fresh stuff and you definitely want to have healthy + colorful things to snack on in between all the other stuff.

2. Small bites are so much easier to eat while you play.

My go-to is a chip and dip board. It’s easy to arrange, easy to eat, and colorful to look at. And remember, you’re playing games so you want to think finger foods! Something that’s easy to grab between gameplays. And a chip and dip board lets you do just that. You can put it out on the table and gamers can go back as needed for a bite or two without having to stop the game entirely to eat. Game rules include no double-dipping!

Here are my typical chip and dip board ingredients:

  • Private Selection Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
  • Private Selection Mexican Street Corn Dip
  • Simple Truth Spicy Guacamole
  • Private Selection Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Private Selection Taqueria-Style Corn Tortilla Chips
  • Private Selection Aged Cheddar and Jalapeño Dip
  • Veggie Tray
  • Fresh berries or grapes

If you’re looking for more homemade small bite snacks, here’s a few reader favorites:

3. Order your snacks via Kroger Delivery to keep things stress-free!

This is my biggest tip.

You can easily set up Kroger Delivery in the morning or at lunchtime in between the chaos of the day and then just sit back and wait for it to show up at your door. Sometimes I’ll even throw in household essentials that I may be running low on, like a roll of paper towels or paper plates along with the snacks and fresh produce.

4. Arrange snacks so that it looks appealing!

Once the delivery is at your door, It’s as simple as setting it up. I may be making my life a lot easier by having my groceries delivered to the door, but I certainly still want my guests to feel like I put in the effort to pamper them. I like to remove the chips from the bags, arrange them on a board. I’ll also pop the dips into nice bowls and arrange them neatly. If you have a trio dip dish and a big salad bowl for the chips, that will work too!

Pro tip: adding a small garnish like chopped cilantro or sliced jalapeños to dip bowls totally makes it look like you put in the effort to host! If you’re putting out a cheeseboard, make sure to slice a few pieces off of the wedges so people aren’t hesitant to get it going.

5. Last but not least, make sure you have a good variety of games!

This really depends on the crowd. Are your guests board game people? Or do they prefer cards or poker? We usually like to keep a couple of board games on hand but we’ll also have a deck of cards handy, along with other card games, and a game or two that inspires thought-provoking conversation! These sorts of games tend to work really well, especially if you’ve got guests attending that may not know each other too well and you’re looking for an ice breaker game or if you’ve got a large group getting together where board games aren’t really an option.

I hope this inspires you to have an easy-on-the-host game night for your friends or family soon!

This post is sponsored by our friends over at Kroger. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.