Life
6 Winter Olympic Viewing Party Ideas That Will Win You A Gold Medal In Hosting
It has, somehow, been a full four years since we watched Meryl Davis and Charlie White kill it on the ice in Sochi, and the 2018 Winter Olympics are set to open in PyeongChang, South Korea, on February 9. This is the first time South Korea has ever hosted the Olympics, and they're gearing up for a spectacular opening ceremony: that, with the excitement of watching the actual sport events, is reason enough to host an Olympic viewing party, should you have the space and/or access to NBC, which will air the games.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Olympics, probably because I was forced to put my non-athleticism on display for so many Olympic-themed camp color wars back in my youth. But even if you yourself find sports to be the embodiment of all things Bad, there is something uniquely exhilarating about getting together with a group of friends to watch the world's best athletes bobsled the heck out of a run, or own a double axel, or pull off a particularly tricky high jump on skis. Also, you get to make themed snacks. Themed snacks are very good and important.
Here are some tips for throwing your own stellar Olympian soiree:
Make Olympic Jello Shots
Jello shots are both very colorful and delicious conduits through which you can put alcohol in your system, attributes which work well for an Olympic-themed party. The Olympic ring colors are blue, yellow, green, red, and black, and though it may be a little difficult to find a Jello flavor that coincides with that last one (perhaps use purple grape Jello instead?) you can easily whip up the rest to make Olympic Jello shots like these, then force everyone to down one whenever any of the competitors look mad.
Curate The Soundtrack
South Korea is the birthplace of K-pop, an incredibly fun, fast-paced, catchy type of music that combines a wide range of musical genres with eye-popping visuals. Make a playlist with some of K-pop's best hits, like "Fantastic Baby" by BigBang, "Bubble Pop!" by HyunA, "Candy" by H.O.T., and, if you must, "Gangnam Style," and pair them up with the luge events for maximum speed.
Do feel free to mix up the K-pop with some champion-themed hits, too, like "We Are The Champions" by Queen, or "Sleeping Bag" by ZZ Top, in honor of the definitive Olympic ice-skating film I, Tonya.
Gift Your Guests With Medals
The ultimate goal of the Olympics is, of course, to win a medal or eight, and like 10 Americans did in 2014 (including badass ladies Kaitlin Farrington, Maddie Bowman, and Mikaela Shiffrin), your guests can go home with the gold. Party City sells mini-medals for only $5, or for $20 Etsy will sell you a 24-pack of blank medals you can design on your own, if you're feeling particularly crafty.
Order This Opening Ceremony Banner
Speaking of Etsy, a seller is making these adorable banners for $18 each — just in case anyone was wondering who you were rooting for.
Serve Torch Snacks
As previously mentioned, themed snacks are the best part of any sport-viewing event. My favorite Olympian snacks are torch-themed ones, since they're easy to make and they always involve ice cream cones. Fill cake cones with orange/red-colored treats like popcorn, Cheetos, Doritos, Red Vines or actual ice cream, then run around your living room like a real torch-bearer. Here some Pinterest inspo to get you started.
Offer International Beers
The Olympics are a prime time for the world's citizens to come together to learn about one another's cultures, and what better way to familiarize yourself with other nationalities than to drink their booze? Serve up a sampling of beers from all over the world: Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, China, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Mexico, and Poland all make particularly good brews, though you can certainly find beer from all over. Do be sure to get your hands on Hite and OB, though, as both are good (and cheap!) South Korean beers available in the States.
