One of my favorite events to throw, or attend, is game night. Not video games. Board games. It’s so easy to throw up a few tables, stack games everywhere, set out finger foods, and invite all your friends. It can be the easiest event you ever host! It requires very little planning, a small investment for finger foods, and usually just a Facebook invite or simple text message. But the fun you’ll have is unmatched. A little healthy competition, team building strategy, and laughing until your side hurts will have you wanting to plan a game night every month!
If you’re not prepared to lose every friend you have over a board game, them you’re not playing hard enough.
There are many different ways to do a game night. You can do a specific themed game night such as Retro, Fantasy, or Sci-Fi and have everyone wear costumes and serve themed snacks. You can do a bring-your-own game night where everyone brings their favorite board game and snack item. You can even do card party games only where everyone is playing the same game all night. There are so many variations and tweaks you can make to personalize this event. I’m going to show you the easiest way to host a game night in 4 easy steps.
1.) Pick a date and send the invites.
I like to use Facebook event creator for this. Most everyone has a Facebook account now. If there’s someone you want to invite that is not on Facebook, you can send the details via text message. Facebook allows you to create an event and share details and updates in the same spot. It really works great if you’re doing a pot lock and bring-your-own-game style because everyone can see what each other will be bringing
2.) Borrow some card or folding tables and chairs.
I’ll bet you know someone you can borrow a few gaming tables and chairs from. If not, simply set up different gaming areas on different parts of you floor and throw down some small pillows.
3.) Decide if you’ll supply all games or have attendees bring their own. 
Make sure to put that in the event details. If you choose to supply all games, make sure you have enough for every to play. If you’re going to have everyone bring their own, I suggest you still set out 3-5 of your own just in case There will be somebody on your invite list that either doesn’t own any games, or will forget. You want to make sure there are still plenty of games for all to play. (My favorite games include Disney Villainous, Ticket to Ride, HP: Battle for Hogwarts, and Clue)
4.) Set out finger foods and beverages.
Since there are precious board games everywhere, I suggest staying away from red solo cups and stick with bottled or canned sodas, juices, and waters. Finger foods that are good for game night are simple, easy to eat, and make a minimal mess. Examples include: roll-ups, veggie platter, chips, mini sub sandwiches, cheese crackers, cookies, and skewers. If you want to take it up a notch, you could do pizza or walking tacos. One of the best platters to put together for a game night is a cheese platter (pictured above). You choose 3-4 different cheese varieties, 1-2 types of crackers, 2-3 types of deli meat (such as pepperoni or salami), and fruits such as berries and grapes. You can build it from there with dates, nuts, dried fruits, and candies as desired.
That’s really all there is to a basic game night event. You can change things, make it themed, make the meal a full dinner, etc. It’s so easy to personalize this type of event. I love game nights because it draws friends and family together for a time of healthy competition, laughter, and fellowship. There’s nothing more fun than sitting around a table with your best friends playing a board game.
reclaiminghergrace.com 