Football season is in full swing and you know what that means: touchdowns, good food and tailgates. Now, tailgates can be done several ways and anything can be fun if you’re with the right people. Here are a few tips and pointers to hosting a successful tailgate.

1. Send the message out and be clear. Who are you inviting? Family? Close friends? The entire town? Figure it out and let everyone know the location, day and time. You should also decide whether it’ll be a potluck tailgate or if you’re supplying all of the food. If it’s a potluck, be clear about what and how much food people need to bring.

• Make the best playlist you’ve ever made. You need hype music to prepare for the game, so take some time to meander through some of the best hits of the century and pick music from all genres to hype everyone up.

• Find the best gear. How are you supposed to support your team without some rockin’ gear? Show your spirit and throw on that jersey. Get that eye black out and and just go crazy.

• Have activities for your guests to do. It’s a given that you’re going to have a football to throw around at your tailgate, but there might be some guests that don’t want to join that game. Have some other things like a soccer ball and a volleyball around to keep people active. As for those that aren’t very active, we suggest bubbles or hula hoops. They’re entertaining for all ages.

• Keep it legal. Sorry to ruin the fun, but the repercussions that come with underage drinking or doing drugs tend to put a damper on fun social events. You don’t need to be intoxicated to have fun and you shouldn’t risk your future for two hours of socializing.

• That being said, also keep it safe. Sure, legal ramifications to breaking the law suck and will set you back in some way. However, the injuries that can come with being hurt or the guilt that you’ll get from hurting someone else will destroy you. If you’re going to drink or do drugs, which we certainly do not recommend, be safe. Don’t drive and don’t put yourself in bad situations.

• Have fun. Planning and executing a good tailgate can be a ton of work. Don’t forget to have fun yourself and cheer your team on to a victory.