A snackadium in a clawfoot tub. That was one of the first ideas that popped into Brian O’Hea’s head when he was thinking about building one. His inn, after all, is filled with tubs. But his wife brought him back down to earth: How would you move it? she asked. And how would you refrigerate the parts that need to be kept cold until game time?

The couple quickly figured out another plan, but the point is: take the time to think about infrastructure. After rejecting the bathtub scenario, it took the O’Heas about two hours to come up with theirs – the bowl from their cotton candy machine, lined with removable snack boxes.

Similarly plan and prepare as much of the food as possible before you actually start building the stadium. “Time it,” Shanna O’Hea says. “Map it out. Do as much as you can ahead because if you’re having a party, it’s already stressful enough.”

The O’Hea’s also recommend picking a theme. When planning their own snackadium, it gave them focus.

Think about scale. How many people are coming to your party? Many snackadiums on the Internet build the stadium exteriors from deli meats, but if your stadium is large, you could quickly run up an equally large grocery bill. The O’Hea’s estimate they spent at least $200 – no deli meat in sight. (In Scotts- dale, Ariz., this year, Yelp built a snackadium that’s 20 feet long, 24 feet wide and 8 feet tall. It required 2,000 bags of chips and four tons of Velveeta. Price tag? More than $130,000.)

Construct walls out of cardboard or some other inedible material, or build them with sandwiches, Rice Krispie treats (great because they are so malleable), or graham crackers. For the stands, use snack boxes or cut-up disposable loaf pans.

Most people make the field out of guacamole since it’s green. But guacamole turns brown when exposed to air. If you don’t like the idea of using wheatgrass, like our chefs did, try lime gelatin.

Make goal posts out of pretzel rods or beef jerky.

Build your little Tom Bradys and Russell Wilsons using carrot sticks with green olive heads. Small sausages (think Vienna) also work well, especially when you cut black olives in half to make the players little helmets.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.