What’s the next best thing to actually attending the US Open in NYC? Hosting a killer viewing party at home! Here’s everything you need to know to make your shindig one for the history books.
Food
You can’t go wrong with NYC-iconic finger foods like soft pretzels, pizza, hot dogs or bagels. You could also whip up a salad using tennis pasta. For sweets, Pinterest is a treasure trove of homemade goodies. Anything from cake pops to cookies to cakes can be decorated to look like tennis balls or tennis courts and you won’t need a pastry chef certification to pull it off. Just a steady hand.
Drinks
This one’s a no-brainer. Serve the official cocktail of the US Open: the Honey Deuce! The crowd-pleaser is a refreshing mix of Grey Goose Vodka, lemonade, Chambord and crushed ice topped with a frozen honeydew melon ball garnish. It’s an easy one to mix up before the party and serve in a large punch bowl or beverage dispenser so guests can help themselves. For the non-drinkers, make sure to have a generous supply of Gatorade on hand.
Dress Code
Ask your guests to come dressed in their favorite tennis duds. After all, it’s all so comfortable! As the host, you should go all out: full outfit, visor, sweatbands, shoes. Bonus points for wearing the same outfit as one of the players in the match you’re showing. Visit our player pages to shop their US Open gear.
Music
Great music is a must for any party. For the pre-match tunes, do some research into the walkout music of the two players facing off. For example, Coco Gauff is a fan of Bad and Boujee from Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert. Elina Svitolina reportedly rocks Eminem on her walkout and Sloane Stephens loves Drake and Cardi B. The Beastie Boys are a favorite of Federer and Kei Nishikori has a soft spot for Maroon 5. Oddly, Serena’s song of choice is Flashdance by Irene Cara. To make things easy for you, Spotify even has a Tennis Walkout Music playlist and a 100 Best Songs about NY playlist for the post-match after party.
Decorations
There’s no need to deck out your entire house. For maximum effect without breaking the bank, focus your decorating efforts on the table. Make a centerpiece out of a large vase filled tennis balls and pop a bouquet of flowers in it. You could also use empty tennis ball cans as additional flower vases. Other fun touches include tennis napkins, a tennis ball toothpick holder and a tennis fruit fork set.
Games/Prizes
Opportunities abound for drinking games during the match (drink for every ace, every winner, every Hawk-Eye challenge, etc.) but that could get out of hand quickly, wouldn’t you say? To keep things a bit safer but no less fun, ask guests to write down their pre-match predictions for things like the match winner, the number of sets/aces/unforced errors and the final score. Prizes could be a Tennis Express Gift Card, a tennis ball keychain or a novelty t-shirt like the NYC t-shirt for men or the “Game, Set, Wine” t-shirt for women. Maria Sharapova’s Sugarpova sweets make ideal party favors for when your guests reluctantly head for home.
Warning: Pull it off too well and your US Open viewing party might become an annual event!
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