Guests each bring a batch of their favorite homemade dip and all the party-goers blindly judge and award winners! This party works great anytime of year for any kind of celebration, but we especially like the idea of using it for a game day party!
The Food: Instruct each guest to bring a bowl of their favorite homemade dip (and copies of the recipe for the other guests to take home and try!). As the party host, you will not only prepare a dip, you will also provide common “dippers” such as tortilla chips, pita chips, veggie sticks, etc. This way your guests can bring their bowl of dip, set it down on the judging table anonymously, and you will have already set out everything else that guests will need to taste each dip and vote!
The Drinks: Many dips pair wonderfully with a good beer. You could also serve wine and beer, juice and water.
The Décor: Make sure to have lots of small plates handy so that guests can take spoonfuls of a bunch of different dips and taste. Place a large, decorated ballot box in the center of the table of dip. Set pieces of paper out for voting (see “The Fun” section below for different ways to have guests vote!). Also set the mood with a summer theme, playing on the pool party sounding party name. Lots of summery/pool party décor can be found pretty much year-round at many party supply stores.
The Fun: You can do the voting in a few ways. Remind guests not to vote for their own dip!
1. Put out plain pieces of paper and have guests simply vote on their favorite dip; winning dip receives a prize (such as an interesting dip serving bowl or a set of decorative dip spoons).
2. Make ballots in advance that that your guests can vote on a variety of different awards – so that guests have more of a chance to win and you can give out more prizes! Some possible award categories include: Best Overall Dip, Spiciest Dip, Most Unique Dip, Healthiest Dip, or whatever others you can think of! Get creative!
