20 College Tailgate Ideas for Homecoming Weekend

Homecoming is the one weekend a year when alumni, students and parents are all in the same parking lot, and the tailgate has to work for a 22 year old and a 62 year old at the same time. The lots that pull it off give the crowd something to do besides eat: a Speed Pitch Cage clocking throws by the alumni tent, a Mechanical Bull on the quad with the fraternity line wrapped around it, a 360 Photo Booth filming the spirit outfits and a Family Feud style game show at halftime with the classes of 1996 and 2016 on the buzzers.

Here are 20 college tailgate ideas organized by where they go: games for the lot, big draws for the quad, spirit and photo stations, and halftime and alumni tent ideas, with a note on the high school homecoming version where it differs. Every one of them is rentable from the carnival and picnic games collection at Perfect Parties USA, and each comes with a planning tip on space, power or staffing, whether your campus is in Boston, Worcester or Providence.

Games for the Lot

Lawn games and football skill games that run between the tents without an attendant.

1. Corn Hole

Corn Hole: Full-size boards, the tailgate game nobody has to be taught. Planning Tip: Put three or four sets between the tents and run a bracket on a whiteboard for the alumni. Rent the Corn Hole set.

2. Giant Tumbling Tower

Giant Tumbling Tower (giant Jenga): The giant block tower that draws a circle every time it wobbles. Planning Tip: Set it on a tarp so the crash is safe on pavement. Rent the Giant Tumbling Tower (giant Jenga).

3. Speed Pitch Cage

Speed Pitch Cage: A radar gun clocks every throw, and the fastest arm of the day wins. It runs about 60 throwers an hour in a 12 by 8 foot footprint. Planning Tip: Post the top ten by class year and the alumni will keep coming back to defend it. Rent the Speed Pitch Cage.

4. Field Goal Challenge

Field Goal Challenge: Kick field goals through an inflatable upright from marked distances. Planning Tip: Score by distance and run a sudden-death kickoff between the top two before the walk to the stadium. Rent the Field Goal Challenge.

5. QB Blitz

QB Blitz: Throw footballs through the targets for points, the quarterback challenge for the lot. Planning Tip: Three throws per turn keeps the line under two minutes. Rent the QB Blitz.

6. Baggo

Baggo: The compact two-board bean bag toss for the families with little kids. Planning Tip: Chalk a short throwing line for the kids and a long one for the parents. Rent the Baggo bean bag toss.

Big Draws for the Quad

The pieces that pull the crowd from the lot to the quad and keep it there until kickoff.

7. Mechanical Bull

Mechanical Bull: A mechanical bull on an inflatable landing bed, with an operator setting the ride for every rider from freshman to alumnus. Planning Tip: Run a longest-ride leaderboard by class year; the rivalry writes itself. Rent the Mechanical Bull.

8. Big Glove Boxing

Big Glove Boxing: Oversized inflatable gloves in an inflatable ring. Planning Tip: Two-minute rounds with a referee volunteer, and pair students with alumni. Rent the Big Glove Boxing.

9. Bungee Run

Bungee Run: Two runners in bungee harnesses race down parallel lanes to plant a marker. Planning Tip: Score the farthest marker per student organization across three runs. Rent the Bungee Run.

10. High Striker

High Striker: Swing the mallet, ring the bell, and settle every argument about which team is stronger. Planning Tip: Post the day’s best hits by class year on a whiteboard. Rent the High Striker.

11. All In One Sports Arena

All In One Sports Arena: An inflatable arena with several sports games in one footprint, for the crowd that wants to throw, kick and shoot without waiting in three lines. Planning Tip: Give it one attendant and it runs all afternoon. Rent the All In One Sports Arena.

Spirit and Photo Stations

The stations that produce the photos the alumni office runs for the next year.

12. 360 Photo Booth

360 Photo Booth: A 360 photo booth films a slow-motion spin of every spirit outfit and every alumni group. Planning Tip: Put it at the entrance of the alumni tent and brand the video with the year. Rent the 360 Photo Booth.

13. Green Screen Photo Booth

Green Screen Photo Booth: Guests pose and the green screen drops them into the stadium, the quad or a vintage team photo, printed or texted on the spot. Planning Tip: Load a backdrop for each decade of alumni. Rent the Green Screen Photo Booth.

14. LED Letters

LED Letters: Marquee LED letters spelling the school initials or the year across the tent entrance. Planning Tip: Put them behind the photo booth so every picture carries the message. Rent the LED Letters.

15. A Branded Alumni Booth

Custom Deluxe Carnival Booth with Marquee: A striped carnival booth with the alumni association’s name on the marquee, as the check-in, the swag table or a game station. Planning Tip: Make it the first stop so every alumnus signs in before the games. Rent the Custom Deluxe Carnival Booth with Marquee.

16. A Tailgate Entrance Arch

Carnival Entrance Way: An inflatable entrance that marks where the official tailgate starts. Planning Tip: Put the sponsor banners on either side of it. Rent the Carnival Entrance Way.

Halftime and Alumni Tent Ideas

For the tent that stays open through the game and the crowd that wanders back at halftime.

17. Giant Guess Who: Football Edition

Giant Guess Who: Football Edition: The guessing game at giant scale with a football theme, played by two teams in front of a crowd. Planning Tip: Run alumni versus students at halftime and keep score for the year. Rent the Giant Guess Who: Football Edition.

18. A Family Feud Style Game Show

Deluxe Game Show – Survey Says: A hosted Family Feud style show with buzzers and survey questions about the school. Planning Tip: Survey the alumni list a month out and put the classes on the buzzers. Rent the Deluxe Game Show – Survey Says.

19. The Carnival Claw

The Carnival Claw: A human-sized claw game: students are harnessed, lifted and lowered into a pit of prizes to grab as much as they can before the time runs out, about 30 players an hour, with a crowd around it the whole time. Planning Tip: It needs a 16 by 16 foot footprint and two dedicated 20 amp circuits, and you supply the prizes, so fill the pit with bookstore overstock. Rent The Carnival Claw.

20. A Prize Wheel

Prize Wheel: A spin-to-win wheel where every slice pays out something, from a sticker to season tickets. Planning Tip: One spin per alumni check-in, and the check-in line stays full. Rent the Prize Wheel.

How to Choose College Tailgate Attractions for Your Event

Start with your crowd and your permit. A student activities tailgate wants the quad section and the skill games; an alumni office tailgate wants the photo stations, the game show and the check-in booth; a high school homecoming with boosters wants the lot games, the Field Goal Challenge and the Prize Wheel, and skips the bull unless the athletic director signs off. Most campuses require a certificate of insurance and a site plan for inflatables and rides, so send both with the request. The college carnival ideas for campus events guide covers the campus permitting pattern, and the carnival games for adults list adds more competitive games for the alumni crowd.

As a rule of thumb, plan for one game per 25 to 50 guests and one big draw per 150 to 200, and book six to eight weeks ahead, because homecoming weekends across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut land on the same three Saturdays in October. The tailgate games list has the full lineup of games, the fall team building activities guide covers the competitive pieces for staff tailgates, and for Boston campuses the carnival game rentals in Boston, MA page lists what is available locally.

Rent College Tailgate Attractions From Perfect Parties USA

Perfect Parties USA is based in Peabody, Massachusetts and owns hundreds of attractions, including every rentable item on this list, so the games you book are the games that arrive, maintained and ready to play. Every rental includes delivery, professional setup, trained attendants and prizes for staffed games, and complete teardown. We are fully insured, with a certificate of insurance available for venues and schools, and we have produced events of every size across New England and the Northeast for decades, from Massachusetts, Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island to New Hampshire and New York.

Ready to get this party started? Contact Perfect Parties USA to talk to one of our Party Pros. Request a Quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best college tailgate ideas for homecoming?

The best homecoming tailgate ideas are a Corn Hole bracket by class year, a Speed Pitch Cage clocking throws, the Mechanical Bull on the quad with a longest-ride leaderboard, a 360 Photo Booth at the alumni tent and a Family Feud style game show at halftime with alumni versus students. Perfect Parties USA runs that lineup for campuses across New England.

What tailgate ideas work for a high school homecoming?

A high school homecoming tailgate runs well on the lot games: Corn Hole, the Giant Tumbling Tower, the Field Goal Challenge, QB Blitz and Baggo, plus a Prize Wheel and a Green Screen Photo Booth run by the boosters. Skip the bull and the boxing unless the athletic director approves, and keep the attractions between the parent tents.

How many attractions do you need for a college tailgate?

Plan for one game per 25 to 50 guests and one big draw per 150 to 200. A student tailgate of 300 runs well on four lot games, the Speed Pitch Cage, the Mechanical Bull and a photo booth, while an alumni tailgate of 1,000 needs eight to ten games and three or four big draws. Perfect Parties USA sizes lineups for campuses across New England.

Can you rent tailgate games and inflatables for a campus event?

Yes, every attraction in this guide is available to rent, from Corn Hole and the Speed Pitch Cage to the Mechanical Bull, the 360 Photo Booth and the hosted game show. Rentals from Perfect Parties USA include delivery, professional setup, trained operators and attendants, and complete teardown, with a certificate of insurance and a site plan for campus permits.

Does Perfect Parties USA deliver tailgate rentals to colleges in Massachusetts and New England?

Yes, Perfect Parties USA delivers tailgate rentals to campuses across Massachusetts, including Boston, Cambridge, Worcester and the North Shore, and throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New York. The company is based in Peabody, Massachusetts and works with campus facilities teams on load-in and permits.

Are tailgate attractions appropriate for an alumni event?

Tailgate attractions work at alumni events because they give people from different decades something to do together. Corn Hole, the Speed Pitch Cage, the photo booths and the game show draw every age, while the Mechanical Bull and Big Glove Boxing give the younger alumni a story to tell, and a longest-ride leaderboard by class year turns the lot into a reunion.

How far in advance should you book homecoming tailgate rentals?

Book homecoming tailgate rentals six to eight weeks ahead, and earlier for the Mechanical Bull and the 360 Photo Booth, which are reserved first for the October Saturdays when most New England campuses hold homecoming. Booking early with Perfect Parties USA also leaves time to file the certificate of insurance and the site plan with campus facilities.