So you want to throw an awesome Olympic fencing party to share the excitement of fencing with all of your friends? Of course you do! But you don’t just want to order a pizza and pop some popcorn, this is a big deal. You’re raring to go and ready to pull out all of the stops, because after all Olympic fencing only happens once every four years.
We ourselves love a great party, and we feel like life is definitely something to celebrate. But sometimes throwing one can feel a bit overwhelming. Let’s make it easy! Here are five easy steps to throwing an amazing Olympic fencing party.
Step 1 – Schedule your party
First things first, you have to know WHEN to throw your party. You’ll want to plan the time around your favorite events of course!
One thing you might consider is throwing a series of parties rather than just one, as the Olympics are of course an event that goes over multiple days. You might have a get together for the opening ceremonies, then one for your favorite events. Keep in mind that if you do this then all of your decorations are reusable. Or maybe you’ll want get together with some friends and have a floating party, going from house to house on different nights. So many fun possibilities!
Most of the time you’ll see that each day is devoted to one weapon, so you could choose to throw a Men’s Individual Foil party or a Women’s Saber party, then follow the action from the quarter or semifinals all the way to the gold! Keep in mind that for some events (like Men’s Team Foil), the competition goes all day – quarterfinals start at 9am EST and the Gold Medal matches won’t start until 8pm EST.
All of the times below are in Eastern Standard Time, so keep in mind that you’ll want to make sure that you schedule for the right time according to your timezone. These are NBC’s official broadcast times, and should be pretty reliable.
August 6
6:30 – 8 p.m. (USA): Women’s Fencing – Individual Epee Gold Medal Final
August 7
12 – 2:30 p.m. (MSNBC): Men’s Fencing – Individual Foil Quarterfinals
2:30 – 5 p.m. (MSNBC): Men’s Fencing – Individual Foil Semifinals and Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
August 8
9 – 11 a.m. (NBCSN): Women’s Fencing – Individual Saber Round of 32
1 – 3 p.m. (NBCSN): Women’s Fencing – Individual Saber Quarterfinals
3 – 6 p.m. (NBCSN): Women’s Fencing – Individual Saber Gold Medal Finals (LIVE)
August 10
12 – 2:30 p.m. (NBCSN): Men’s Fencing – Individual Saber Qualifying
5 – 8 p.m. (CNBC): Women’s Fencing – Individual Foil Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
8 – 9 p.m. (NBCSN): Men’s Fencing – Individual Saber Gold Medal Final
August 11
9:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (NBCSN): Women’s Fencing – Team Epee Quarterfinals (LIVE)
5 – 8 p.m. (CNBC): Women’s Fencing – Team Epee Gold Medal Final (LIVE)
August 12
9 – 10:40 a.m. (USA): Men’s Fencing – Team Foil Quarterfinals (LIVE)
12:15 – 2 p.m. (USA): Men’s Fencing – Team Foil Semifinals (LIVE)
8 – 9 p.m. (NBCSN): Men’s Fencing – Team Foil Gold Medal Final
August 13
9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (MSNBC): Women’s Fencing – Team Saber Quarterfinals (LIVE)
4 – 6:15 pm. (MSNBC): Women’s Fencing – Team Saber Bronze and Gold Medal (LIVE)
Step 2 – Invite your friends
Now that you know what events you want to throw your party for, you’ll of course want to invite your friends! This is a perfect time to introduce friends and family who aren’t familiar with fencing to learn more about the sport. Think broadly with your invites, and reach out to people who might not be fans to enjoy the thrill of fencing.
Another great way to reach out is to ask your friends to bring a “plus one” – an extra person with them. This is especially great if you’ve got teammates from your club who you want to come over for your party, as you can ask them to each bring a friend who’s not a fencer to come over for your shindig.
Step 3 – Plan the menu
Now for some of the real fun – the FOOD! Here are some quick, fencing and Olympic themed food ideas for your party! Here we offer some superfun snacks that are themed right along with the Olympics.
We love these because they’re healthy and they’re also just like our swords! I’ve always fantasized about using a foil like a barbecue skewer, but this is as close as I think I’ll ever get.
Skewer some cheese blocks with tiny sword toothpicks! These are easily found in many grocery and party stores, or just order them from Amazon via the link above.
This one is SO simple. The recipe here is from England so it calls them biscuits, but whatever you call them, they’re super easy and tons of fun!
- Power Bars
Pick your favorite recipe for homemade energy bars, or pick some up from the store. What could be more Olympic than protein bars?
- Ice Cream Olympic Torches
These are so simple and so yummy. Just pick up some pointed ice cream cones, then pile high with orange colored ice cream. Top with some red sprinkles and you’ve got edible Olympic torches!
What could be more fun than fencing lollipops? These are actually very simple to make with melting chocolate.
Step 4 – Organize Activities
A party isn’t a party without some fun things to do! While of course the centerpiece of the action will be watching the Games, you’ll want there to be more than just sitting in front of the tube. Here are some awesome things for you and your guest to do during your Olympic adventure! We’ve included fun activities for kids and for adults
- Prediction Challenge
One of the most fun things about the Olympics is choosing your favorites and rooting for them! Check out our profiles of the US team, then create a quick chart of who everyone thinks will win. This is a great chance to learn more about the athletes and to get more invested with the team.
This one is a lot of fun and so easy, plus it gives everyone something fun to take home.
Using just pipe cleaners and some beads, guests can show their support for their favorite fencers or their country. Another fun take home!
We love this simple and easy party idea that you can do inside to stay out of the summer heat, or outside if your party is under the blue sky!
What’s great about this one is that it digs into the science of sport, which is of course just wonderful!
- Pool Noodle Fencing
This one is super easy and SO much fun for everyone! Just cut some dollar store pool noodles in half, creating two shorter noodles out of each. Mark off a strip – if you’re inside then you can use tape on the floor, or try chalk on the driveway if you’re outside. Give two people a pool noodle each, then have one person be the judge to call points and have a pool noodle fencing bout! This is truly so much fun!
Step 5 – Enjoy!
You’ve put a lot of hard work into your Olympic fencing party, now it’s time to sit back and enjoy! The Olympics are a great time for fencing every four years, offering us the chance to celebrate our sport, our teammates and our country.
Leave a Reply