Any reason is good enough to throw a party. Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders is even better. If you’re looking for parties to go to on Super Bowl Sunday, they won’t be hard to find.

For students under the age of 21, there will be a Super Bowl Party in the Bowling and Billiards Center in Hilltop Center, sponsored by Special Events of University Recreation and Residence Hall Activities Board. Geckos Sports Bar and Night Club, 2124 EastRidge Center, is having a Superbowl party with drink specials.

This is the second Super Bowl Party held in the BBC, said Lisa Schuetz, Student Services Program Manager of University Recreation. Special Events is part of University Recreation and was created two years ago to reach out to other interests on campus.

“Students can do things they otherwise wouldn’t be able to do,” Schuetz said. The next Special Events is a trip to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater in Minnesota Feb. 6.

“We try to run an average of 15 to 20 special events a semester,” Schuetz said.

The Super Bowl Party is one of the special events, which will start at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in the Dugout. Schuetz said the big-screen television will be set up to watch the game. The other televisions in the BBC will also broadcast the game, she said.

Free refreshments and snack foods will also be provided. But students who attend the party don’t have to just watch the game.

“They can come and do activities while watching the game,” Schuetz said.

With neither the Packers nor the Vikings in the Super Bowl, Schuetz is still expecting about 50 students to attend.

“There are lots of die-hard football fans on campus,” she said. Last year 40-50 students watched the game in the Dug-out, but the rest of the BBC was packed, she said.

Kari Mickelson, manager of Geckos Sports Bar and Night Club, said its Super Bowl specials start an hour before the game and last until the game ends.

She is expecting a smaller crowd of about 150 people because neither the Packers nor the Vikings are playing.

“Wisconsinites aren’t football fans, they’re Packer fans,” Mickelson said. But for the entire football season, Geckos has been advertising with The Carp radio station. Every Sunday, a disc jockey has been at the bar promoting its Super Bowl party.

In addition to drink specials, a buffet will be served. Mickelson said from her experience, the most popular football party food is chicken wings. Geckos goes through about 500 pounds per weekend, she said. Besides the chicken wings, pasta, potato salad, hot beef and a mix of snacks will be served.

The party will be held in the back bar, which seats about 300 people. Geckos has three big-screen televisions, one giant screen and nine other small televisions.

“You can see a television from every seat in the lounge,” Mickelson said.

Schuetz and Mickelson said pre-planning for parties is always important. Schuetz said her planning took a week, just enough time to order the food. Mickelson said they have been planning their Super Bowl Party since the beginning of the football season.

In addition to pre-planning, both said refreshments are a must. Mickelson said from her experience, three things make a Super Bowl party successful — a lot of beer, booze and ice.