Set a Date

Selecting the right date is crucial to your event's success.

While you can't predict the weather a year in advance, you can avoid major disappointments and scheduling conflicts by researching what's happening in the wider community.

Gather as much information as possible about:

• Scheduled dates of similar events in your area over the next 12 months. Contact other schools to see if they have a fete planned, and reach out to your local council for information on any major commercial or community events.
• Your school's activity calendar. Avoid scheduling your fete to coincide with significant events, such as away games or all-year-level camps, as this will impact attendance and volunteer availability. Conversely, a major home game could attract a larger crowd to your event. Consider the proximity to other P&C/PTO events in the month before and after the fete, as volunteer availability may be limited.
• Major sporting events, including national football finals, inter-school events, and club level finals.
• Public holidays, school holidays, and pupil-free days (creating 'long weekends').
• Out-of-the-ordinary events such as elections or even the Olympics.

Once you've gathered this information, you can confidently set your date. Keep in mind that Friday evenings are an increasingly popular alternative to crowded Saturday calendars, but volunteers may need to take time off work for setup or might be unavailable until the event starts.

Also, consider the event's duration and start time. Some fetes have evolved into day and night extravaganzas, which can be exciting but may require additional volunteer capacity. Evaluate whether the extended hours would truly result in increased profits and if your event would work better as a day or nighttime event.

Evening or 'twilight' events are popular during summer months due to cooler temperatures, the potential for firework or drone finales, and the festive atmosphere created by party lights and lanterns. However, you may need to account for additional costs, such as external lighting and generators if your school's facilities are insufficient.

An afternoon/evening event allows ample setup time but may require packing down in the dark after a long day. Evening events typically require a variety of food stalls, which can be labour-intensive and may yield limited profits due to rising ingredient costs. Renting space to external food trucks can alleviate this issue, but it may also reduce profit opportunities.

Daytime events are generally more family-friendly, offering greater availability of external providers such as ride operators and petting zoos. However, this may mean an early start for volunteers and careful coordination of start and finish times for external providers.

By considering these factors, you can select the optimal date and time for your event, maximising attendance, volunteer availability, and overall success.

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