Winter fairs are a fantastic way for Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to bring the school community together and raise much-needed funds for their charity event. With the festive season adding an extra layer of excitement, a well-organised winter fair can be the highlight of the school year. 

However, organising such an event often requires lots of planning and coordination. This guide will help you map out a step-by-step plan, suggest some of the best activities and ideas for stalls at your Christmas fair, and provide top tips to ensure your winter fair is a huge success.

With our children now back at school, now is the time to get ahead with planning for your Winter Fair. Read on for our top fundraising ideas to make your Winter Fair a success!

Step-by-Step Timeline for Organising a Winter Fair

3–4 Months Before the Event

Form a Winter Fair Planning Committee:

• Gather a core team of volunteers who want to be involved in the winter fair to help you lift your ideas into actions. Along with your PTA team you can use this time to plan your winter fair. We recommend you have assigned people for these key roles: event coordinator, treasurer, communications lead, and logistics manager.

Set a Date and Time:

• Choose a date and time that avoids clashing with other major local or school events. Weekends usually work best for family-friendly attendance but be aware that you may be in competition with other local winter and Christmas Fairs on the weekends. 

Decide on a Theme and Budget:

• Select a winter theme (e.g., "Winter Wonderland," "Festive Fun") and set a clear budget for the event. Determine the financial goal and how much you aim to raise. This is the time to decide on what you plan on charging for your entry fee.
• With your Planning Committee, look at your previous winter events to see popular trends and successful fundraising activities. If something at your previous event wasn’t a success, drop it and swap it for something else. This should give you a good starting point for some Christmas fair ideas on what to sell and do.

Book a Venue:

• If your school hall isn't large enough, secure an alternative venue as early as possible. Check out these amazing venues for hire here on Sharesy. 

External Vendors:

• If you are using outside vendors, book them as soon as possible. This will help you avoid disappointment. This is especially important for popular items like fairground rides and inflatables.
• Invite local businesses to sell at their own stalls, as you may want to charge a one off fee to have a stall at your fair. You may also want to offer school family discount on stalls by charging them a small stall holder fee instead of the standard vendor pricing.

2 Months Before the Event

Secure Sponsors:

• Approach local businesses to sponsor the event, stalls or donate raffle prizes. Lots of local businesses will be receptive to supporting your school so it is definitely worth reaching out. This could be a role that your Communications Lead could organise.
• In my experience, a team of parent volunteers can help get raffle prizes. They can visit local shops on the high street. This approach has worked well. It could be a gift card for a manicure at a nearby nail salon. It might be a gift card for dinner for two at a local restaurant. Or it could be a gift card to shop at a local clothing store. 
• The incentive for these local businesses is brand awareness of their company to your school community. Offering to list the company logo on raffle ticket posters if a prize is donated has proven to work. You can also include logos on event posters and banners. Additionally, you can offer to share their information in school communications, like school emails and class WhatsApp groups.
• It may be beneficial to have an outline of the sponsorship packages that you could offer businesses: 
• Top Tier Sponsors- Logo on school website if possible, Logo on all event branding, Sponsor announcement on school communications. 
• You could also offer different packages based on the sponsor amount you receive. 

Confirm Activities and Stalls:

• Finalise your list of stalls and activities (see the section below for ideas) and start securing items needed for each.

Get your paperwork in order:

• Once you have your date, time, location and activities planned. Now you can start writing your risk assessment and gathering the documents you need from outside companies. If you are planning an outdoor fair or Christmas market, we suggest adding a backup plan to your risk assessment. 
• Check what licences you may need to apply for with your local council. You may need some key licenses, such as a TENs license and a Lottery License.
• Check you have your event insurance in place if you need it. We love Parent Kind for this. As a member of Parent Kind you get insurance cover as part of your membership.
• Make sure you read about what is covered in your insurance policy before you run your event. Check out the perks of Parent Kind here.

Promote the Event:

• Now that your date and time has been confirmed you can start advertising via school newsletters, social media, and posters around the school.

Send out Volunteer Requests:

• Ask for help from parents and staff to man stalls, help with setup and takedown, or provide donations for raffle prizes and cakes. If you have class reps, it can work well for them to organise their own class sign up sheets.
• Check out this great volunteer tool that has been a huge success from experience: Volunteer Sign up- This free to use website lets you quickly create a free online signup sheet for your event. This website is simple, easy to use and saves you time.

1 Month Before the Event

Prepare Equipment and Materials:

• Make sure you have tables, chairs, decorations, and any other equipment you’ll need for the event.

Organise a Pre-sale for Tickets:

• Consider offering early-bird discounts for tickets. This can give you an idea of attendance and help with budgeting. This is also a opportune time to sell your raffle tickets too. Check out this helpful guide: How to run a fundraiser with lotteries or raffles at events from the Gambling Commission. 

1. Coordinate Entertainment:

• Book any performers, choirs, or student groups to provide live entertainment. Schools often prepare for nativity performances, so they might be happy to sing a song or two at your event. This will definitely pull in the crowds of adoring parents.

2 Weeks Before the Event

Finalise Volunteers:

• Confirm all of your volunteer roles, and send them a schedule outlining their responsibilities and arrival times.
• It can be helpful to hold a meeting for your volunteers. This can be in person or online. During the meeting, you can go over event details. You can also discuss risk assessments, safety, and money handling information.

1. Prepare a Floor Plan:

• Map out where stalls, activities, and food vendors will be placed. Share this with your team, volunteers and families.

1. Create Signage:

• Design and print signs for each stall, entrance points, directions, and parking information.

1 Week Before the Event

Final Promotion Push:

• Ramp up your marketing efforts by sending reminders through emails, school apps, and social media. Get your school community to share your event with their friends and families too!

Organise Float for Stalls:

• Ensure each stall has enough cash for change, and consider using a card payment system to maximise sales. Card payments are becoming much more popular at events as it limits the amount of cash on site. Train your volunteers on using card payment devices beforehand to avoid any issues during the event. 
• Some PTA’s use a token system that can be great if organised well and communicated well to your attendees. Top tip here is to sell your tokens ahead of time to limit queuing times for attendees. 

The Day Before the Event

Set Up the Venue:

• If possible, set up tables, stalls, and decorations the day before. Ensure electrical equipment, lighting, and sound systems are working. Decorations are an important element in getting your attendees into the festive spirit.

Confirm the Weather (if outdoors):

• Make backup plans for bad weather, such as relocating stalls indoors or renting tents.

On the Day of the Event

Assign a Support Team:

• Have a few volunteers on hand to handle last-minute issues, restock stalls, or provide any emergency assistance.

Brief All Volunteers:

• Have a quick team briefing to ensure everyone knows their role and who to go to if they need help.

Best Activities and Stalls for a Winter Fair

To maximise fun and fundraising, your stalls and activities should appeal to all age groups. Here are some popular and profitable options to help you raise more money:

Santa’s Grotto:

• Create a magical area where children can visit Santa, take photos, and receive a small gift. Pre-sell time slots to avoid long lines. Check to see if the school or your parent community have Christmas trees and decorations you can use to make your grotto magical.

Raffle or Tombola:

• Raffles are a great fundraiser, with prizes donated by local businesses or parents. A festive-themed tombola (with wrapped gifts) adds extra excitement. Ask your parents to donate gifts here. Here are some popular tombola ideas: 

Jolly Jar Tombola - Ask all of your families to donate a Jolly Jar. This is basically a recycled jar filled with sweets, treats, small toys and donated by your school community.

Make a competition for the school to bring in Jolly Jars. The class with the most Jolly Jars gets a treat. This could be extra playtime at the end of term, Maybe a movie in the school hall one day or a class non uniform day, (these will need to be approved by your head teacher of course).

Having an incentive can motivate your children to donate as many Jolly Jars as they can. This stall then becomes essentially a full profit making activity. 

The other successful Tombola is the grown ups only ‘Bottle Tombola’. Ask your school community to donate a bottle for the tombola, like soft drinks, fancy juices, wine, or spirits. Again by having bottles donated this can become a full profit making activity. 

Games Stalls:

• Include classic games like “Hook-a-Duck,” “Spin the Wheel,” or “Knock the Snowman Over.” Offer small prizes for winners.

Craft Stalls:

• Let kids make their own Christmas cards or festive cards, ornaments, or decorations. These interactive arts and craft stalls are a hit and can bring in extra revenue.

Bake Sale:

• Encourage parents to donate homemade cakes, cookies, and festive treats such as mince pies. A well-stocked bake sale can raise a significant amount of money.
• Remember to get a list of ingredients for all of your bakes so that your attendees can make informed choices, based on their dietary needs, about the food they are buying. Also, did you know that some companies do charity discounts? Check out Lola’s cupcakes and Krispy Kreme for their charity support.

Food and Drink:

• Offer hot chocolate, mulled wine and cider, and winter warmers like soup or hot dogs. These are especially popular at outdoor fairs. IF you are selling alcohol, please check as you will need to apply for a TENS licence. 

Silent Auction:

• Auction off high-value items or experiences donated by local businesses or parents, such as spa vouchers, a weekend getaway, or sports memorabilia.

Second Hand Toy and Book Stall:

• Ask families to donate gently used toys, books, or games and sell them at bargain prices.

Photo Booth:

• Set up a festive photo booth with props like Santa hats, elf ears, and reindeer antlers. Charge a fee for printed photos or digital copies.

Children’s Activities:

• Consider hiring a face painter, magician, or balloon artist. If budget allows, a small carousel or bouncy castle adds extra entertainment.
• See if any of your parents have skills like face painting or balloon modelling. They could help run some of these stalls for you. This would save you money on hiring an expert. 

Top Tips for a Successful Fundraising Winter Fair

1. Start Early:

• Good organisation takes time, so give yourself at least three months to plan, especially for securing sponsors and volunteers. Starting in Mid to Late September to give you plenty of time.

1. Involve the Whole School:

• Encourage teachers, students, and parents to get involved with everything from volunteering to donating prizes.

1. Utilise Pre-Sales:

• Offer early-bird tickets, pre-sell raffle tickets, and encourage pre-orders for food or Santa visits to create excitement and gauge attendance.

1. Leverage Technology:

• Use social media and school apps to promote the event, recruit volunteers, and keep parents informed. Consider using mobile payment systems to reduce the need for cash.

1. Promote Inclusivity:

• Offer free or low-cost activities to ensure that all families can participate, regardless of their financial situation.

1. Maximise Visibility:

• Make your event highly visible with good signage and decorations, so it feels like a special occasion from the moment visitors arrive.

1. Keep It Eco-Friendly:

• Reduce waste by using reusable or recyclable materials, and encourage families to bring their own reusable bags or containers for purchases.

1. Say Thank You:

• Acknowledge the hard work of volunteers and the generosity of sponsors and donors. Send thank you notes or certificates after the event.

By following this step-by-step guide and incorporating these activities and tips, your PTA’s winter fair will be well-organised, festive, and a successful fundraising event. Most importantly, it will bring joy to the school community and support valuable initiatives.