How to Plan a School Fall Festival or Fundraiser
Fall festivals are one of the best ways to bring students, parents, teachers and the surrounding community together while raising money for your school.
Pumpkins, games, food, raffles, music and activities can turn a school parking lot or athletic field into an entire fall festival for the day.
But anyone who has helped organize one knows there is a lot happening behind the scenes.
Where will everyone sit? What happens if it rains? Where should food vendors go? Do you have enough electricity? How many tables will you need? Where will volunteers check people in?
A little planning and the right event rentals can make a huge difference.
If you're planning a school fall festival or fundraiser in Cincinnati, here are some of the most important things to consider.
Start With Your Festival Layout
Before ordering anything, decide how you want people to move through the event.
Think of your school grounds as a temporary event venue.
You might create separate areas for:
Games and children's activities
Food and concessions
Dining and seating
Raffles and silent auctions
Ticket sales and registration
Entertainment
Pumpkin decorating
School and sponsor booths
Bake sales
Parent and volunteer areas
A good layout keeps activities spread out enough to prevent congestion while making the festival feel connected.
Weather is probably the biggest unknown when planning an outdoor school event.
A beautiful October afternoon can quickly become rainy, windy or cold.
That's why tents are often one of the most important rentals for a fall festival.
ColdIron Event Rentals offers smaller frame tents along with larger pole and clear top tents for events throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Instead of putting everything under one tent, consider using several tents throughout your school grounds.
One might cover dining tables. Another could protect your raffle or silent auction. Smaller tents can be used for registration, concessions, games or sponsor areas.
For a large school fundraiser, a larger central tent can become the main gathering area for the entire event.
One of the easiest things to underestimate is how many tables you'll need.
Think beyond guest seating.
You may need tables for registration, ticket sales, raffles, food, drinks, desserts, games, prizes, pumpkins, crafts, sponsors and volunteers.
ColdIron offers table rentals in Cincinnati, including round tables, banquet tables, cocktail tables, serpentine tables and folding picnic tables.
Eight foot banquet tables are particularly useful for school festivals because they can serve so many different purposes.
Not everyone needs a formal seat, but families will appreciate having somewhere to sit down, eat and take a break.
Create a central dining area with tables and chairs.
For a more casual festival atmosphere, picnic tables can work particularly well.
You can also mix traditional seating with cocktail tables where parents can stand and talk while their children participate in activities.
ColdIron provides both table and chair rentals in Cincinnati, so your seating can be planned along with your tents and other festival equipment.
Create a Fall Food Court
Food can be both an attraction and an important fundraising opportunity.
Depending on your school, you might have food trucks, local restaurants, parent operated concessions or school organizations selling food.
Create a designated food area rather than scattering vendors throughout the property.
Then place your dining tent and seating nearby.
Banquet tables can be used for condiments, beverages, desserts and serving stations.
Keeping food together also makes it easier for families to find what they want and then move back into the activities.
Create a Pumpkin Patch Atmosphere
You don't need to spend a fortune decorating a fall festival.
A few simple elements can transform a school parking lot or field.
Use pumpkins, hay bales, mums, cornstalks, scarecrows and fall signage around entrances and tents.
You could even ask a local farm, garden center or business to sponsor the decorations in exchange for recognition at the festival.
White tents decorated with cornstalks, pumpkins and warm lighting can completely change the appearance of an ordinary school property.
Add a Main Entertainment Area
Give people a reason to stay longer.
A central entertainment area can feature a DJ, school band, student performances, contests, announcements or prize drawings.
ColdIron offers staging in addition to tents, tables and chairs, making it possible to create a central performance area for a larger school festival.
Place some seating nearby while leaving enough open space for people to gather.
Power is one of those things that can become a problem very quickly if it isn't planned ahead.
Food equipment, inflatables, DJs, sound systems, lighting and other attractions may all require electricity.
A few extension cords plugged into the school building may not be enough.
ColdIron provides generator rentals and temporary event power in Cincinnati for events ranging from smaller outdoor gatherings to large festivals. Its power systems can support food vendors, entertainment, lighting, inflatables and other event operations.
Determine electrical requirements before event day so you aren't trying to solve power problems while families are arriving.
Plan for the Sun Going Down
Fall evenings get dark quickly.
If your festival continues into the evening, lighting becomes both an atmosphere and safety consideration.
ColdIron offers bistro lighting and perimeter lighting for tents.
Bistro lights inside a large tent can create a warm fall atmosphere while providing useful lighting for dining, raffles and other activities.
Also think about lighting around entrances, walkways, food areas and parking.
Have a Plan for Cold Weather
October weather in Cincinnati doesn't always cooperate.
Tent sidewalls can provide additional protection when conditions become windy or cold. ColdIron offers white sidewalls, window sidewalls and mesh sidewalls among its tent accessories.
Planning weather protection early is much easier than scrambling a few days before the festival when the forecast changes.
Make the Fundraising Part Fun
You don't want the event to feel like families are constantly being asked for money.
Instead, build fundraising into the experience.
Consider a raffle, silent auction, pumpkin decorating contest, cake walk, carnival games, food sales or sponsored activities.
Local businesses may also be willing to sponsor individual tents, games or entertainment areas.
A simple sign such as “Pumpkin Patch Presented By...” gives a sponsor visibility while helping offset festival expenses.
Give Sponsors Their Own Area
If local businesses support your school, give them a place to participate.
Create a sponsor row with tables or small tents where businesses can interact with families.
Sponsors might offer giveaways, children's activities or information rather than simply hanging a banner.
It provides additional activity for the festival while creating more value for the businesses supporting your fundraiser.
Turn Your School Grounds Into a Festival Venue
You don't need to rent an outside venue to create a great event.
With tents, tables, chairs, lighting, power, staging and some creative fall decorations, a school parking lot, athletic field or lawn can become a complete festival space.
That's one of the advantages of working with a full service Cincinnati event rental company.
ColdIron provides tents, tables, chairs, linens, staging, catering equipment, generators, lighting, pipe and drape, portable bars and additional event equipment, and specifically works with schools and fundraisers throughout the region.
Planning a School Fall Festival in Cincinnati?
Whether you're planning a small PTO fundraiser or a large community fall festival, ColdIron Event Rentals can help you determine what equipment makes sense for your property, attendance and activities.
If you're searching for Cincinnati tent rentals, school event rentals Cincinnati, fall festival rentals Cincinnati, table and chair rentals Cincinnati, generator rentals Cincinnati or Cincinnati party rentals, talk with ColdIron about your event.
From a few tables and chairs to tents and equipment for a large school festival, we can help you build your event from the ground up.
ColdIron Event Rentals
Greater Cincinnati Event and Tent Rentals
513-882-2951
Envision. Rent. Relax.
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