Choose stalls your volunteers can run
A Christmas fair works best when every stall has a named owner and a realistic amount of preparation. Start with the volunteers and space you have, then pick a mix of shopping, games, food and one or two bigger attractions. Five well-run stalls can feel busier than twelve thinly staffed ones.
This guide is a planning aid for UK PTA and Friends of School committees. It is not legal advice. Rules on raffles, food and licensing depend on where you are and what you plan, so check the linked guidance and talk to your school and insurer. The effort levels below are suggestions, not income forecasts.
Christmas fair ideas by effort
| Stall or activity | Planning effort | What to arrange first |
|---|---|---|
| Tombola | Lower | Donated prizes, tickets and how winners are picked |
| Cake and mince pie stall | Lower | Bakers, ingredient notes and safe storage |
| Pre-loved toys and books | Lower | Donation window, sorting and pricing |
| Craft table for decorations | Lower to moderate | Kits, wipes and a supervising adult |
| Festive tattoos or face painting | Lower to moderate | Products, skin checks and a volunteer rota |
| Simple games, such as hoopla or hook-a-duck | Moderate | Equipment, small prizes and a price per go |
| Secret Santa gift shop | Moderate | Gifts in price bands, wrapping and supervision |
| Raffle drawn at the fair | Moderate | Donated prizes, physical tickets and the rules below |
| Hot drinks and seasonal food | Moderate to higher | Food safety, equipment, power and any licence |
| Santa's grotto | Higher | Santa, safeguarding, bookings and gifts |
| Christmas tree sales | Higher | Supplier, pre-orders, storage and collection |
For more stall and game ideas, see the PTA+ guide to Christmas fair games and stalls. Our PTA fundraising ideas guide covers costs and planning for other events through the year.
Options when volunteers are short
Choose stalls that need little staffing on the day. A tombola, a pre-loved stall and a craft table can each run with one or two adults. Ask classes to collect tombola prizes in the weeks before, rather than buying them. Ask parents who cannot attend to help with sorting and pricing beforehand.
Bigger attractions
A grotto or a gift shop usually draws families in, but each needs more planning and a clear safeguarding plan. Decide early whether you have the people for one, both or neither. A smaller fair with a well-run grotto is better than a large one where nobody can cover breaks.
Countdown for a fair four weeks away
If your date is already set, work backwards from it. Adjust this suggested timetable for your school's size and any permissions you need.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Four weeks before | Confirm the date, hall and timings with the school. Name a fair lead and stall leads. Check insurance and licences. Book Santa. |
| Three weeks before | Ask for donations and bakers. Open grotto bookings. Order gifts and supplies. Agree the floor plan. |
| Two weeks before | Publish the event details. Fill the volunteer rota. Collect ingredient notes. Prepare tickets and floats. |
| One week before | Sort and price donations. Confirm volunteers and Santa. Brief stall leads on money and safety. |
| The day before | Set up tables if the school allows. Pack floats, tickets and tally sheets. Remind families. |
| After the fair | Count and bank money, thank helpers and hold a short review. |
The PTA+ event planning checklist says your association should have public liability insurance before any event, and that third-party suppliers need their own cover and should show proof before the event. It also notes that selling alcohol, such as mulled wine, can need a Temporary Event Notice in England and Wales, that music can need a PPL PRS licence, and that a simple risk assessment should be done for each event and each activity in it.
Santa's grotto practicalities
Find your Santa early and agree how long each visit lasts. Pre-booked time slots help to control the queue and tell you how many gifts to buy. Collect the name and phone number of the adult bringing each child, so you can reach them if they are late. Give Santa each child's first name before they go in, and agree a signal for when the slot is ending.
Choose gifts that suit the age range and set a price that covers the gift and your costs. Keep a few spare gifts for walk-ups if slots remain.
Safeguarding in the grotto
PTA+ guidance on running a grotto says there is no legal requirement for Santa to be DBS checked. It recommends that your Santa understands child protection procedures and how you want them to interact with children, that another DBS-checked adult is in the grotto while children are present, and that parents and carers are encouraged to go in with their children.
PTA+ gives similar advice for a secret Santa gift shop. If children go in without a parent or carer, the volunteers running it should be DBS checked. Follow your school's safeguarding policy too. Agree the grotto set-up and any photo rules with the school's designated safeguarding lead before the day.
Raffles and tombolas: what the rules say
Raffles and tombolas are lotteries. In Great Britain, the Gambling Commission explains that a lottery held at a fair is an incidental lottery. You do not need a licence, but you must follow these rules:
- It can only raise money for a good cause, not for private gain.
- It cannot be the main reason for holding the event.
- You must give physical tickets. Cloakroom tickets are fine.
- Tickets can only be sold at the fair, while it is taking place. You cannot sell them in advance or online, including on social media.
- You can take up to £100 from the proceeds for expenses, such as printing tickets.
- You can use up to £500 of the proceeds to buy prizes. Donated prizes have no value limit.
- Prizes cannot roll over to another lottery.
The draw can take place during or after the fair. The Commission recommends telling people when the result will be announced.
Selling raffle tickets before the fair is outside these rules. PTA+ notes you may need to register as a small society lottery, and the Commission says online lotteries need a licence. Northern Ireland has its own gambling laws, so PTAs there should check local rules.
These are suggestions rather than legal requirements: display the prize list at the ticket table, record who won each prize, and agree in advance what happens to unclaimed prizes.
Food and drink safety
The Food Standards Agency's community-event guidance applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It says food at school fetes and fundraisers must comply with food law and be safe to eat. The main points:
- If you provide food, you may count as a food business and need to register with your local authority. Very limited and infrequent activity may not need registration. If you are unsure, ask the local authority.
- You do not need a food hygiene certificate to make and sell food for charity events, but you must handle food safely.
- The FSA recommends the 4Cs of food hygiene: cleaning, chilling, cooking and avoiding cross-contamination.
- If your activity does not need registration, allergen information is not a legal requirement, but the FSA encourages it. Keep the packaging from bought food and ask bakers for a recipe or ingredients list.
Schools in Scotland should check with their local authority. Whatever your location, check the school's own allergy arrangements before advertising food.
Money handling on the day
Agree the process with your treasurer before the fair, not on the morning. The Charity Commission's guidance on internal financial controls recommends that at least two people handle and record cash, that it is banked as soon as possible without deducting expenses, and that you keep records for each event of what was collected and what it cost. It also suggests considering card payments, which can be more secure than holding large sums of cash.
The Fundraising Regulator's code says floats should be signed for and kept separate from personal money, and that cash should not be left unattended.
- Give each stall a numbered float bag and a simple tally sheet.
- Collect takings from busy stalls during the fair, not only at the end.
- Count in a private room, with two unrelated people where possible.
- Keep raffle money separate so you can check the prize and expense limits.
Taking grotto bookings and payments before the day reduces the cash you hold. Our events and bookings and payments pages explain how Parents Anywhere approaches this.
Fair-day checklist
- Floor plan, fire exits and walkways agreed with the school.
- Every stall has a lead, a float and a tally sheet.
- Raffle tickets are physical and on sale only at the fair.
- Ingredient notes and packaging are kept at the food stalls.
- A second DBS-checked adult is in the grotto with the booking list.
- Volunteers know the first-aid contact and the lost-child process.
- Two people are named to collect and count money.
- A clear-up team knows when the hall must be empty.
Review the fair while it is fresh
Within a week, record income and costs for each stall, including donated items. Note which stalls had queues and which were quiet. Ask volunteers what was hard and what families asked about. Save supplier details, the floor plan and the rota with your PTA handover checklist so next year's team starts ahead. Thank everyone who helped, including donors and the school staff who opened up.
How Parents Anywhere can help
Parents Anywhere brings your PTA website, members and volunteers, events and bookings, and payments together, so grotto slots, rotas and fair details sit in one place. See how events and bookings work, or talk to us about your PTA.