What to buy for a folk dance evening
A folk dance evening needs more than music and an open floor. Plan drinks, coffee supplies and easy-to-serve food for the full group, plus enough tableware for buffet service and breaks. You will also need practical items for registration, directions and the sound setup. Use this list to check quantities before shopping, especially for cups, glasses, extension cords and spare batteries.
What to bring
Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.
Furniture
- Chairsqty 70
- Tablesqty 8
- Coat racksqty 3
- Buffet tablesqty 3
Tableware
- Coffee cupsqty 70
- Glassesqty 100
- Platesqty 80
- Cutlery setsqty 80
- Serving traysqty 8
- Serving plattersqty 8
- Serving jugsqty 6
Equipment
- Speakersqty 2
- Audio mixer
- Wireless microphonesqty 2
- Music player
- Extension cordsqty 4
- Power stripsqty 4
- Batteriesqty 12
Kitchen
- Coffee maker
- Kettleqty 2
- Thermos flasksqty 4
- Coolersqty 3
- Cutting boardsqty 3
- Bread knivesqty 3
- Serving tongsqty 6
Decorations
- Tableclothsqty 8
- Party flagsqty 4
- Name badgesqty 70
- Directional signsqty 6
Lighting
- String lightsqty 4
Cleaning
- Broomqty 2
- Dustpan and brushqty 2
- Mopqty 2
- Bucketsqty 2
- Cleaning glovesqty 6
Catering
- Groceries
- Coffee - 3 packs
- Black tea - 4 boxes
- Herbal tea - 2 boxes
- Sugar - 2 kilos
- Sweetener - 1 box
- Semi-skimmed milk - 8 liters
- Oat milk - 3 liters
- Lemons - 8 pieces
- Flat mineral water - 24 bottles
- Sparkling mineral water - 24 bottles
- Cola - 8 bottles
- Cola Zero - 6 bottles
- Sinas - 6 bottles
- Apple juice - 6 packs
- Non-alcoholic beer - 24 bottles
- Beer - 48 bottles
- White wine - 6 bottles
- Red wine - 4 bottles
- Grape juice - 4 bottles
- Mini bake-at-home rolls - 120 pieces
- Wholemeal bread - 6 loaves
- Butter - 1 kilo
- Young cheese - 2.5 kilos
- Aged cheese - 1.5 kilos
- Hummus - 1.5 kilos
- Herb cream cheese - 1 kilo
- Vegetarian Spread - 1 kilo
- Cucumbers - 8 pieces
- Tomatoes - 3 kilos
- Bell peppers - 12 pieces
- Arugula - 6 bags
- Grapes - 4 kilos
- Apples - 60 pieces
- Bananas - 40 pieces
- Paprika chips - 6 bags
- Plain chips - 6 bags
- Snack mix - 4 bags
- Spiced biscuits - 3 kilos
- Cookies - 5 packs
- Butter cake - 4 pieces
- Mayonnaise - 2 bottles
- Ketchup - 2 bottles
- Mustard - 2 jars
- Olive oil - 1 bottle
- Salt - 1 pack
- Black pepper - 1 jar
- Napkins - 300 pieces
- Paper cups - 100 pieces
- Aluminum foil - 1 roll
- Cling film - 1 roll
- Paper towels - 6 rolls
- Trash bags - 50 pieces
- Dish soap - 2 bottles
- Dishwasher tablets - 40 pieces
- All-purpose cleaner - 2 bottles
- Glass cleaner - 1 bottle
- Toilet paper - 24 rolls
- Hand soap - 4 bottles
- Paper towels - 6 packs
Tips
- Plan around two to three drinks per person for the first hour, then one to two per person for each additional hour. Include water as well as other drinks, and chill them before guests arrive.
- Allow one plate, one cutlery set and one glass per guest, plus roughly 10% extra for breakage, dropped items or people returning for seconds. Count serving platters, trays, jugs and tongs separately.
- For a group of 30 people, prepare at least two coffee cups per person if there is a coffee break, or 60 cups in total. Bring enough coffee, tea and hot water for the planned breaks rather than relying on one initial round.
- Check every audio item at least one day before the dance evening. Pack extension cords, power strips and spare batteries with the speakers, mixer, microphones and music player; these are easy to overlook and difficult to replace at the last minute.
- Buy or prepare name badges and directional signs before the day itself. Put tablecloths, flags and string lights in one labelled box so decoration does not get mixed up with kitchen or sound equipment during setup.
Frequently asked questions
- What drinks do I need for a folk dance evening?
- For the first hour, allow two to three drinks per person, including water. For every later hour, add one to two drinks per person, then chill them several hours before guests arrive.
- How much tableware should I buy for a folk dance evening?
- Start with one plate, one cutlery set and one glass per guest, then add about 10% spare items. For 40 guests, that means at least 44 plates, 44 cutlery sets and 44 glasses.
- How many coffee cups do I need for a folk dance evening?
- For one coffee break, plan one cup per guest; for two breaks, plan two per guest unless you can wash and reuse them. For 30 guests and two breaks, prepare 60 coffee cups.
- When should I test the sound equipment for a folk dance evening?
- Test the speakers, audio mixer, microphones and music player at least 24 hours beforehand. Pack extension cords, power strips and spare batteries at the same time, then run a second check 60 minutes before guests arrive.
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