What to buy for a Seollal celebration

A Seollal celebration needs more than ingredients for tteokguk. Plan food, drinks, serving pieces, decorations and practical guest supplies together so nothing is missing on the day. Use your final guest count to scale fresh produce, broth, rice cakes and side dishes, then check what you already have before shopping. Items such as deep bowls, soup ladles, name badges and red table runners are easy to overlook, while fresh ingredients and chilled drinks should be bought close to the celebration.

Organize this event for free with Lizzt

What to bring

Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.

Furniture

Tablesqty 8
Chairsqty 60
Buffet tablesqty 3
Stoolsqty 6
Clothes racksqty 2
Waste binsqty 4

Tableware

Deep bowlsqty 60
Dinner platesqty 60
Dessert platesqty 60
Chopsticksqty 60
Coffee spoonsqty 60
Drinking glassesqty 80
Wine glassesqty 40
Soup bowlsqty 60
Serving plattersqty 20
Serving spoonsqty 20
Ladlesqty 6
Pitchersqty 8
Serving traysqty 6

Decorations

Korean flagsqty 8
Seollal garlandqty 4
Red table runnersqty 8
Paper fansqty 20
New Year bannersqty 3
LED candlesqty 20
Photo board
Photo propsqty 20
Name badgesqty 60
Table numbersqty 8

Equipment

Karaoke set
Wireless microphonesqty 2
Speakersqty 2
Extension cordsqty 4
Power stripsqty 4
Hot platesqty 4
Food warmersqty 6
Coolersqty 4
Thermos flasksqty 6
Rice cookersqty 3

Kitchen

Cutting boardsqty 6
Chef's knivesqty 6
Mixing bowlsqty 8
Measuring cupsqty 4
Kitchen tongsqty 6
Frying pansqty 4
Cooking potsqty 5
Aluminum foilqty 3
Food storage containersqty 20
Serving spoonsqty 12
Oven mittsqty 4
Kitchen scalesqty 2

Game materials

Yutnori setsqty 3
Yutnori game boardsqty 3
Game tokensqty 60
Hanbok setsqty 8

Lighting

LED string lightsqty 4
Night lightsqty 4

Catering

Coffee machinesqty 2
Teapotsqty 4
Ice cube traysqty 6
Drink dispensersqty 3
Groceries
- Beef broth - 8 liters
- Beef stew meat - 2 kg
- Beef strips - 4 kg
- Pork strips - 2 kg
- Chicken breast - 2 kg
- Tofu - 2 kg
- Eggs - 120 pieces
- Mandu - 5 kg
- Rice cakes for tteokguk - 5 kg
- Jasmine rice - 6 kg
- Dangmyeon - 2 kg
- Flour - 2 kg
- Potato starch - 1 kg
- Breadcrumbs - 1 kg
- Carrots - 3 kg
- Spinach - 3 kg
- Bean sprouts - 2 kg
- Chinese cabbage - 4 pieces
- Cucumbers - 3 kg
- Zucchini - 3 kg
- Bell peppers - 3 kg
- Mushrooms - 2 kg
- Shiitake - 1 kg
- Spring onions - 5 bunches
- Onions - 3 kg
- Garlic - 500 grams
- Ginger - 300 grams
- Radish - 2 kg
- Spring onions - 3 bunches
- Perilla leaves - 300 gram
- Nashi pears - 30 pieces
- Apples - 30 pieces
- Mandarins - 5 kg
- Grapes - 3 kg
- Strawberries - 2 kg
- Dried dates - 500 gram
- Walnuts - 500 gram
- Sesame seeds - 500 gram
- Kimchi - 5 kg
- Gochujang - 2 kg
- Gochugaru - 500 gram
- Soy sauce - 3 liters
- Sesame oil - 1 liter
- Rice vinegar - 1 liter
- Oyster sauce - 1 liter
- Fish sauce - 500 milliliters
- Bulgogi marinade - 2 liters
- Mayonnaise - 1 liter
- Ketchup - 1 liter
- Mustard - 500 milliliter
- Salt - 1 kg
- Black pepper - 250 grams
- Sugar - 2 kg
- Honey - 1 kg
- Cane sugar - 1 kg
- Cooking oil - 3 liters
- Sesame oil - 500 milliliters
- Korean pear juice - 6 liters
- Barley tea - 6 liter
- Green tea - 2 boxes
- Ginger tea - 2 boxes
- Coffee - 4 packs
- Tea - 4 boxes
- Milk - 8 liters
- Oat milk - 4 liters
- Cola - 6 liters
- Cola Zero - 6 liters
- Lemonade - 6 liters
- Spa Blauw - 30 liters
- Sparkling water - 12 liter
- Orange juice - 6 liters
- Soju - 12 bottles
- Korean rice wine - 6 bottles
- Beer - 60 bottles
- Mochi - 120 pieces
- Yakgwa - 120 pieces
- Korean rice cakes - 3 kg
- Chocolate - 2 kg
- Paper napkins - 300 pieces
- Paper towels - 8 rolls
- Toilet paper - 24 rolls
- Trash bags - 40 pieces
- Dish soap - 2 liters
- Dishwasher tablets - 60 pieces
- All-purpose cleaner - 2 liters
- Glass cleaner - 1 liter
- Toilet cleaner - 2 bottles
- Hand soap - 4 bottles
- Sponges - 12 pieces
- Rubber gloves - 6 pairs
- Cling film - 3 rolls
- Freezer bags - 2 boxes
- Aluminum foil - 3 rolls

Cleaning

Washing-up basinsqty 8
Bucketsqty 4
Mopsqty 4
Broom and dustpanqty 2
Vacuum cleaner
Toilet brushesqty 2
Hand soap dispensersqty 4

Tips

Plan one deep bowl and one pair of chopsticks per guest, plus at least 10% extra for breakage, spills or unexpected guests. Add soup bowls separately if you are serving tteokguk as a course.
Buy fresh produce one to two days before the celebration, but check dry ingredients and tableware three to five days earlier. This leaves time to replace missing serving platters, ladles or pitchers.
Allow two to three drinks per person for the first hour, then about one drink per person for each additional hour. Chill the drinks several hours before guests arrive and keep extra glasses beside the serving area.
Prepare one name badge for every guest and bring at least five blank badges for last-minute arrivals. Table numbers are useful when several tables are used for food, games or seating.
Check the Yutnori game and karaoke set at least one week before Seollal. If either is borrowed or reserved, confirm all parts and cables rather than discovering a missing item during the celebration.

Frequently asked questions

What food do I need for a Seollal celebration?: Plan tteokguk ingredients, broth, kimchi and other side dishes according to the final guest count. As a starting point, allow one serving of soup and at least two side-dish portions per guest, with 10% extra for seconds.
How much tteokguk should I buy per person?: Buy about 150–200 g of sliced rice cakes per adult for a main serving, plus enough broth for roughly 400–500 ml per bowl. Add 10% extra if tteokguk is the main meal or guests are likely to take seconds.
What tableware is needed for Seollal?: For each guest, prepare a dinner plate, deep or soup bowl, chopsticks, drinking glass and coffee spoon if dessert is served. Keep at least 10% extra tableware available, and include serving platters, serving spoons and ladles for the buffet.
When should I shop for a Seollal celebration?: Buy decorations, name badges, tableware and dry ingredients three to five days ahead. Order or buy fresh produce one to two days before, and chill drinks at least four hours before guests arrive.

Start this plan in Lizzt

Every task and item on this page, ready in your own event. Invite people, split the work, and see who has done what.