School disco
Also called: school dance, disco with tuck shop
An after-school or early-evening dance for children, charged at the door, with tuck shop sales.
Typically raises
$1,000
$300–2,500 per eventest.
About $50 per organiser hour
Based on 100-250 children at $10 entry
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $500–2,000
- Work
- Weeks, part-time
- Helpers
- 7–15 people
- Lead time
- 1–2 months
- Red tape
- Light
Everyone’s done it: nearly every primary school holds one
- People
- 8-15 volunteers (door, tuck shop, supervision, DJ)
- Organiser time
- 15-25 (estimate)
- Lead time
- 3-5 weeks
- Up-front cost
- $50–$400. DJ or speaker hire, glow sticks, tuck shop stock; hall usually free at the school.
- Risk
- Very low. Stock can be sold later or bought on sale-or-return.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Sell at $10 a entry, keep $10, so 120 entries = $1,200, or about $1,000 after about $200 of costs. That’s about the typical result.
Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate: 100-250 children at a $10 entry (Sunnybrae School PTA disco price) plus tuck shop and glow-stick sales. No NZ published results found.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Ways to run it
- Entry only
- Charge at the door and keep it simple: a hall, a parent DJ and supervisors.
- With a tuck shop and glow sticks
- Children arrive with pocket money. One 2026 NZ school disco charged $5 entry, $1 chips, $3 drinks, $1 glow sticks and $2.50 for a sausage (Glenbervie School). A tuck shop and glow sticks add about $200–800 on the night (an estimate), from about $250 of stock. Most snacks keep for next time; check dates on anything that doesn’t.
Step by step
- Book the hall and pick a date that avoids sport and school events.
- Set separate sessions by age group if the roll is big.
- Sell tickets in advance online or via the school payment system to cut cash handling.
- Book a DJ (a parent is fine) and a simple light show.
- Organise a tuck shop with priced items and a float.
- Roster volunteers for door, tuck shop, toilets and pick-up.
- Run a sign-out at pick-up so every child leaves with a known adult.
- Count cash with two people and bank it the next day.
Getting the word out
Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.
- Ask for help
- Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
- Ask people to buy
- People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
- Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
- Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.
What you’ll need
- Place
- NeededYour own grounds or hall
- Landowner’s permission
- Not needed
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- CheckNo registration if you sell food to fundraise for a good cause up to 20 times a calendar year. It must still be safe and suitable, and your council may need a stall permit
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- Not neededNot gambling
- Health and safety
- CheckA simple risk check and briefing
- First aid
- NeededA first aider and kit on site (recommended)
Run under the school's own event and supervision policies, with a sign-out at pick-up. Tuck shop food is covered by the fundraising exemption under 20 times a year.
Make more from it
Tuck shop and glow sticks
$200-800 (estimate)
children arrive with pocket money
$100-300 (estimate)
parents arrive together at the end
Themed night with a costume prize
lifts attendance (estimate)
a theme gives children a reason to come
Stack it: on its own, about $1,000. With the 2 priced add-ons above, roughly
$1,700est.
What you can get donated
DJ time from a parent, sound gear, snacks from local supermarket community fund, prizes for best costume.
Tips
- A theme (glow, superhero) lifts attendance and sells add-ons.
- Pre-selling tickets gives you a firm headcount for stock.
- Use tokens instead of cash for younger children.
Watch out for
- Under-staffing pick-up time.
- Over-ordering perishable food.
School disco: checklist
0 of 16 done
Before
On the day
After
Run under the school's own event and supervision policies, with a sign-out at pick-up. Tuck shop food is covered by the fundraising exemption under 20 times a year.
Also pairs with: Sausage sizzle or tuck shop, Small raffle, Glow-stick and photo booth sales
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide