School gala or fair

Outdoor: weather matters

Also called: school fair, gala day, school fete, stall day

A half-day community fair with stalls, rides, food, white elephant, auctions and raffles.

Typically raises

$10,000

$3,000–30,000 per eventest.

About $36 per organiser hour

Based on one school gala

Is it right for us?

Money: $10,000–50,000
Work: Months
Helpers: 40+ people
Lead time: 4+ months
Red tape: Permits and licences

Common: most communities see one every year

People: 40-100 on the day; 6-10 on a committee
Organiser time: 150-400 across the committee (estimate)
Lead time: 3-6 months
Up-front cost: $500–$5,000. Ride hire deposits, food stock, signage, float.
Risk: Medium. Ride hire and stock are committed before you know the weather.

Suits: Primary or intermediate school

Less usual for: Kindy or early learning, High school, Church, Community group, marae or service club

When: Summer (Dec–Feb), Autumn (Mar–May), Spring (Sep–Nov), End of the school year

How big a job: A project team over months, 40+ people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Take about $12,500, pay about $2,500 of costs, and you keep about $10,000 per event: the typical result for one school gala.

From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

Point Primary's gala raised $15,000 (school newsletter). One NZ fundraising guide says galas raise from a few thousand dollars to five figures. Low, typical and high are estimates around those.

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

Full gala: Rides, food trucks, stalls, an auction and a raffle. Biggest money (about $10,000 is typical here) and the biggest committee, with ride costs committed before you know the weather.
Stall day, no rides: Cake stall, sausage sizzle, white elephant, plant stall and games. Less up-front cost and risk; our figures put it nearer $6,000 ($2,000–15,000, an estimate), with 30–80 helpers and 3–6 months to plan.

Step by step

Form a committee with stall leads and a treasurer.
Fix the date and a wet-weather plan.
Book rides and food trucks early; check permits.
Assign each class or family a stall.
Collect donated goods in the weeks before.
Run publicity: signs, social media, community notice boards.
Set up floats, EFTPOS and cash handling with two people per tin.
Run the day, then count, bank and report the total.

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: Families to bake, give stock or take a shift on the stall.
Ask people to buy: People to come and buy on the day.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 6–8 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

Community newsletters and magazinesResidents’ newsletters, village magazines and other churches’ bulletins often run community notices free. Small ones close early.
Other groups sharing itAsk the school, kindy, church, sports club or marae down the road to share it in their newsletter or page. Offer to share theirs back.
Free notices in local papersMany local papers print some community notices free: ask what they offer. Not every town still has one, so check what comes to your letterbox, and book early.
Writing a press releaseA one-page story the paper can use: what’s happening, why, a quote and a photo. Coverage is up to them, not you.

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: CheckCheck with your council
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: NeededClass 2: prizes up to $5,000 and all tickets printed worth up to $25,000. Run by a club or society, with the money going to community or charitable purposes. Prizes at least 20% of ticket value; sold in person only, every ticket numbered (our rule: on paper). Prizes over $5,000 need a Class 3 licence
Health and safety: NeededA written health and safety plan (councils often ask for one)
First aid: NeededA first aider and kit on site (recommended)
Insurance: NeededPublic liability cover (councils often require it)

Rides need current amusement-device permits; bouncy castles should meet the standard WorkSafe refers to. A school is a PCBU under the HSWA. On your own grounds a council permit is usually only needed for street parking, signage or road use.

Make more from it

Raffle on the night
often $300-1,500 (estimate)
the crowd is already there with cash or cards out
Silent auction of donated items
often $1,000-5,000 at a 100-person event (estimate)
guests browse between courses or acts
Pre-sold ride wristbands
often $1,000-3,000 up front (estimate)
cash in before the day
Stall and ride sponsors
often $500-2,000 (estimate)
local businesses reach every family
Sausage sizzle or food stall
often $200-800 (estimate)
people on site for hours get hungry

Stack it: on its own, about $10,000. With the 5 priced add-ons above, roughly

$17,700est.

What you can get donated

White-elephant goods, baking, plants, books, auction items, ride discounts from operators, local business sponsorship.

Tips

Give each class a stall to share the load.
Cashless options lift spend.
Cake stall, sizzle, lucky dip and white elephant cost almost nothing to stock.

Watch out for

One person holding all the knowledge.
Rides that cost more than they earn.
Volunteer burnout; spread roles.

Free tools for this

Event budget and break-evenCover site hire, stall costs and floats before you count a profit.
Volunteer roster plannerPrefilled with the usual roles (stall helper, stall cashier, gate / entry, central bank, car park marshal, first aider, inflatable supervisor and floater / rubbish) in 2-hour shifts.
Cash float and takings counterGive each stall a counted float, then cash up in pairs at the end.
Checklist for any ideaBefore, on the day and after, built from this idea’s own steps and rules.

Typical rules

Food: community groups selling food for fundraising fewer than 20 times a year are exempt from Food Act registration (MPI), but councils may still require a stall or fundraising permit in public places.
Amusement devices (rides) need permits; land-borne inflatables such as bouncy castles are not required to be registered but should meet the standard WorkSafe refers to.
Raffle on the night: a lottery under the Gambling Act 2003. No licence if total prizes are $5,000 or less and turnover is $25,000 or less (Class 1: both $500 or less; Class 2: run by a society). Alcohol, tobacco, firearms and some other items are illegal prizes, so no wine hampers as raffle prizes.
Venue and council: events on council land or roads usually need a council event permit, traffic management plan and public liability insurance; rules differ by council.

Check the details

Sources

Researched October 2026. All fundraising ideas

* 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