Alternative path to School Christmas Fair of dooooooom

[BirminghamCityCentre]

Our primary school have just done our annual Christmas Fair. We had the usual turnabout of asking people for donations then selling them their stuff back e.g. secret gifts, second half toys, jam jar tombola, booze tombola, cake stall. Plus Santa, cafe, games, crafts. It was an expensive three hours of hell for the parents and the kids loved it, sugar fuelled little monsters that they were by the end. We made money. Hurrah.
I am on my knees at the thought of putting the whole school community through this sht every year, it is so inefficient and we drive a lot of the parent body up the wall with it.
Anyone have words of advice/genius on how their school does an Christmas fundraiser for the kids that they will enjoy, still makes money, and doesn't pss off 80% of the parent body, including the 40% who turn up out of obligation?

Tap into something people have to buy anyway - Christmas trees, visit to Santa, Christmas cards, wrapping paper. Or go for food - each class makes something to serve at a cafe after school. Or childcare - movie night until 5pm one day?

I've heard of a school that does a Saturday Christmas club for the kids, the parents pay £5 per child and then they have a day for Christmas shopping with childcare sorted. The kids make cards and craft stuff for presents.

We had a number of Christmas craft stalls (candles, holly wreaths, tree decorations, stockings, cakes, books etc) no jumble and stalls manned by the vendors who paid a fee to "hire" space in the hall.

You can charge a fee to rent the table & then charge 10% of the take which they calculate at the end of the day. I helped collect this at our school fair & some stalls had taken £2k+ so £200 to us for no work.

Yes I believe our "fee" was largely a percentage of the profit from sales on the night and orders placed.

We hold a "Late Shopping Night" child minding-basically the school babysits until 7 o clock one evening when the local shops have late opening. Christmas activities, a film, snack and fun and games whilst parents catch up on their shopping!

Just had our fair - raised over 5k!!! So all the hard work was worth it! Still, always good to pick up good ideas

at Possom Purge.
We have a lot of cats round here...

5k is massive Lem. How many children in school???

400 primaey. 2k came from matched funding. money for nothing

Primary

Sorry bearwith just saw your question. So, other main items were £700 on santa's grotto, £1k on cafe (lunch, mulled wine etc), £400 cake stall, £500 jazzy jars, £170 second hand toys, £200 booze tumble, £180 craft activity, £500 on secret gift for grownup room.
Well done, Lem, hope you have had a good rest since then! Where do you get matched funding from, if you don't you mind me asking?

Thanks ! Was all the stuff donations? We took about the same amount in cash but actual amount made was less once costs taken off 3/4 of the cash became profit