How far in advance should you plan a reunion?

Start six to nine months ahead and give guests four to six months’ notice of the date, more if people live abroad.

How do you find old classmates for a reunion?

Start with people you know and ask each for more names. Social media, alumni offices and old year-group pages help with the rest.

How much should a reunion ticket cost?

Enough to cover food, the venue and maybe a drink. Be open about what it covers; a small deposit keeps numbers reliable.

What percentage of people come to a school reunion?

Commonly a third to a half of those contacted, depending on how long it has been and how far people have moved.

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How to plan a school, university or family reunion

Jason at hitherInvitations and RSVPs · 7 min read · Updated 1 November 2026

Reunions are usually started by one person saying “we should do something for 20 years”, and finished by the same person, three months later, at midnight, chasing an email address for someone who moved to Australia. I helped run my 20-year school reunion. The party was the easy part; finding everyone and getting them to commit was the work. Here’s how to make that part manageable.

Start with a small team

Find two or three people who were in different friendship groups. Between you, you’ll reach far more people than any one of you would. Agree early who handles the venue, who handles the money and who does the finding.

Track people down

Start with the people you’re still in touch with and ask each of them for three more names. Social media, alumni offices and old year-group pages fill in the gaps. Keep one list of everyone, with how you contacted them and whether they’ve replied.

Expect to reach more people than come. A good turnout for a school reunion is a third to a half of the year group, which is a perfectly lively party.

Pick a date and a venue

Give people four to six months’ notice, longer if many live abroad. Avoid school holidays for family reunions and the summer for anyone with children. A pub with a function room, a restaurant, or the school or college itself (many will host alumni events) all work.

For family reunions, a long lunch or a weekend in a large rented house tends to work better than an evening party, so older relatives and children can both enjoy it.

Costs and tickets

Decide whether it’s pay-on-the-night or a ticket that covers food and a drink. Tickets make numbers reliable; pay-on-the-night gets more last-minute people. A small deposit is a good middle ground. Be open about what the money covers, and don’t end up personally holding a venue bill for people who said maybe.

Keep everyone in one place

A group chat with 120 people becomes noise within a day. Put the details, the date, the venue and the reply form on one page and share the link everywhere. People can say yes, add a partner and see who else is coming, which is the thing that persuades most people to come.

On the day

Name badges with a photo from back then: they solve the “I know your face” problem instantly
A slideshow of old photos, collected ahead of time
A short moment to remember anyone who has died, handled gently
A shared photo album afterwards, so the night carries on online