Content Created by Tracey of Baker Street Living 
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A potluck party is the perfect way to bring friends and family together without putting all the cooking (and cost!) on one person. Everyone contributes a dish, making the menu wonderfully diverse while keeping the atmosphere fun and relaxed. With our potluck planning guide, we help you create a warm, festive gathering that everyone will remember. I have been doing potluck parties for over 25 years and have mastered the art of throwing a great potluck party.
Why Choose a Potluck Party?
Shared effort: Less stress for the host, more joy for everyone. Depending on how many people you have, it can be very hard to make dishes that everyone loves. Some guests may have special dietary requirements, and allowing them to bring a dish ensures there will be something that suits their needs.
Variety of dishes: Guests can showcase their favourite holiday recipes. This is a great way to share a tried and true family favourite with friends or relatives.
Budget-friendly: Costs are shared among everyone attending. Hosting a party can be very expensive. There are other considerations, such as decorations and seating, that the host has to contend with. Sharing the menu with guests is a great way to make it more affordable to host.
Inclusive: No one is left out. Whether it’s cultural food, dietary needs or simple likes and dislikes, a little potluck planning makes certain that there is something for everyone.
Easy Potluck Planning
Choose a Theme or Occasion
While not essential, having a theme can help guide what people bring. Think: taco night, comfort food classics, backyard picnic, fall harvest, or international flavours. A popular time for potlucks is summertime barbecues, Christmas parties and family reunions.
Setting the Date
Choose a date that works for most guests (for example, often a weekend in December, a couple of weeks before Christmas, works for a Christmas potluck). Send invitations early via snail mail, email, text, or an event platform. Include the theme, location, and a note that it’s potluck-style. Always ask guests to RSVP.
Invitations should contain:
- Date and Time
- Location, including proper street address
- RSVP deadline
- Link to a food sign-up sheet or food category assignment
- Special Instructions for attire, ie, costume, colour theme, etc…
Create a Shareable Sign-Up Sheet
Avoid a table full of five cheese trays and no desserts by creating a simple sign-up list for appetizers, mains, sides, desserts, and drinks. Feel free to use our free sign-up sheets included in our free potluck planning guide.
Organize the sign-up sheet to include:
- Appetizers
- Main Dishes
- Sides
- Salads
- Desserts
- Drinks
- Special Dietary items
You can add more detail to each category if desired. For example, Main Dishes- Beef – Chicken – Vegan, etc…
Co-Ordinate Serving Needs
When hosting, it is a good idea for the host to provide the essentials, such as
- Plates
- Cutlery
- Napkins
- Drinkware
- Extra Serving Spoons
- Platters and Serving Bowls
- Labels or folding cards – for the didh title and dietary notes – (For Example- ” Strawberry Cheesecake – Sugar Free – Contains Sucralose)
Pro Tip
Providing chafing dishes, warmers, or crock pots to help keep food hot makes going for seconds as good as the first time up to the buffet.
Shop Warming Servers:
For cold dishes, chiller mats, chiller bowls, ice-chilled platters, or chilled condiment holders are perfect for keeping cold dishes cold.
Shop Chilling Accessories
- Chilled Serving tray
- Chilled Condiment Server
- Flexible Chilling Mat
- Roll Top Chiller Derver (Hot or cold)
- Extra Large Slim Ice Packs
Prepare the Space
When potluck planning, set aside the day before to get everything ready. Doing this ahead of time makes the day of the party more relaxing.
Set up tables, making sure there is enough seating for everyone. You may have to move furniture around to accommodate a large crowd. Typically, each guest needs about 24 inches, which includes the width of the chair. This is average. You know your guests! If you need more space, account for it. Don’t forget accessible needs, such as wheelchairs, walkers or other mobility aids.
Pro-Tip – Got left-handed guests? Either give them extra space on their left side or seat them at the end of the table. This prevents knocking elbows.
Clear closets at your entry and have lots of hangers for people to hang coats. This may not be necessary for your potluck. It is more of a seasonal requirement. In summer, if you’re having a barbecue, you don’t need a place to hang your coats.
Provide floor mats that are out of the way for people to remove and place their shoes on. (especially important in winter) If it is wintry weather, consider getting a basket or inexpensive slippers that guests can put on after removing their shoes. If you are a crafty type, add a custom HTV design that guests can take home. Believe it or not, a pack of 24 slippers is available for 34$.
Have an area set up to receive guests. A table with trivets or hot pads to place food on is helpful. Providing food cards that the guest fills out at the table eliminates confusion later. If you have a helper, this is a great time to have them take the food and label and place it on the buffet table along with the food label. If you regularly host potlucks, small chalkboard signs work amazingly well.
Space Considerations
If you have the space to feel available. It is a great idea to have a separate Buffet table for entrées, along with a separate table for desserts, and an additional one for drinks.
Keep in Casual
Remember — potlucks are meant to be relaxed! Don’t stress about perfection. Focus on good food, good company, and good conversation. As the host, your job is to keep things flowing and make sure everyone feels welcome.
This website contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you).