How far in advance should I start planning a class reunion?

Start planning 9-12 months before your target date. This gives you time to book venues (8-10 months out), find classmates, and let people save the date. Six months isn't enough time—venues fill up and people's calendars get booked.

How much should I charge for reunion tickets?

Typical reunion ticket prices: 10-year reunion ($50-$75), 20-year reunion ($65-$85), 30+ year reunion ($75-$100). Build your budget first (venue, catering, DJ, fees), then set ticket price to cover costs plus 10% buffer.

What's the best way to find lost classmates?

Start with Facebook—search for existing class groups or create one. Use LinkedIn for professional connections. Contact your school's alumni office for help. Post a 'Missing Classmates' list in your Facebook group—someone always knows someone who knows someone.

How do I handle ticket sales for a reunion?

Use a ticketing platform like TixFox ($0.39/ticket) instead of manual tracking. It handles payment collection, automatic confirmations, real-time headcount, and refunds automatically. Much less stressful than tracking spreadsheets and chasing people for Venmo payments.

Should I have separate pricing for alumni and guests?

Yes, different pricing is common. Example: Alumni ticket $70, Guest/spouse ticket $65. This accounts for the different experience and makes pricing transparent. Use multiple ticket types in TixFox to handle this automatically.

What venue works best for class reunions?

Hotel ballrooms (professional, convenient for out-of-town guests), event spaces/lofts (unique, Instagram-worthy), or restaurants with private rooms (built-in catering, intimate). Visit venues at the same time of day as your event to see lighting and atmosphere.

How many people should be on the reunion committee?

4-6 people is perfect. You need an organizer, social media person, money person, venue scout, and creative person. Look for reliable volunteers who'll actually show up and meet deadlines, not just enthusiastic people who disappear.

When should I give the venue a final headcount?

Most venues need final headcount 1-2 weeks before the event. Use your ticketing platform dashboard (like TixFox) to see exact ticket sales in real-time. Add a 5% buffer for no-shows when confirming with the venue.

Best Ticketing Platform for Class Reunions: Complete Planning Guide 2026

Last updated: August 19, 2026

You got volunteered to run the reunion. Maybe you raised your hand. Either way, the job is the same: find classmates, pick a date, book a room, collect money, and somehow turn a hotel ballroom into a night people still talk about in the group chat.

Good news: ordinary committees pull this off every year between day jobs and kids' soccer. You need a plan, a small team, and a checkout link that doesn't eat the catering budget.

This is the planning guide (timeline, budget, venues, day-of). For a pure platform fee shootout, use the companion piece: Best Ticketing Platforms for Class Reunions.

Step 1: Build a committee of 4–6

Roles that actually matter

Organizer: calendar, decisions, nudges.
Social lead: Facebook group, posts, hype.
Money person: budget, deposits, fee math.
Venue scout: site visits, contracts.
Creative: invites, nametags, photo walls.

Recruit people who answer texts. Enthusiasm without follow-through is how you end up doing nametags at 1 a.m. alone.

First meeting (keep it short)

Pick a target Saturday 6–12 months out
Rough ticket range people can afford
Assign roles in writing
Pick GroupMe / Slack / email and stick to it
Book the next meeting before you leave

Meet every 2–3 weeks until two months out, then weekly.

Our pick for low-cost paid tickets: TixFox.co

TixFox.co

August 2026 fee: $0.39 per paid ticket, plus normal Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30). No monthly fee.

Step 2: Date and budget

When reunions work

Summer (June–August) and early fall (homecoming season) travel well. Thanksgiving weekend works for people already flying home. Avoid major holidays, peak wedding Saturdays, and "everyone is on a beach" school breaks if your crowd is heavy on parents.

Saturday night is still the default. Friday works for local classes. Sunday brunch is popular for 50-year reunions.

Build cost-per-person backward

Typical ticket bands in 2026:

10-year: $50–$75
20-year: $65–$85
30+: $75–$100

Expense	Share of budget	Notes
Venue	35–40%	Tables, chairs, basic AV
Food & drink	35–40%	Plated or heavy apps
DJ / band	10–15%	Live costs more
Decor	5–10%	Centerpieces, signage
Photos	~5%	Or DIY booth
Ticketing	2–5%	Model this early
Buffer	~5–10%	You will need it

Example: 150 people at $70 ($10,500 gross)

Venue $3,500
Catering $3,800
DJ $1,200
Decor $600
Photos $400
Ticketing (TixFox $0.39 × 150 = $58.50 + Stripe ≈ $315) ≈ $375
Buffer $500
Total ≈ $10,375 (inside the envelope)

Model fees before you publish a round number. A $70 ticket that becomes $64 after Eventbrite-style fees is how committees write personal checks.

Step 3: Find classmates

Search for existing "[School] Class of [Year]" Facebook groups. If none exist, create one and make it obvious it's official. Post regularly or the group dies.

LinkedIn helps for name changes and career moves. Instagram works for younger classes. Classmates.com still helps older decades.

Use the committee's networks

Yearbooks, old friend clusters, alumni office newsletters, and "missing classmates" threads in the group. People love playing detective. Post a list of 20 names and watch replies roll in.

Step 4: Sell tickets without spreadsheet hell

You need card payments, automatic confirmations, +1 names, refunds, and a live headcount for the venue. Spreadsheets + Venmo worked in 2014. In 2026 they're how you lose Saturdays.

Why committees land on TixFox

TixFox is $0.39 per ticket. On 150 tickets that's $58.50 in platform fees before Stripe. Compare that to Eventbrite US at 3.7% + $1.79 service plus 2.9% processing per order. On a $70 ticket (one per order):

Eventbrite service: 3.7% × $70 + $1.79 = $4.38
Eventbrite processing: 2.9% × $70 = $2.03
All-in ≈ $6.41 × 150 ≈ $962
TixFox all-in ≈ $0.39 + (2.9% × $70 + $0.30) = ~$2.72 × 150 ≈ $408
Rough savings ≈ $550

Put that into the bar or the band, not a platform logo.

What the tool should do for a reunion

Alumni $70 / Guest $65 / Late $80 ticket types
Custom fields for guest name, dietary needs, meal choice, and class year
Live sold count for the venue deadline
Automatic ticket emails
Mobile checkout (most people tap from Facebook)
Add-ons for shirts or yearbooks
Private passcode so randoms don't buy into a private night
Team roles (Admin, Finance Manager, Scanner, Viewer) so the treasurer and door crew don't share one login
Check-in assistants for nametag night without handing out finance access
Automated reminders in the final weeks so the headcount sticks
Optional fee-exempt donations for a scholarship or class gift (TixFox takes $0 on donation amounts)
Duplicate event if you add a Friday mixer or Sunday brunch without rebuilding forms
One-click refunds when life happens

Setup in about 15 minutes

Create the event (name, date, venue). Example date energy: Saturday evening in summer 2026 or 2027, whatever your class picks.
Add Alumni and Guest tickets; set capacity a bit under true fire code so you have buffer.
Upload a yearbook-era header; write what's included, dress code, refund cutoff.
Turn on a passcode and share it only in the class group.
Add custom fields, invite committee roles, and schedule a reminder.
If you need a second night, duplicate the event and change the date.
Publish, paste the link, stop DMing payment requests.

Full fee tables vs other reunion tools: class reunion ticketing platforms.

Step 5: Pick a venue that fits the class

Hotel ballrooms: easy catering, rooms upstairs for out-of-towners, can feel generic.
Restaurant private rooms: cozy, capped near 100.
Lofts / event spaces: prettier photos, you bring catering.
School gym: cheap nostalgia, more DIY.
Brewery / winery: casual; skip if the class wants formal.

Ask every site: seated vs standing capacity, what's included, catering rules, bar model, rental hours, deposit and refund terms, final headcount deadline. Visit at night if your event is at night.

Step 6: Atmosphere beats long speeches

Nametags

Yearbook photo + current name + maiden name beats "Hello My Name Is." Instant icebreaker.

Memory stations

Open yearbooks, then-and-now boards, a simple timeline of the graduation year, senior superlatives with "where are they now" updates.

Music

Lean on the graduation era (a few years on either side). Sprinkle current songs. When the class anthem hits, you'll know.

Photos

DIY backdrop + school colors + a decent phone on a tripod often beats a $900 booth. Add a roaming photographer if the budget allows.

Step 7: Keep the program light

People came to talk.

Sample night

6:00 doors, check-in, nametags, soft music
6:30 mix + photo spots
7:30 three-minute welcome, short toast for classmates who passed, dinner
8:30 dance floor open
10:30 last song, remind them about the Facebook group
11:00 hard end

Skip long slideshows, award ceremonies, and assigned seating unless the class specifically wants banquet formality.

Step 8: Week-of ops

One week out: pull exact sales from the ticketing dashboard, add a small no-show buffer, confirm venue/DJ/caterer/photographer, print nametags + a few blanks, assign check-in and setup crews.

Day of: arrive 2–3 hours early. Use the printed list or mobile check-in. Then put the clipboard down and actually talk to people. Other committee members can handle fires.

Step 9: Aftercare

Post photos fast. Send a short thank-you. Process refunds the same week. Keep the Facebook group alive with birthdays and throwbacks so the next reunion isn't starting from zero.

Mistakes that keep showing up

Starting at six months. Aim for 9–12; book the venue 8–10 months out.
Pretty ticket prices that don't cover costs + fees. Math first, pride second.
No early-bird deadline. Then everyone registers after the venue's headcount date.
Multi-step payment instructions. One link, one checkout.
No guest name field. Nametags that say "+1" feel lazy.
Endless committee debates. Poll the group, pick a winner, move.
One person doing 90%. Reassign early.

Real budget sketch (20-year, 140 @ $70)

Item	Amount
Ticket revenue	$9,800
Shirt add-ons (25 × $25)	$625
Total in	$10,425
Venue	$2,800
Catering	$4,200
Bar	$1,400
DJ	$800
Decor	$350
Photos	$300
Printing	$180
Ticketing (TixFox ~$55 + Stripe ~$260)	~$315
Shirt cost	$375
Total out	~$10,720
Net	Small deficit covered by shirt margin / buffer

Break-even or a tiny surplus for the next reunion's deposit is the realistic win. You're not building a startup.

Three reunions, three ticket methods (composite lessons)

Manual (forms + Venmo): dozens of hours reconciling who paid. Never again for a 150-person dinner.

Big marketplace platform (2020s): worked, but ~$900+ in fees on a similar headcount and money that didn't land in time for early deposits.

TixFox (2026): platform fees on ~175 tickets around $68, dashboard every volunteer could open, shirt add-ons without a second tool, passcode for the private group, custom fields for meals, team Scanner roles on the door, reminders before the weekend, refunds without spreadsheet archaeology. Saved fee dollars went to a live band instead of a playlist.

You don't need enterprise analytics. You need money collected, names captured, committee access that matches each role, and a headcount you trust.

Master timeline

12 months out

Form committee, set date, create Facebook group, start finding people.

10 months

Book venue, set ticket price from a real budget, book DJ/band.

8 months

Theme/logo, TixFox event draft, save-the-date posts.

6 months

Open sales, early-bird deadline, start collecting photos for displays.

4 months

Early bird ends, confirm catering path, keep posting.

2 months

Registration reminders, photographer, decor orders, memory wall plan.

1 month

Final push, program outline, day-of roles, nametag draft.

2 weeks

Final headcount to venue, vendor confirms, close or nearly close sales, print.

1 week

Committee huddle, pack check-in kit, charge phones for scanning.

Day before

Last errands, sleep.

Day of

Setup, check-in, enjoy the thing you built.

FAQ

What's the best ticketing platform for a class reunion?

For most paid high school and family reunions in 2026, TixFox at $0.39 wins on fee and covers +1s, passcodes, custom fields, committee team roles, reminders, and check-in. Duplicate the event for multi-night weekends. Use heavier RSVP tools when hotel blocks and seating charts dominate. See the platform comparison.

How early should we start?

Nine to twelve months is comfortable. Under six months is possible but stressful on venues and travel.

Should we absorb the $0.39 fee?

Usually yes. Keeping $65 even is worth fifty-nine cents. Absorbing Eventbrite-sized fees without budgeting for them is how treasurers get blindsided.

What refund policy works?

Publish it on the event page. Example: full refund until 2–3 weeks before; none after the venue's headcount lock. Be human about true emergencies.

Ready when you are

Create the reunion on TixFox
Add Alumni + Guest tickets
Share the passcode in the class group
Watch the headcount climb without chasing payments

$0.39 per ticket leaves more in the room for food, music, and the awkward-then-wonderful hugs. Your classmates won't thank you for the platform. They'll thank you for the night.

Reunions are logistics in service of belonging. Get the money path boring, the timeline honest, and the playlist right. The rest is people finding each other again. 🎓