How long should a party last?

A birthday party typically lasts 3-4 hours, a wedding reception 5-6 hours, and a corporate event 3-4 hours. BBQs and garden parties can run longer at 4-6 hours. Build in buffer time between activities and plan for guests arriving over a 30-60 minute window.

How much setup time should I allow?

This planner allows 60 minutes base plus 30 seconds per guest, then adds your "setup per activity" time (15 min by default) for each activity such as a sound check or cake-table setup. For a 100-guest wedding with 3 activities that is about 2.5 hours. For a 20-guest birthday with no extra setup, 90 minutes is usually enough. Venue access restrictions may shorten the window — confirm your get-in time.

How many staff do I need?

This planner uses 1 helper per 15 guests for a sit-down meal, 1 per 20 for canapés or finger food, 1 per 25 for a buffet, and 1 per 30 for a drinks-only event. These are conservative rule-of-thumb figures; some caterers run leaner (1 per 25-40 on a buffet) or more attentive (1 per 8-12 on a formal plated dinner). Always have at least 1 person dedicated to coordination and guest management.

How long should I allow between activities?

Allow 10-15 minutes between activities for transitions, bathroom breaks, and resetting the space. For formal events, 15 minutes is better. For casual parties, 10 minutes works. Never schedule activities back-to-back as delays cascade.

Event Timeline Planner — Free Planning Tool

Event Timeline Planner

Build a suggested schedule for your event with realistic timing for every part of the day.

Event TypeSets the suggested activity names (speeches, games, etc.)

Start TimeWhen guests start arriving (24-hour, e.g. 18:00)

Number of Guests

Total people attending — drives arrivals window, setup and staff

Number of Activities

Speeches, games, dances, etc. — 30 min each plus a buffer

Meal TypeSit-down 90 min, buffet 60 min, canapés 45 min, or no food

How We Calculate This

This calculator builds a suggested event timeline based on your event type, start time, guest count, activities and meal type.

How timing works

Arrivals: 30 min (≤30 guests), 45 min (≤80), 60 min (over 80)
Meals: Sit-down 90 min, Buffet 60 min, Canapés 45 min, No food 0 min
Activities: 30 min each, with a buffer gap (10 min default) between them
Wind-down: 30 min at the end after a final buffer
Setup: 60 min base + 0.5 min per guest + 15 min per activity

Staff needed = guests ÷ ratio, rounded up (minimum 1): sit-down 1:15, canapés/finger food 1:20, buffet 1:25, drinks-only 1:30.

These are suggested timings and conservative staffing rules of thumb — adjust them to your venue, caterer and running order. Wedding receptions typically run 5-6 hours; birthdays and corporate events 3-4 hours. (Sources: UK wedding-day timeline guides such as weddingvenues.co.uk and Country House Weddings; catering staff-ratio guidance from Wave Staffing UK, Qwick and Serve & Savour.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: March 2026

All calculations are estimates. Adjust quantities based on your guests and event type.

Event Timeline Planner

How We Calculate This

How timing works

Frequently Asked Questions

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