Whether it involves petticoats, turbans, capes, or spandex clad fictional characters, having a theme for your fete is a great way to attract more people through the gate on the day.

• Last weekend Newcastle East Public School students donned 1800s themed costumes, wearing bonnets, petticoats and aprons for their school’s Colonial Fair to celebrate their school’s heritage as the oldest continuously running school in Australia (their school was started in 1816 by convict and schoolteacher Henry Wrensford).
• In September, Mitcham Primary School held a fete with the theme “Keep on Moroccan” which included camel rides, a bazaar, Moroccan barbeque, belly dancers, African drummers to raise money to go towards improving the schools grounds and amenities.
• In August, the St Joan of Arc School in Haberfield held a School Fete themed Under the Big Top where they organized amusement rides, a chocolate wheel, children’s activities, silent auctions, a variety of stalls, and fabulous food to raise money to upgrade playground facilities.
• And back in June, St Thomas School in Camp Hill held their school’s big fundraiser which was dominated by mutants, government agents and crime-fighting robots as part of its superheroes theme.
• Having a theme for a fete captures both the general public’s attention as well as the media because it gives them something different to write stories about or to cover on air. A theme is also a great way to unify the fete organizing committee and get their creative juices flowing, plus it helps get parents and the local community moves past the ‘seen one, seen them all’ mindset toward fetes.
• Importantly, themes don’t have to be expensive to bring to life, Arabian themes can be brought to life with draped sheets, fake palm trees, and cushions, a casino theme can be brought to life with black and white decorations and a Hawaiian theme can be brought to life with bright shirts, fake flower garlands, and grass skirts. How you bring your theme to life is only limited by your imagination!

Taking the time to come up with a theme for your next fete can make a big difference on the day. It gives the committee a shared creative idea to focus on, it gives the media something to talk about, which will in turn attract more people on the day. And that all adds up to the most important part, more money raised on the day!