eventrundown.com
A full day schedule for 30 to 100 guests — group photos, lawn games, potluck lunch, family trivia, awards, BBQ dinner, and a bonfire send-off. Edit and share with everyone attending.
Full day reunion — park pavilion, 60 guests
Volunteer crew sets up tables, chairs, games, and signage. Early arrivals sign the guest book and pick up name tags.
Official welcome by the reunion organizer. Guests find their family group table and drop off potluck dishes.
Gather everyone for the big group shot before the crowd disperses. Designate a photographer and a backup.
Corn hole, horseshoes, badminton, and a kids' scavenger hunt run simultaneously. Adults mingle; kids burn energy.
Blessing or moment of gratitude, then buffet-style serving. Kids line up first. Bring extra serving spoons.
Hosted trivia round with questions about family history, shared memories, and silly facts. Teams of 4-6 mixed across generations.
Structured transitions keep 30 to 100 relatives moving from one activity to the next without bottlenecks or dead time.
Lawn games, trivia, and awards are designed to include kids, parents, and grandparents at the same time — no one sits out.
The hardest part of any reunion is getting everyone together for photos. This template blocks the time and puts it early, before energy drops.
Annual Summer Reunions
Park pavilion or backyard, 30–100 family members, all-day format with potluck and BBQ
Holiday Weekend Gatherings
July 4th, Labor Day, or Memorial Day when extended family is already traveling
Milestone Reunions
10th, 25th, or 50th reunion years with extra programming and tributes to family history
Multi-Branch Families
Large families with multiple branches benefit from per-group photo rotations and assigned tables
Start from a template or blank slate, add items, and build your event schedule.
Step-by-step guide to creating a professional event timeline in minutes. Works for weddings, corporate events, parties, and conferences.
Free birthday party timeline template for kids and adults. Plan activities, food, and entertainment on a clear schedule.
Spreadsheets work for data, not for communicating schedules. Here is why professional planners use dedicated timeline tools.
Use this template or describe your family reunion and we'll build a custom schedule in seconds.
DescribeBook the group photo within the first 30 minutes of the event, before anyone sneaks off to the food line or lawn games. Energy is highest, everyone is still dressed nicely, and you get the shot before the day gets away from you.
Include each person's family branch on their name tag. At large reunions where distant cousins haven't met in decades, this one detail eliminates most of the "wait, how are we related again?" conversations.
Keep multiple activity stations open at once so guests self-select by interest and age. A single organized game for 60 people runs slowly and frustrates the kids and adults who just want to talk.
Assign someone to gently signal speakers when their time is up. Left unchecked, a reunion toast segment can stretch 45 minutes past its planned end and delay dinner for the whole group.
Reveal the next year's host and location at the end of the event, while momentum is high and everyone is together. Getting a verbal commitment in the room is far more effective than a follow-up email three weeks later.
A single-day reunion runs best from late morning through early evening — roughly 10 AM to 9 PM. This gives enough time for a full meal, games, photos, and a relaxed wind-down without pushing past the comfort zone for older relatives and kids who need early bedtimes. Multi-day reunions at a rented property work well for families spread across many states, but a single well-structured day is enough for most.
Lawn games (corn hole, horseshoes, bocce) work across generations because they're low-impact and naturally form small groups. Family trivia with mixed-age teams gets grandparents and grandchildren talking across generations. A scavenger hunt keeps kids active independently. Avoid activities that exclude older or very young family members — if half the crowd can't participate, it splits the reunion rather than bringing it together.
Potluck works best for reunions under 75 people where most attendees travel within a few hours. It distributes the cost and gives everyone a role. For reunions over 75 or those where many guests fly in, catered BBQ or a food truck removes the burden of transporting dishes and guarantees food is hot and ready at a predictable time. A hybrid — catered mains, potluck sides and desserts — is the most common approach and satisfies both camps.
Print name tags that include the person's name, their family branch (e.g., "Grandma Ruth's side"), and their home city. This gives strangers a natural conversation starter and helps people place each other without awkward introductions. Laminated or badge-style tags last the whole day without falling apart from humidity or food spills.
Take it within the first 30 to 45 minutes of the event, before anyone leaves for the food line, before kids get grass-stained, and before adults lose their jackets. Schedule it explicitly on the printed timeline so guests know to stay assembled after arrival. Waiting until mid-afternoon or end of day means half the group has already scattered or left early.
For family reunion planning