Can you have a Potluck Birthday Party?
Having a potluck birthday party is not always a sign that you are broke. It can be cheaper to host a crowd with potluck, but it can also be easier to serve a large crowd when everyone brings a dish to share.
I’m not sure where this idea that doing anything potluck means your cheap. Potlucks are fun ways to have a party and have lots of different foods to try!
I have some awesome friends that love to show off their cooking skills, so having a potluck barbeque or birthday party is totally a normal thing for us. Let’s deep dive into Potluck Birthday Parties!
Can a birthday party be a potluck?
Birthdays are a great excuse to throw a party. Parties normally have food, so it only makes sense to make it a potluck as well! Here are my best tips for having a Potluck Birthday Party!
8 Tips for a potluck birthday
1. Gifts or Food, but not Both
When you host a potluck birthday party, you will want your guests to bring a food item instead of bringing a gift. It would be rude to have the party guests bring food and a gift for the birthday person.
2. Supply Your Own Cake
Unless you have a close friend that volunteers to make the birthday cake, the host of the party should provide the birthday cake. For some adult birthday parties, other desserts are used besides a traditional birthday cake and that is totally fine!
3. Let Your Guests Know the Theme
You can have a regular birthday without a true party theme, but you will need to have a theme for the food. This could be as simple as a backyard barbeque or just finger foods and appetizers. This let’s your guests have an idea of what foods they should bring.
If you don’t let your guests know what type of food to bring, you may end up with a lot of dishes that don’t go together.
4. Let your Guests know the Number of People
Typically, at a potluck, you want the guests to try all the dishes so you each dish needs to serve all the number of people expected to come. I like to think of potluck servings as mini portions, and they are typically about half of a regular serving.
For example, a normal serving of potato salad is about 1 cup, so for a potluck you would want to have enough 1/2 portions for each of the guests.
5. Supply the Main Dish or Dishes
We regularly have a cookout style potluck for my daughter’s birthday because it happens in August. We ask that everyone bring a side dish that goes with Hamburgers and Hotdogs. By letting people know if it is an indoor or outdoor party and what the main protein will be, my guests have a better idea of what to bring.
6. Plates & Cups
Unless someone volunteers to bring plates, silverware, and cups; the host should provide these items for the guests. Personally, I like to grab these disposable items at my local Dollar Tree. I usually grab some plastic tablecloths and serving ware like large spoons as well. (I always end up with one dish that doesn’t come with a way to serve it!)
7. Drinks & Ice
If you have a friend that is culinary challenged, you may want to suggest that they bring the ice and drinks. Otherwise, a good host would want to offer at least some basic beverages for everyone to enjoy.
If it is a children’s party, small juice boxes and small bottles of water are appropriate, but you will want to have beverage for adults as well.
You can let people know that it is BYOB (Bring your own beverage) but this should only apply to alcoholic beverages. At the very least bottled water should be available to everyone.
8. Don’t Stress
There are always a few odd ball dishes that come to a potluck, so don’t stress if they don’t fully fit in with your vision. Take this time to enjoy trying something new and don’t criticize a guest for the food they bring. This is a good way to lose a friend!
Should you bring food to a birthday party?
Some people seem to think that throwing a potluck birthday party is being cheap but if you are a good host, you will still have to provide quite a lot. A great host would be responsible for the main dish, basic silverware/plates, drinks & ice, and the birthday cake.
A host would also be responsible for any decorations, so after the basics and decor a birthday party can get quite expensive. Overall though birthday parties are meant to be a fun time to celebrate the birthday person and not to go broke.
If you are not a great cook, don’t have the means to cater a party, or don’t have the space to make all the food; having a potluck birthday party is a great alternative! This way you get the pleasure of everyone’s company and get to sample lots of yummy foods.
Food has always been a great way to come together, so bringing a dish to a birthday party is a great way to contribute. If a party is not specifically mentioned as a potluck, you may want to clear it with the host before arriving with food.
For more potluck tips, check out “Can you Bring Pizza to a Potluck?” and “Can you Bring Pizza to a Potluck?“
