Cooking
How much to buy for a party — shopping list per guest?
Sparkling wine, still wine, soft drinks, snacks, ice and tableware scaled to guests, event type and duration — aperitivo, dinner, birthday or BBQ.
Quick answer
Party shopping is five parallel counts — drinks, nibbles, ice, tableware, and maybe meat — all scaled from **guests × event type × hours**. Worked example: **20 guests · garden aperitivo · 4 h** → **8 bottles sparkling** (~1 per 2–3 people), **2 bottles wine**, **9 L soft drinks**, **2.6 kg snacks**, **~44 kg ice**, **50 cups** and **30 plates**. Change type to BBQ and meat jumps to **~8 kg raw** with more ice.
Quick presets:
Sparkling wine (750 ml bottles)
8
- Still wine (750 ml bottles)
- 2
- Water & soft drinks
- 9 L
- Snacks / finger food
- 2.6 kg
- Ice (approx.)
- ~44 kg
- Disposable cups
- 50
- Plates / napkins set
- 30
Detail with: Cocktail doses · Ice calculator
⚠️ Drink quantities are indicative — buy alcohol locally (we do not link spirits). Add 10–15% buffer for hot days. Drink responsibly.
Sparkling ≈ 1 bottle per 2–3 guests at aperitivo; wine ≈ 1 bottle per 3 guests at dinner; soft drinks 0.45–0.65 L/person; snacks 80–150 g/person by event. Ice uses the same logic as our party-ice tool. Meat line appears for dinner, buffet and BBQ — refine with the dedicated BBQ calculator.
How it works
This hub unifies the summer cluster: refine cocktails with our cocktail calculator, ice with the party ice tool, meat with BBQ per person and charcoal with the charcoal calculator. Affiliate links cover party cups and plates — buy wine and spirits locally.
Highlighted links go to Amazon.
Frequently asked questions
How much prosecco for 30 guests at an aperitivo?+
Select Garden aperitivo, enter 30 guests and your hours (often 3–4). At ~0.4 bottles per person → 12 × 750 ml sparkling before wine and soft drinks — roughly one case plus top-up. Add 30–40% more if it is spritz-heavy (use the cocktail calculator for Aperol/prosecco splits).
How many snacks per person for a buffet?+
Buffet finger food runs ~140 g per person in the tool — mix chips, olives, cheese cubes and mini sandwiches. For a 2-hour standing buffet that is enough; for 5+ hours or meal replacement, bump toward 180 g or add a hot course (meat line in dinner/BBQ modes).
Do I need separate calculators for ice and meat?+
This planner gives a fast total list. Use the dedicated ice calculator for weddings and hot BBQ days (buffer %, bag count), the BBQ meat calculator for kids/adults and appetite levels, and the charcoal tool once you know kg of meat and grill hours.
Why no affiliate links to wine or spirits?+
Amazon Associates restricts many alcohol categories — we link party supplies (cups, plates, dispensers, bar tools) where allowed. Buy bottles with the counts from this page at your local shop; cocktail pages list exact ml for mixed drinks.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases — the price does not change for you.