Theme Guide
Multi-station international party: each room or table represents a different country, with food, drinks, music, and decor to match. Travel-loving classmates collect passport stamps as they move between stations. Full guide to executing the most ambitious — and most photographed — class reunion theme.
The around-the-world theme is the most ambitious class reunion theme on the list — and also the most rewarding when done well. The structure: divide your venue into 4 to 8 'country stations,' each with its own food, drinks, music, and decor. Classmates carry 'passports' (printed booklets) that get stamped at each station. The variety of food and music keeps the energy fresh in a way no single-theme reunion can match.
It works best for classes with a strong international representation — graduates who've worked or lived abroad, families with deep roots in specific countries, or a class that just loves food and travel. Each station becomes a destination experience inside the reunion: classmates linger at the Italy table for the wine and antipasti, then move to the Mexico table for the tacos and margaritas, then to the Japan station for sushi and sake.
The execution requires more planning than a single-theme reunion — but it scales beautifully. Each station can be 'owned' by a sub-committee of 2–3 classmates who pick the country (often based on their own family heritage or favorite travel destination) and handle the food, music, and decor for that one country. This distributes the workload and makes the night feel collaboratively built rather than top-down organized.
Italy Station — antipasti, bruschetta, mini pizzas, tiramisu cups
Easy to source from Costco; high visual impact
Mexico Station — tacos al pastor, guacamole, churros
Hire a taco caterer or use a make-your-own station
Japan Station — sushi rolls, edamame, mochi for dessert
Order platters from a local sushi restaurant
France Station — cheese board, charcuterie, baguettes, mini éclairs
All assembly, no cooking; gorgeous tablescape
India Station — chicken tikka masala, naan, basmati rice, gulab jamun
Order from an Indian restaurant; one tray feeds 12–15
Greece Station — gyros, hummus, pita, baklava
Pre-made hummus + a gyro caterer keeps execution simple
Brazil Station — empanadas, churrasco beef, brigadeiros
Hire a churrasco grill caterer for live action
Thailand Station — pad thai, satay skewers, mango sticky rice
Order from Thai restaurant, supplement with peanut sauce stations
USA Station (home base) — sliders, mac and cheese, apple pie
Closing the loop; familiar food for the less adventurous
Dessert World Tour — one mini dessert from each country, plated on a globe map
Final station before the dance floor
Italy — Aperol Spritz station
3 oz prosecco, 2 oz Aperol, splash of soda, orange slice
Mexico — Margaritas in pitchers
Tequila, triple sec, fresh lime, rim with salt; offer mango or strawberry variations
Japan — Sake and Japanese whisky tasting
Three small pours per guest; printed tasting notes
France — Champagne and French wine flight
Sparkling welcome glass; tasting flight of three French reds
India — Mango lassi (alcoholic and non) and Indian beer
Mango puree, yogurt, ice + optional vodka
Greece — Ouzo shots and Greek wine
1 oz ouzo with a small water chaser; serve Assyrtiko white wine alongside
Brazil — Caipirinha station
Cachaça, lime, sugar, muddled in glass with ice
Thailand — Thai iced tea and Singha beer
Bulk-brewed Thai tea with sweetened condensed milk
USA — Craft cocktails (old fashioned, manhattan)
Classic American spirits and cocktail history
Non-alcoholic 'around the world' mocktail station
Mango lassi, virgin mojito, Italian soda, hibiscus tea
🎉 With Reunly
Plan the menu, RSVPs, and run-of-show in Reunly
Budget ($800–$1500)
4 country stations (Italy, Mexico, France, USA), restaurant-ordered platters with sub-committee owners per station, BYOB or one signature cocktail per station, Spotify playlists per country, DIY decor and printed passports. Targets 50–80 guests at a rented venue or large home.
Mid-tier ($2000–$4000)
6 country stations with professional catering per station ($25–$35/person), professional bartender at each beverage station, DJ that cycles country-specific music for 15-minute blocks, full custom passport booklets, professional decor per station. Targets 80–120 guests.
Full production ($5000+)
8 country stations with live cultural performers (flamenco dancer for Spain, samba band for Brazil, mariachi for Mexico — $300–$800 per performer for 30 minutes), full international catering, full bar service, professional event coordinator, custom signage at scale, professional photographer to document each station. Targets 100+ guests with a 5-hour event window.
4 to 8 stations is the sweet spot. Fewer than 4 and the theme doesn't read; more than 8 and the food gets too thin per station and the room feels chaotic. For 50–75 guests, 4 stations. For 75–125 guests, 6 stations. For 125+, 8 stations with crowd flow planning. Pick countries that genuinely connect to your class's experience (where graduates have lived, family heritage, popular travel destinations) rather than random global selections.
Center authenticity over caricature. Hire actual cultural caterers and performers when possible, and let them set the tone for how their country is represented. Avoid stereotype costumes (sombreros as a mocking prop, fake accents, kitsch decorations that mock rather than celebrate). When in doubt, ask classmates with heritage in that country to own the station — they'll set the right tone. Avoid countries you don't have an authentic connection to.
Print 8-page booklets with the reunion logo on the cover and one page per country station inside. Each station has a custom rubber stamp with that country's name/flag. Guests get their passport at the entry, take it from station to station, and collect a stamp at each. At the end of the night, guests with all stamps enter a drawing for a prize (a $100 gift card to a travel-themed restaurant works perfectly). Estimated print cost: $1–$2 per passport.
Each station should have at least one vegetarian option clearly labeled. Build the menu to include obvious vegetarian-friendly stations (Italy with pizza/pasta, India with vegetable curries, Greece with hummus/falafel) so non-meat-eaters have abundance, not scraps. Label allergens (nuts, shellfish, dairy) on every station card. For severe restrictions, have a fallback option (a simple grilled vegetable platter at a central station).
Yes — most reunions execute this in one large room divided into station 'zones.' Use the country flags overhead and the tablecloths/signage to demarcate each zone. The visual separation does most of the work; classmates naturally cluster around the food they want. For very large venues with separate rooms, the multi-room version is more immersive but requires more wayfinding signage.
6 to 9 months minimum. Each station needs an owner (a 2–3 person sub-committee per country), restaurant orders or caterers booked 2–3 months out, custom passport printing 6 weeks out, decor ordered 4–6 weeks out. Distribute the work across the planning committee — one person trying to coordinate 6 country stations alone is a recipe for burnout. The theme rewards collaborative planning.
RSVPs, dinner choices, music, and the run-of-show — all in Reunly.
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