Weekend Itinerary
Class Reunion Weekend Itinerary: Friday to Sunday
The Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend format is the standard for milestone reunions and large classes. This guide gives you three complete itinerary templates — hour-by-hour schedules with costs, location suggestions, and what to skip. Adapt to your class size and city; the structure is consistent.
Why the weekend format outperforms single-night
- Multiple entry points. Classmates choose what fits their schedule and budget — some attend all three events, some only Saturday, some only Friday + Sunday.
- Lower-pressure Friday. The casual mixer breaks the social ice before the formal Saturday. By Saturday evening, classmates already know who's in town.
- Longer connection time. Five hours on Saturday alone is not enough to actually reconnect with 80+ classmates. Spreading across the weekend creates more meaningful conversations.
- Better value for travelers. Classmates flying in for one night feel the trip wasn't worth it. Two or three events justify the travel.
- 5-10% attendance lift. Hybrid formats consistently outdraw single-event formats.
Friday: Casual mixer (7-10pm)
Friday is the warm-up. Low cost, low formality, low organizing effort.
Format
- Venue: Brewery, pub, bar with a reserved area, or a hotel bar near the Saturday venue
- Cost: $0-$25 cover; cash bar after
- Food: Heavy apps provided ($300-$600 for the reunion to cover), classmates buy more food off the menu
- Drinks: Cash bar entirely
- Program: None. Just hangs.
- Attendance: 50-65% of weekend attendees
Sample Friday timeline
- 7:00pm: Doors open. One committee member greets at the door for the first hour.
- 7:00-9:00pm: Open hangout. Heavy apps circulate. Classmates drift between conversation groups.
- 9:00pm: Apps done. Bar continues. Classmates can stay as late as they want.
- 9:30pm: "See you tomorrow" announcement from the committee. Most classmates start to drift.
- 10:00-late: Whoever's left continues at the bar. No formal end.
What to skip on Friday
- Formal program — save it for Saturday
- Slideshow — premieres Saturday
- Hired DJ or band — Spotify and venue speakers are enough
- Photographer — phones handle it
Saturday afternoon: Optional campus tour (1-3pm)
Saturday afternoon is for recovery, optional activities, and getting ready for the main event. Most classmates use the morning to sleep, work out, or have lunch with old friends.
The optional campus tour
- 1:00pm: Meet at the school's main entrance.
- 1:15-2:45pm: Guided tour led by the alumni director or principal. Hit the old hallways, the gym, the library, the auditorium.
- 2:45-3:00pm: Group photo on the front steps.
- 3:00pm: Wrap. Classmates head back to hotels to get ready for Saturday evening.
Cost: Free or token $200-300 honorarium to the alumni director. Attendance: 30-50% of weekend attendees.
Optional, not mandatory
Saturday evening: Formal dinner (6-11pm)
Saturday is the main event. Plated or buffet dinner, formal program, dance floor, photographer, two-drink ticket. 100% of weekend attendees come to Saturday.
Format
- Venue: Hotel ballroom, country club, or banquet hall
- Cost: $125-$175 ticket
- Dress code: Cocktail attire (semi-formal to formal)
- Includes: Cocktail hour, dinner, two-drink ticket, DJ, photographer, badges
Sample Saturday evening run sheet
- 6:00pm: Doors open. Two check-in stations. Name badges with senior portraits.
- 6:00-7:15pm: Cocktail hour. Then-and-now photo wall, signature drink, mingling.
- 7:15pm: Buffet opens (or seated dinner begins).
- 8:00pm: Welcome remarks from chair (5 min).
- 8:05pm: Memorial moment (90 sec).
- 8:10pm: Class slideshow (8-10 min).
- 8:25pm: Superlative awards (10 min, 6-8 awards).
- 8:45pm: Group photo on staircase.
- 9:00pm: Dance floor opens. DJ takes over.
- 10:30pm: Announce after-party at a local bar across the street.
- 11:00pm: Bar closes. Soft close.
- 11:00pm-late: After-party continues for the night owls.
Sunday: Farewell brunch (11am-1pm)
Sunday brunch is the soft landing. Casual, optional, but always meaningful for travelers who want one more conversation before flying home.
Format
- Venue: Hotel restaurant (most convenient if you used a hotel block), local diner, or restaurant private room
- Cost: $20-$35 ticket; brunch buffet
- Format: Open seating, multiple smaller tables, no formal program
- Attendance: 35-50% of weekend attendees
Sample Sunday timeline
- 11:00am: Open for guests. Coffee and pastries ready.
- 11:30am: Buffet opens.
- 12:00pm: Brief informal toast from the committee chair (60 sec) thanking everyone.
- 12:00-1:00pm: Continued eating, talking, photo trading.
- 1:00pm: Brunch closes. Travelers head to the airport.
Why Sunday brunch matters
Saturday night is loud and chaotic. Conversations happen in 90-second bursts on the dance floor. Sunday brunch is where actual catching up happens — over coffee, in daylight, sober. For many classmates, this is the most meaningful event of the weekend.
Ticket bundles and pricing
Recommended ticket structure
Most classmates buy Saturday-only or full-weekend. Friday-only and Sunday-only are for local attendees and partial-weekend visitors.
With Reunly for Class Reunions
Sell multiple event tickets from one page
Reunly lets you sell Saturday-only, full-weekend bundles, and add-on Sunday brunch tickets from a single event page — with reporting on which events are filling and which need a push.
Start your reunion free →Frequently asked questions
Is a full weekend reunion better than a single Saturday night?
Yes for milestone reunions (25-year and up) and large classes. Hybrid Friday-Saturday-Sunday formats consistently outdraw single-night formats by 5-10% because they offer multiple entry points — some classmates come for Saturday only, others for Friday and Sunday only. The weekend format is harder to organize but pulls in classmates who'd skip a single event.
Should every event require a separate ticket?
Saturday yes (it's the cost-heavy formal event). Friday no (cash bar at a pub, no ticket needed) or low ($15-25 cover). Sunday yes but small ($20-35 brunch). Bundle the three for a discount: full-weekend ticket at 10-15% below the sum of individual tickets.
What's the typical attendance split across a weekend?
100% of attendees come to Saturday. Roughly 50-65% come to Friday. Roughly 35-50% come to Sunday. Total unique attendance across the weekend is usually 5-10% higher than would have attended a single Saturday event.
What if our class is too small for a full weekend?
For classes under 50, skip Sunday brunch (won't draw enough). Friday mixer + Saturday dinner format works at any class size. For classes under 30, even Friday becomes optional — single Saturday is fine.
How do we coordinate hotel logistics for a weekend?
Negotiate a 2-night block (Friday + Saturday) at a hotel near the Saturday venue. Most hotels offer this without minimums for reunion groups. Include the booking code in every email starting at month 4.
Should we organize Saturday afternoon activities?
Optional but high-value. A Saturday afternoon campus tour (60-90 min) draws 30-50% of weekend attendees. Free, low-effort, and gives classmates something to do between Friday night recovery and Saturday evening. Coordinate with the alumni office.
What's the biggest weekend reunion mistake?
Over-programming Saturday afternoon. After a late Friday and before a formal Saturday, classmates need rest and free time. Don't pack the afternoon with mandatory activities — offer the campus tour as optional and let people nap.
Related class reunion guides
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