School fair for schools and
organisations
Run your fair online: ticketing, stalls, refreshments, raffle. 100% free, no commission, payment by card or Apple Pay.
Why Donoor for this project
The tools you need, already connected and free. No pricing plan, no tiers, no equipment to rent.
Designed for schools and parent associations
Ideal for parent-teacher associations (APE/APEL) running an annual school fair. Set up in 5 minutes, card or Apple Pay payment.
100% free
0 commission, 0 subscription, 0 hidden fees. All proceeds go towards the school's educational projects.
Sell drinks and meals
Set multiple prices (drink €2, sandwich €5, children's meal €8, raffle ticket €1…) on a single ticketing page. Tap to Pay available on site.
Fast on-site payment
Tap to Pay on iPhone: take card payments without a physical card terminal. No more handling cash or change.
What to prepare
The honest list of equipment and team you need to make your kermesse a success. No proprietary hardware to buy, you already have 90% of what you need.
Team
- 1 fair coordinatorOverview, stall schedule, handling unexpected issues on the day.
- 12 to 20 volunteers2 people per stall × 6–8 stalls (entrance, refreshments, crêpes, games, face painting, raffle).
- 2 mobile cashiersThey take payments anywhere at the fair with their iPhone + Tap to Pay. Avoids a single queue at the central till.
- 1 safety officerMonitors exits, handles lost children, controls access. Often a volunteer parent trained in first aid (PSC1).
Tools and equipment
- A Donoor account (5 min)Entry ticketing + Tap to Pay at the stalls + linked raffle — everything on the same account.
- Physical stallsFolding tables, parasols, marquees. Often lent by the town hall to local associations.
- iPhone Tap to Pay tills1 iPhone per mobile cashier (XS model or newer, iOS 16.4+). No card terminal to rent.
- Internal ticketing systemOptional: tickets sold at the entrance (1 ticket = 1 game), which avoids multiple payments. Donoor handles this too.
- Sound system and entertainmentSpeakers and a microphone to announce games, the raffle, and lost and found items.
What the law says
We explain the legal obligations for your kermesse in plain language. Checked by our team and up to date for 2026.
Town hall declaration for the refreshment stand
An organisation may open up to 5 temporary refreshment stands per year for group 1-3 drinks (no strong alcohol). Declare to the town hall 15 days in advance using Cerfa form 11542 (free of charge). No IV licence is required if you only sell beer, cider or wine.
Food hygiene if you sell food
If you sell prepared food (crêpes, sandwiches, homemade cakes), at least one volunteer must have completed a food hygiene course (simplified HACCP for organisations, around €30 online). Display the allergens of the dishes you sell.
Raffle linked to the fair: separate form
If you run a raffle as part of the fair, it is subject to the specific rules for public lotteries. A single prefectoral authorisation covers both (mention “kermesse avec tombola” on Cerfa 11823).
Public liability insurance
Check that your organisation's public liability insurance covers events open to the public (most MAIF / AXA Asso contracts do this automatically up to 500 people). If in doubt, ask your insurer for free, and arrange it at least 1 month in advance.
Keeping supporting documents
Keep the refreshment stand declaration, the raffle declaration, the marquee hire invoice and the fair's accounts for 6 years. Donoor automatically archives every sale with a timestamp and transaction number.
Your checklist for D-Day
Everything you must not forget, by phase. Print it and tick items off as you go.
2 months before
- Reserve the date with the town hall / school
- Book hall / courtyard + marquees + tables
- Put together the volunteer team (12-20)
- Define the list of stands and raffle prizes
- Approach local businesses for the raffle
- File the refreshment stand declaration with the town hall
3 weeks before
- Create the fair event on Donoor
- Launch online ticketing via QR code
- Check that each cashier has iOS 16.4+ for Tap to Pay
- Prepare posters, flyers and social media posts
- Brief each volunteer on their post
- Buy consumables (drinks, cups, crêpe mix)
The big day
- Stall setup from 8 a.m.
- Test all iPhone Tap to Pay tills
- Final team briefing at 9:30 a.m.
- Doors open at 10 a.m., ticketing active
- Regular announcements over the microphone (raffle, games, lost property)
- Raffle draw at 5 p.m. in front of the public
- Teardown and team count at 7 p.m.
They did it
Three organisation profiles that ran their kermesse with Donoor, so you can picture realistic cases.
Primary school parents' association (220 families)
June fair with 8 game stalls, a refreshment bar, crêpes and a raffle. Online ticketing two weeks ahead (280 tickets sold in advance), Tap to Pay at every stall on the day. Raffle built in, with 22 prizes donated by local shopkeepers.
Neighbourhood mosque
End-of-Ramadan fair open to the whole neighbourhood. Alcohol-free refreshment bar (juice and dates), face-painting stand and inflatable games, sale of oriental pastries. Promoted via a WhatsApp group and flyers handed out after prayer.
Disability sports club
Open-day fair to showcase the club and raise funds. Sports demonstrations every 30 minutes, game stalls and a refreshment bar. iPhone Tap to Pay for on-site memberships (discount if signed the same day).
A primary school fair
200 families invited: 280 entries sold at €5 (€1,400) + €850 in drinks and crêpes taken with Tap to Pay on iPhone at 3 stalls + €600 raffle = €2,850 in one afternoon. Three Donoor tools (ticketing, on-site payment, raffle) on a single association account.
Hesitating over another platform?
Compare Donoor with other providers on fees and features.
Other compatible projects
Many organisations run or combine several types of project. Explore the related guides.
Frequently asked questions
Can our APE use Donoor?
Yes, Donoor is designed for all non-profit organisations under the French 1901 law, including parent-teacher associations (APE/APEL). Registration is free and carries no commitment. If your APE is eligible for tax receipts, you can activate them so that donors benefit from a 66% tax reduction (France).
How much does our fair's ticketing cost on Donoor?
€0. Donoor is 100% free: no commission on ticket sales, no subscription, no hidden fees. Only bank charges (1.5% + €0.25 per transaction) apply, which parents cover 4 times out of 5 thanks to a dedicated button at checkout.
Can we sell drinks and food on site?
Yes. Create each product as a “price” in Donoor (Drink €2, Sandwich €5, Crêpe €1.50, Children’s menu €8…). On the day, use Tap to Pay on iPhone to quickly take payment from parents paying on site. No card terminal needed.
Can we combine the school fair with a raffle?
Yes, create 2 separate events (fair + raffle) or add a “raffle ticket €1” price to your fair. In France, raffles are allowed for parent-teacher associations (APE) with an educational purpose, after a simple declaration to the town hall (mairie).
Do we need to print tickets?
No, everything is digital: parents receive a QR code by email/SMS, which is scanned at the entrance. If you still prefer to print, you can print the ticket PDF (automatically generated by Donoor).
What about cash? Can we still accept it?
Yes, of course. Donoor only handles payments by card / Apple Pay / Google Pay. Manage cash separately with your traditional cash box. At the end of the fair, you will know exactly how much was collected by card (via Donoor) and how much in cash.
Which games and stalls should we plan for a school fair?
The classics that always work: fishing game, tin can alley, sack race, face painting for children, sweets stall (crêpes, candy floss), raffle, ring toss, tug of war, bouncy castle. Plan tickets for each stall: with Donoor, you can sell ticket books or advance online entries and take payment on site with Tap to Pay, without handling cash at every stall.
How do you organise a school fair with the parent-teacher association (APE)?
Set the date and theme, assign stalls among volunteers/parents, gather equipment and prizes, then manage ticketing online with Donoor: advance sale of entries and ticket books, card payments on the day, and real-time tracking of takings. 100% of the funds go to the parent-teacher association, with no commission.
We take care ofsetting it all up for you.
Create your organization space in a few minutes, or let us set everything up for you. Free, fast, hassle-free.
100% free · No subscription, no commitment
How it works
Set up in under 8 minutes, no technical knowledge needed.
Register your APE / organisation on Donoor
Free account set-up in 5 minutes. No heavy supporting documents needed to get started.
Create your fair
Choose the “event” type and the date of the fair. Add prices: free entry / drinks / sandwiches / raffle / activities.
Spread the word to parents
Share your Donoor link via the school communication book, the school app or the parents' WhatsApp group. Parents can book and pay in advance.
On the day: take payments and scan
Tap to Pay for on-site purchases. Scan the QR code to validate advance bookings. Real-time summary on your tablet.