Build your Hanukkah party around one shared moment: lighting the menorah together as it gets dark. Start about an hour before sunset, fry the latkes ahead, and save the dreidel game for after dinner.
Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12 (Hebcal). It marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the story of a small jar of oil that burned for eight days (My Jewish Learning). Traditions vary from family to family, so if you are hosting people who celebrate, ask what matters most to them and let them lead the blessings.
Your latke party plan for 20 guests
The sample: 20 guests (12 adults and 8 kids), 3 hours, on Sunday, December 6, the third night.
- Pick the night with the calendar in mind. The first night is a Friday. Families who keep Shabbat light the Hanukkah candles before sundown, ahead of the Shabbat candles. They use candles long enough to burn until half an hour after nightfall (Chabad.org). On Saturday, the lighting waits until Shabbat ends after nightfall (Chabad.org). A Sunday evening avoids both.
- Put the lighting time on the invitation. Check your local sunset and print the lighting time, just after sunset, under the start time: in North Texas in early December, "candle lighting at 5:30" works. Send it 3 to 4 weeks ahead and ask about allergies and kosher needs on the RSVP.
- Buy candles for the whole week. On the third night you need three candles plus the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others. A standard box of 44 covers all eight nights: 36 candles plus a shamash each night.
- Fry the latkes in the afternoon. For 12 adults and 8 kids, plan about 4 per adult and 2 per kid, so 60 to 70. That's about 8 pounds of russet potatoes, 3 onions and 8 eggs. Re-crisp them on a rack at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes as guests arrive.
- Make the brisket a day or two before. It slices neatly cold and reheats well in its sauce. Plan 8 pounds, or four roast chickens.
- Count out the gelt. Each dreidel player starts with about 15 coins, so 16 players need 240. Add 10 per kid for the gelt hunt and buy about 320 in all.
- Set the menorah station at 3:00. A metal tray, the menorah, the candles, matches kept up high, and a clear sill with nothing that burns nearby.
What it costs at three levels
Festidy plans a house or holiday party at $10, $20 and $40 per guest. For 20 guests:
| Level | Per guest | 20 guests |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Home food, homemade games | $10 | $200 |
| Standard Bakery cake and one hired activity | $20 | $400 |
| Splurge Entertainer, rentals, and custom decor | $40 | $800 |
| Where it goes | Simple, about $200 | Standard, about $400 | Splurge, about $800 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | $110: homemade latkes, roast chickens, applesauce, sour cream, bakery jelly doughnuts | $220: brisket, deli side trays, sufganiyot from a bakery | $430: catered dinner with a latke station |
| Drinks | $30: hot cider, seltzer, juice | $65: adds wine | $110: a fuller wine table and a sparkling toast |
| Gelt, dreidels, prizes | $25 | $35 | $55 |
| Decor and tableware | $25: blue and white paper goods, free printables | $65: cloth linens, silver accents, string lights | $125: a balloon garland and white flowers |
| Candles and safety | $10: a box of candles, a metal tray | $15: adds an LED menorah for the kids' corner | $20 |
| Extras | $0 | $0 | $60: a teenage helper for the fry station and cleanup, about 3 hours |
Blue, silver and one bright window
The menorah in the window. Many families set it on a windowsill facing the street or in a doorway (Chabad.org). Some families have each child light their own menorah, so leave room on the tray if guests bring theirs.
Dreidels and gelt on every table. A shallow bowl of each is decor and game supplies at once.
Blue and white linens with silver accents. A blue runner and white plates carry the look. Save string lights and paper Stars of David for the kids' corner.
DIY the paper stars. Buy dreidels by the dozen. Skip blue tinsel, stockings or a tree: Hanukkah has its own symbols, and it isn't a blue Christmas.
Candles and hot oil: the safety plan
Keep candles at least 12 inches from anything that burns, and never leave them in an empty room (U.S. Fire Administration). For a menorah, that means:
- Set it on a stable, nonflammable surface, away from curtains and decorations (FDNY Smart). A metal tray under it catches drips.
- Give one grown-up the job of staying with it until the candles burn down.
- Keep lit menorahs out of reach of kids and pets. In the kids' corner, use an electric or LED one, placed up high, since electric bulbs can get hot (FDNY Smart).
Frying needs its own rules. Stay at the stove while the oil is hot (U.S. Fire Administration). Keep a lid next to the pan to smother a small grease fire, and never pour water on one (FDNY Smart). Keep kids out of the kitchen while you fry.
The menu: fried, as tradition asks
Foods cooked in oil recall the oil that lasted eight days, which is why latkes and sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts, are on so many tables (Reform Judaism).
| What | How many | Why |
|---|---|---|
| lb of food | 20 | About 1 lb a guest for a meal |
| Plates | 40 | 50 cups and 60 napkins too |
| Drinks | 80 | Soda, sparkling water, beer or wine: 2 a guest the first hour, then 1 |
| Waters (8 oz) | 30 | 4 oz a guest an hour; or about 2 gallons in a dispenser |
| lb of ice | 40 | 2 lb a guest; double it on a hot day |
| Seats | 12 | About 60% of guests at once |
| Dessert servings | 20 | Cake or a dessert table: a quarter sheet |
- Latkes: 60 to 70, with about 2 quarts of applesauce and 2 pints of sour cream.
- Brisket or roast chicken, plus a green salad and roasted carrots.
- Drinks: a gallon of hot cider in a slow cooker and a pitcher of something sparkling.
- Sufganiyot: 2 to 3 dozen, about 1 to 2 per guest.
If guests keep kosher, ask before you shop, since meat and dairy may need to stay apart. Eggs, wheat and milk turn up in latkes, doughnuts and gelt, so label them; see hosting with food allergies.
Dessert: skip the cake for a tower of sufganiyot. A grocery bakery can also do a blue and white sheet cake with a frosting menorah. For DIY, buy plain doughnuts, pipe jam into the side with a zip-top bag, and dust them with powdered sugar.
Hanukkah games and activities, from dreidel to gelt
Run the kids' games before the candle lighting and save dreidel for after dinner, when everyone is sitting anyway. Families play by slightly different house rules, so let a guest who grew up with the game call them. Adults and teens join everything below.
Dreidel
Ages 4 and up · 20 to 30 minutes · groups of 3 or 4
The four letters on a dreidel stand for "a great miracle happened there" (My Jewish Learning). Everyone starts with about 15 coins and puts one in the middle. Spin in turn: nun, nothing happens; gimel, take the pot; hey, take half; shin, put one in. Everyone antes again when the pot is empty. Gelt traces back to coins minted after the Maccabees' victory (Reform Judaism).
- You need: 6 dreidels, one per 3 or 4 players (about $5 to $8 a dozen), about 240 gelt coins for 16 players (about $15 to $20)
Dreidel spin-off
Ages 6 and up · 10 minutes · any number
After the main game, teens and grown-ups compete for the longest spin. Everyone spins at once on a clear table, and the last dreidel standing wins. Then try it upside down, on the handle.
- You need: the same dreidels, a phone timer
Hanukkah bingo
Ages 4 and up · 15 minutes · everyone
Print the Hanukkah bingo cards and call squares like latke, menorah, dreidel and doughnut. Kids can pair with a grandparent. It makes a calm warm-up before the lighting.
- You need: 20 bingo cards from the free printables (free), gelt or dried beans as markers
Story round
Ages 8 and up · 15 minutes · the whole table
Over sufganiyot, go around the table and ask each guest for one Hanukkah memory: a menorah from childhood, a latke disaster, a gift that went wrong. Guests who don't celebrate can share a winter memory of their own. It needs nothing.
- You need: nothing
Kids' corner: gelt hunt
Ages 2 to 8 · 10 minutes · all the kids
Hide gold-wrapped chocolate coins around one room. Give each kid a small bag and a number to find, about 10, so everyone ends up with the same. For kids under 4, unwrap gelt yourself and pick up stray foil. If you play for nuts instead, keep them away from that age group, since nuts are a choking risk (HealthyChildren.org).
- You need: about 80 gelt coins for 8 kids (about $6), 8 small bags (about $3)
Activity station: paper menorah craft
Set a card table, about 3 by 3 feet, in the kids' corner. Kids glue nine paper candles onto a card-stock base, the shamash taller in the middle, and add a paper flame for each night. Tape a finished one to the table as the model. No real flames at the craft table.
- You need: blue and white card stock (about $5), yellow and orange paper for flames (about $3), 4 glue sticks (about $3), 8 markers (about $4)
Prizes: the gelt is the prize. Kids keep what they win at dreidel and get the same number at the hunt, and the spin-off winner gets a fresh bag, about $1.
Games shopping list: dreidels, about 320 gelt coins, small bags, blue and white card stock, yellow and orange paper, glue sticks and markers.
The party, hour by hour
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Guests arrive, hot cider, the first latkes |
| 0:15 | Paper menorah craft station opens for kids (15 minutes) |
| 0:30 | Gelt hunt for kids 2 to 8 (10 minutes), the same number of coins for each |
| 0:45 | Hanukkah bingo warm-up, kids and grown-ups together |
| 1:00 | Everyone gathers at the window to light the candles together, just after sunset |
| 1:10 | Dinner |
| 1:45 | Dreidel (20 to 30 minutes), then the dreidel spin-off |
| 2:15 | Sufganiyot, coffee and the story round |
| 2:50 | Check the menorah, goodbyes |
At the lighting, the blessings are said before the candles are lit: two each night, plus a third on the first night (Chabad.org). A new candle is added each night until all eight burn (My Jewish Learning).
Favors and printables
- A mesh bag of gelt with a dreidel, about $2 to $3 a kid.
- A non-candy favor: the paper menorah each kid made, plus a small box of candles for a family that wants one, about $3.
The free Hanukkah printables include a fill-in invitation, thank-you cards, a door sign and Hanukkah bingo. Sample invitation wording: "Latkes, dreidels and the third candle! Sunday, December 6, 4:30 to 7:30. Candle lighting at 5:30."
Mistakes that dim the night
- Frying during the party. You miss the lighting standing over hot oil. Fry ahead and re-crisp.
- A secret lighting time. Late guests miss it. Print the time.
- A crowded windowsill. Clear curtains, cards and greenery before you light.
- Too little gelt. Count 15 per player before the dreidel game starts.
Ways to make it your own
- A kids' Hanukkah afternoon: 2 hours, the menorah craft, a gelt hunt, dreidel and an LED menorah only.
- A latke bar: potato, sweet potato and zucchini latkes with a row of toppings.
- A winter pairing: keep the blue and silver colors for a snowy evening; the winter wonderland plan has the look.
The Hanukkah party theme lists more decor and food ideas. When you're ready, the Hanukkah party plan puts each task on a date.
Hanukkah party questions
Which night is best for a Hanukkah party in 2026?
Sunday, December 6 (the third night) or a weeknight. Friday lighting comes before Shabbat begins and Saturday's after it ends, so families who observe Shabbat may prefer another night.
How many latkes per person?
About 4 per adult and 2 per kid when there's a main dish. Make 6 per adult if latkes are the meal.
Should guests bring a gift?
It isn't expected. A bag of gelt or a box of doughnuts makes a kind host gift.
What games can you play at a Hanukkah party?
Dreidel with gelt is the classic, and it works from about age 4. Add a gelt hunt and a paper menorah craft for little kids, bingo for everyone, and a longest-spin contest for teens.
