HowMuchPerPerson

How many drinks for 30 people?

Buy 132 drinks: 6 cases of 24.

That's 4 per guest for a 4-hour party, plus a 10% cushion.

↳ count drinks, not people: most guests have more than one

Cases of 24
6
cans or bottles
Drinks
132
4 per guest

Adjust for your crowd

Enter how many of your guests are kids; each counts as half an adult.

Water and soda for other crowd sizes

tap a row for its own list ↓
GuestsDrinksCases of 24
10 people442
20 people884
25 people1105
30 people · you're here1326
40 people1768
50 people22010
75 people33014
100 people44019
150 people66028
200 people88037

6 cases of 24 for 30 people at a four-hour party. Mix water and soda about half and half, more water on a hot day.

How many people do 2 cases of water and soda cover?

cases of 24

Covers about 12 people at a 4-hour party.

Everything else for 30 people

How we got this number

  1. 130 guests × 4 = 120 drinks
  2. 2× 1.10 cushion = 132 drinks
  3. 3÷ 24 per case = 5.5 → 6 cases of 24

drinks scale with the length of the party.

Sources for this rule: WebstaurantStore; Chinet cocktail party guide; ezCater; Chinet wedding drink guide; Target; Target.

See our full method and sources →

Water and soda questions

How many drinks for 30 people?

Buy 132 drinks: 6 cases of 24. That's 4 per guest for a 4-hour party, plus a 10% cushion.

What if 6 of the 30 guests are kids?

Kids count as half an adult, so it's 27 adult portions: buy 119 drinks: 5 cases of 24.

How many people do 2 cases of water and soda cover?

Covers about 12 people at a 4-hour party.

Different headcount? The drinks calculator works for any number of guests, and the menu planner builds one shopping list for the whole party.