Party Calculators
Party drinks and ice.
Enter guests and event length. See how many non-alcoholic drinks to buy, split into water, pop and juice, how many litres and 2 L bottles that is, and how much ice to bring. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
Your party
Result
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Party Drinks and Ice Calculator: the short answer
Plan about 2 non-alcoholic drinks per guest in the first hour and 1 for each hour after, and about 0.45 kg (1 lb) of ice per guest. These are rules of thumb you can change, not published standards.
Worked example
40 guests for 4 hours, 2 drinks in the first hour and 1 for each later hour: 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 drinks per guest. 40 x 5 = 200, +10% = 220 drinks, split 40 : 40 : 20 into 88 water, 88 pop and 44 juice. At 355 ml that is 78.1 L, about 40 bottles of 2 L. Ice at 0.45 kg per guest is 40 x 0.45 = 18 kg (39.7 lb), which is 6 bags of 3 kg.
How it works
Drinks per guest = first-hour drinks + later-hour drinks x (hours - 1). Total drinks = guests x drinks per guest x (1 + extra). The total is split by the parts you enter, each rounded up. Litres = servings x serving size. Ice = guests x ice per guest x weather multiplier, divided by the bag size and rounded up.
The defaults are rules of thumb, not a published standard. Hot days, sports parties and drinks served from coolers all raise both numbers. One kilogram is 2.2046 lb.
Sources and basis (opened 2026-10-08): Arithmetic on the numbers you enter. The 2 drinks first hour, 1 drink per later hour, 0.45 kg of ice per guest and 355 ml serving are planning defaults that you can change, not sourced figures. One pound = 0.45359237 kg (international avoirdupois pound).
FAQ
How much ice do I need per person for a party?
A common rule of thumb is about 1 lb (0.45 kg) per guest for drinks, more for hot weather or if you are chilling bottles in coolers. It is a guideline, so change the amount and the weather multiplier to fit.
How many drinks per person per hour?
Many hosts plan about 2 in the first hour and 1 for each hour after for non-alcoholic drinks. It is a rule of thumb, not a published standard.
How many litres is that?
The result shows litres from your serving size, plus an estimate of 2 L bottles. A 355 ml can is the default serving.
Does this include alcohol?
No. For beer, wine and spirits use the party alcohol and keg calculator.
Can I change the water, pop and juice split?
Yes. Enter any parts; they are scaled to 100%. With 40 : 40 : 20 the split is 40% water, 40% pop and 20% juice.