How Much Ice for a Party? Here’s What You Need to Consider

Hosting a party with family and friends can be a lot of fun, but it can also be highly stressful. You’ll need to send out all the invitations, make sure there’s ample seating, clean the place up, and stock up on food and drinks. You’ll also need to make sure you can keep those drinks nice and chilled for your guests, which begs the question – how much ice for a party?

At Pacific Ice Services, we’ve been Hawaii’s leading suppliers and installers of ice machines for over five decades. While we usually cater to industries such as hospitality and food and drink, we can also supply rental ice machines to just about anybody that needs a constant and reliable supply of ice. If you’re interested in finding out how an ice machine can make your party a huge success, give us a call. Alternatively, keep reading to gauge how much ice you’ll need for your next get together.

How Much Ice for a Party?

So, how do you determine how much ice for a party to buy? Here are a few considerations you should keep in mind:

Number of guests

When trying to determine how much ice you’ll need for your party, you first need to consider how many guests you expect to show up. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend allocating around one to 1.5 pounds of ice per person, ensuring you’ll have enough ice to both chill your drinks and keep perishable items cool.

Party duration

Naturally, you’d need a lot more ice for an all-night bender with the entire neighborhood than you would a quick afternoon gathering with the family. If you’re hosting an event that will start early in the day and continue through the night, you might want to double your stock of ice. Alternatively, you could simply rent an ice machine so that there’s zero chance of running out.

Different types of ice

Not all ice is the same. Different drinks and different occasions call for different types of ice. If you want to wow your guests, you should stock classic ice cubes for mixers, crushed ice for blended drinks, and maybe ice spheres for cocktails. It might seem like a small detail, but stocking up on different types of ice could really set your party apart.

Ice storage

Your standard household freezer might have too little space to store enough ice for all your guests for the entire duration of your party. If you don’t want to restock your ice throughout the day, consider purchasing some coolers or ice buckets. Of course, if you’d rather not waste money on items you’ll only use once, you could simply rent an ice machine.

Packs of ice vs. ice machine

There’s probably little point in buying or renting an ice machine just to host a few friends or family members for an afternoon brunch. However, if you’re throwing a large gathering, an ice machine could save you a lot of time and hassle.

Still Wondering How Much Ice for a Party at Your Place?

If you’re still unsure of how much ice for a party you might need, you can always ring one of our experienced technicians for advice. Since 1973, we’ve been selling, leasing, installing, and servicing ice machines for a broad range of clients. No matter what your needs are, you can rest assured that we have the perfect solution. Contact us today for more information, or browse our ice machines to see what’s available.