School Fun Night and PTO Fundraiser Ideas That Work in a Gym

For a school fun night or PTO fundraiser in St. Louis or Metro East, the things that hold a gym are a Game Arena, mobile laser tag, a game truck and inflatables. Every staffed service is $300 per hour on the school rate with a two-hour minimum, so $600 for a two-hour night, whether that is a Game Arena, virtual reality or one game truck. Two trucks are $600 per hour. Laser tag is priced by how many play at once: $300 per hour for up to 10 kids on the field at a time, or $400 per hour for up to 20, on the same two-hour minimum. Inflatables are priced per unit from $200. Every one includes setup and teardown, and schools book with no deposit.

Updated August 2026

"This is our 2nd year using them for the PTA sponsored Fun Night at our middle school." That's Sarah Pearman, and the second year is the part worth paying attention to, because a fun night that works gets put on next year's calendar and one that doesn't quietly disappears from the plan.

Start with the room, not the activity

Most fun night planning starts with a list of ideas and works backward to whether they fit. That's the wrong order in a school building, because your gym, your cafeteria and your weather forecast rule out half the list before you get to price.

So the first question is how many kids are in the room at once, and the second is whether anything has to happen outdoors. A 200-family fun night in a gym is a completely different problem from a 60-kid reward day in a cafeteria, and the answer changes with it.

What holds a gym

Mobile laser tag is the strongest draw for grades four through eight. It runs on a gym floor with no darkness required, nothing to sweep up afterward, and taggers that reach 600 feet, so the room is never the limiting factor.

Pricing turns on one number, which is how many kids you want on the field at the same time. $300 per hour covers up to 10 on the field, and $400 per hour covers up to 20. There is a two-hour minimum, so most schools land at $600 or $800. Past 20 we run rotations, which is how a whole grade gets through in an evening.

"Due to rain we had to move inside and Me 2 You flawlessly adjusted. The kids had a fantastic time." That's Emily Mullin, after a school event, and any PTO chair who has watched a forecast all week understands why that sentence matters.

An indoor game arena is the quiet half of the room. Console stations on big screens with their own tables and covers, built along one wall, up to 20 players. It absorbs the kids who are not going to run around and the ones who need a break from the ones who are. School rate is $300 per hour on the same two-hour minimum. This is the newest of our services and the one most schools don't know exists, because it comes inside the building rather than parking outside it.

A game truck parks at the door and becomes its own destination. Seven stations, up to 20 players inside, with a named host running it. School rate is $300 per hour for one truck or $600 per hour for two, and two trucks is what most large fun nights end up wanting.

Inflatables carry the K through third crowd, from $200 per unit delivered, anchored and cleaned. "Kiddos request their laser tag and inflatable obstacle course." That's Amanda Crouch, a PTO president, and it is about as clear a read on what the younger half wants as you can get.

The thing that decides your night

"They showed up on time, were set up and ready to go when the doors opened." That's Jeanne Reis after a middle school fun night, and it's the single most important sentence in this entire guide.

Doors open when they open. Two hundred families walk in at 6:00 whether you are ready or not, and whatever is not running at that moment becomes a problem you personally solve in front of all of them. When you call any vendor, ask what time they arrive and how long setup takes, and write the answer down. A vendor who cannot answer that precisely is telling you something.

On the fundraising math

Worth being straight about this. A game truck or a Game Arena is a draw, not a revenue line. You are not going to profit on the entertainment itself.

What it does is fill the room, and the room is what your concession stand, raffle, silent auction and ticket table are monetizing. A fun night with nothing anchoring it gets thirty families for forty minutes. A fun night with laser tag in the gym gets two hundred families for two hours, and they buy pizza while they wait for their kid's round.

If your committee needs the entertainment to pay for itself directly, the honest answer is to price your tickets or wristbands with the vendor cost built in, rather than hoping concessions cover it.

Sizing it by headcount

Under 75 kids. One service is your whole night. Laser tag or a Game Arena, two hours, done.
75 to 200 kids. Two services running at once in different spaces, usually laser tag in the gym and something quieter in the cafeteria, so the age split handles itself and nobody waits more than one rotation.
Over 200 kids. Three or more, and this is where two trucks or a full activation makes more sense than adding pieces one at a time. Call and we will scope it rather than guess.

Booking, deposits and the calendar

Schools and churches book with no deposit, which means your date is held while your committee finishes arguing about the theme. Two-hour minimum on all hourly bookings.

Fall fun nights and fundraisers fill from late August through October, and October Fridays go first every year. Spring dates, end-of-year celebrations and after-prom fill from February.

We serve St. Louis, St. Louis County and Metro East Illinois, with free travel within 29 miles of Granite City and a $40 flat fee out to 39 miles. That covers Edwardsville, Belleville, O'Fallon, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, Alton, Troy, Fairview Heights and most of the St. Louis suburbs.

Ask for the school rate when you call rather than the private party price. They are different, and the school rate is the one you want. Certificates of insurance are available for your district, and we have been doing this since 2016.

Call or text (618) 845-7171 with your room, your headcount and your date, and we will tell you straight whether you need one service or three.

That's the whole thing, you run your fun night, and the gym takes care of itself.

Frequently asked questions

What are good PTO fundraiser ideas for a school gym?

The strongest gym draws in St. Louis and Metro East are mobile laser tag, an indoor Game Arena with console stations on big screens, a game truck parked at the door, and inflatables for the younger grades. Every staffed service is $300 per hour on the school rate with a two-hour minimum, so $600 for a two-hour night; laser tag is $600 or $800 for two hours depending on how many play at once. All include setup and teardown.

How much does a school fun night vendor cost in St. Louis?

Me 2 You school and church rates are $300 per hour for any staffed service, with a two-hour minimum. That covers a Game Arena, virtual reality or one game truck at $600 for a two-hour night, and two trucks at $600 per hour. Laser tag is $300 per hour for up to 10 kids on the field at a time or $400 per hour for up to 20, so $600 or $800. Inflatables are priced per unit from $200, and there is no deposit for schools.

Do you require a deposit from schools?

No. Schools and churches book with no deposit. A $100 deposit applies only to residential and private party bookings.

Will laser tag work inside our gym?

Yes. The taggers reach up to 600 feet, so a standard gym is more space than the game needs, and it does not require darkness. There is nothing to clean up afterward and it is built for ages 8 and up.

How many kids can play at once?

On laser tag you choose the number on the field at a time, either up to 10 at $300 per hour or up to 20 at $400 per hour, and larger groups run in rotations. The Game Arena, virtual reality and a game truck each hold up to 20 players at a time. Big fun nights usually run two services in separate rooms so the younger and older grades are not competing for the same activity.

How far in advance should we book a fall fun night?

Fall dates fill from late August through October and October Fridays go first. Because schools book with no deposit, holding a date early costs you nothing while your committee finalizes the rest of the night.