What Is a Thanksgiving Potluck Voting Party?
A Thanksgiving potluck voting party combines the best of potluck dinners with friendly competition. Everyone brings their signature dish, guests taste and rank all the dishes, and at the end you crown a winner.
It adds excitement to the traditional Thanksgiving gathering. Instead of just eating great food, guests get invested in seeing how their dish stacks up. Will Aunt Martha's famous stuffing finally beat Uncle Bob's sweet potato casserole?
Campfire Vote makes the voting seamless. Guests register their dishes, rank everything after the meal, and the app calculates final rankings instantly. No more arguing about whose pie was best — let the votes decide!
What You'll Need
The Feast
Guests bring dishes to share — aim for 8-15 total dishes for a good competition
Dish Labels
Name cards or labels for each dish so guests know what they're tasting
A Prize (Optional)
A golden turkey trophy, bragging rights certificate, or the honor of hosting next year
Campfire Vote
Create your feast, share the code, and let guests rank dishes from their phones
Step-by-Step Guide
Before the Feast
- Create your feast in Campfire Vote — Log in as host and start a new Thanksgiving Feast. Only you pay — guests join for free! You'll get a unique party code (and QR code) to share with your guests.
- Send invitations with dish assignments — Coordinate who's bringing what to ensure variety. Share the party code so guests can register their dishes. We like to use partiful.com for easy RSVPs.
- Set up the buffet layout — Plan where dishes will go. Group by category (appetizers, sides, mains, desserts) for easy tasting flow.
Feast Kick Off
- Everyone joins Campfire Vote — Have each guest join using the party code. They'll enter their name and register the dish(es) they brought.
- Label all dishes — Make sure each dish has a visible name card that matches what was registered in the app.
- Explain the rules — Let everyone know they'll be ranking all dishes after the meal. Encourage trying everything!
During the Meal
- Let guests eat and enjoy — No need to rush. The main event is still the meal itself. Encourage people to sample all dishes.
- Keep dish labels visible — As dishes get moved around, make sure labels stay with them so voters can remember what they tasted.
Voting Time
- Announce voting after the meal — Once everyone has had a chance to taste everything, gather attention and start the voting phase.
- Give guests time to rank — Allow 10-15 minutes for everyone to rank all dishes from favorite to least favorite in the app.
- Move to results — Once all votes are in, advance to results and reveal the rankings!
- Crown your winner — Celebrate the best dish! Award a prize and bragging rights until next Thanksgiving.
Dish Ideas by Category
Need to fill gaps in your feast? Here are classic categories to ensure:
🥗 Appetizers
Deviled eggs, cheese boards, spinach dip, stuffed mushrooms, cranberry brie bites
🥔 Sides
Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, cornbread, stuffing
🦃 Mains
Roast turkey, honey-glazed ham, prime rib, herb-roasted chicken
🥧 Desserts
Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, cheesecake, bread pudding
🍷 Drinks
Apple cider, mulled wine, cranberry punch, pumpkin spice cocktails
🌶️ Wild Cards
Family secret recipes, international twists, experimental fusion dishes
Pro Tips
- •Use small tasting portions first — Encourage guests to take small samples of everything before going back for full portions. This ensures everyone tries all dishes before getting full.
- •Have recipe cards ready — Guests will want recipes for their favorites. Encourage chefs to bring printed recipe cards or be ready to share.
- •Make it an annual tradition — Keep track of winners year over year. Create a trophy that gets passed to each year's champion.
- •Include observers — Not everyone brings a dish, and that's fine! They can still join as observers and participate in voting.