Here is our list of the best work party ideas.
Work party ideas are fun games and activities that teammates can engage in during team gatherings and events. Examples include Spin Food Game, Office Talent Show, and Karaoke Night. These activities aim to strengthen team bonds and create a healthier workforce.
Work party ideas are similar to online party games for Zoom. You can incorporate these party activities into your lists of farewell party ideas, Halloween party ideas, or birthday party ideas.
This list includes:
- low budget office party ideas
- office party games for large groups
- summer work party ideas
- work party activities
- work party entertainment ideas
Let’s get started!
List of work party ideas
From Hollywood-Themed Party to International Office Potluck, here are examples of work party activities and themes for the office.
1. Enchanted Garden Party
If you are looking for fun party themes, then consider hosting an Enchanted Garden Party!
To organize this activity:
- Choose a beautiful outdoor location, or decorate an indoor space.
- Put up fairy lights, colorful flowers, fairy tale props, and lanterns.
- Encourage team members to wear flowy and floral attire.
- Plan activities like a flower crown-making station or a garden treasure hunt.
- Arrange for a variety of delicious snacks and refreshing drinks.
- Play soft and enchanting music to complete the magical ambiance.
This event will send colleagues into a fairy-tale garden, fostering a delightful and relaxed atmosphere.
2. Food Spin
Food Spin is a thrilling game where players take turns spinning a bottle on a table filled with delicious and weird snacks.
To organize this activity:
- Set up a buffet of different tasty and unusual food options like onion rings, carrots, eel sushi, and raw ginger.
- Arrange these foods on different platters around the tablein a circle.
- Lay the bottle sideways in the middle of the rectangle.
- Players will stand in a line facing the table.
- The first player will spin the bottle and eat whatever food the bottle points at when it stops spinning.
- The next player will take a turn, and the game will continue in this manner until the food is gone.
In this game, there are no winners or losers. The purpose of this game is for employees to have fun and become comfortable with each other. It is important to ask employees if they have any food allergies before the game and consider players on specific diets.
3. Celestial Celebration
Team members who love the stars will have a great time at a Celestial Celebration!
To organize this activity:
- Decorate your venue with hanging stars, cosmic backdrops, and twinkling lights.
- Encourage team members to dress in space-themed attire, like stars, moons, or galaxies.
- Arrange activities like stargazing or making constellation-inspired crafts.
- Provide cosmic treats and beverages, like “moon pies” and galaxy-themed cocktails.
- Create a playlist with futuristic music.
This gathering is a top way to enjoy space at work.
4. International Office Potluck
An International Office Potluck is a great activity where employees from different ethnic backgrounds bring native home-cooked meals to share with colleagues. This activity is a great way to promote diversity in the workplace and encourage employees to welcome and appreciate different cultures.
To organize this activity:
- Inform employees two weeks before this event so they have enough time to prepare.
- Create a sign-up sheet where employees can commit to bringing certain dishes.
- On the day of the event, cover a long empty table with a white tablecloth.
- Teammates will set up their dishes on the table. It is also great if you have employees label the food trays so colleagues know the names of what they are eating.
- You may also encourage employees to dress in their country’s native attire for full effect.
- You can play music over a stereo set as teammates taste and enjoy foods from different countries.
Alternatively, you can set a theme for this activity, and participants must cook foods to match the chosen theme. For instance, if you choose a Mexican theme, then teammates can make burritos, guacamole, and enchiladas.
5. Wild West Hoedown
One of the most fun office party themes is a Wild West Hoedown!
To organize this activity:
- Decorate the venue with cowboy hats, bandanas, and hay bales.
- Set up a dance floor for line dancing and square dancing.
- Hire a country band or prepare a playlist.
- Encourage team members to dress in Western attire, such as cowboy boots and plaid shirts.
- Plan fun activities like a lasso contest or horseshoe throwing.
- Serve classic Wild West fare like barbecue, cornbread, and apple pie.
This hoedown will create the atmosphere of the Wild West, promoting a sense of camaraderie and fun.
6. Hat Party
A Hat Party is an exciting event where employees showcase their sense of style by designing their own hats and playing hat games.
To organize this activity:
- Provide hats and accessories like glitter, brooches, ribbons, feathers, and fake flowers.
- Give each employee a hat, then encourage them to use any accessories to decorate their hats.
- Set a five- to ten-minute timer to give employees enough time to decorate their hats beautifully.
- Set up a pole or mark a point on the floor.
- Players must either successfully throw their hat on the pole or past the marked point on the floor.
- Participants will get a point for every successful throw.
- Players will continue this game for up to three rounds each.
- The employee with the most points at the end of the game wins.
You can offer rewards or prizes to employees with the best, most creative, funniest, and most unique hat designs. This activity is a great way to promote creativity and create healthy team competition.
7. Arabian Night
Arabian Night is a great activity where employees experience the beauty of Middle Eastern culture while mingling with one another. In this activity, you can hire a henna tattoo artist, belly dancers, and a fortune teller to read tarot cards.
To organize this activity:
- Find a park or field to set up for this activity. You can go the extra mile by setting up an Arabian-style tent.
- Decorate the interior with Arabian or Moroccan decor.
- Create a stand for the henna artist so employees can get mehndi designs.
- Set up a tarot stand for employees to have their fortunes read.
- Make arrangements for Arabian foods like hummus, shawarma, figs, and dates.
- You can also provide Arabian-themed cocktails like Genie in a Bottle, Pomegranate Molasses Spritzer, and Limonana.
- Encourage employees to dress up in Arabian attire.
- Set a time for the belly dancers, fortune teller, and other entertainers to perform.
This activity is a great way for employees to connect and enjoy the Arabian culture and style. To add to the atmosphere, you can play Arabian flute tunes or invite live performers to play music for the employees.
8. Cherry Pie Game
The Cherry Pie Game is among the top low budget office party ideas where employees try to eat cherries from a pie without using their hands.
To organize this activity:
- Give each employee a plate with five cherries on it.
- Pour a generous amount of whipped cream or yogurt over the cherries to make the game even more challenging.
- Place the plates on a table.
- Set empty plates next to each cherry-filled plate.
- Set a timer for one to two minutes.
- At the sound of a whistle, teammates will put their hands behind their backs and try to move the cherries one at a time to an empty plate.
- Players will then eat the cherries one at a time from the empty plate before the timer runs out.
- The first player to complete this task wins the game.
This game is a fun and laughter-filled exercise that will help ease stress and promote a fun work culture. This game is quite messy, and players will end up with a lot of whipped cream or yogurt on their faces, but that is only part of the fun!
9. Pajama Party
A Pajama Party is a great activity that helps employees relax and bond. Employees can dress in their pajamas or loungewear and spend time together watching movies, eating snacks, and playing games.
To organize this activity:
- Provide food and drinks.
- Curate a playlist of trendy songs to enliven the event.
- Teammates will wear their best sleepwear to the venue.
- Organize fun games to entertain the employees. Some great ideas include Pictionary, puzzles, and charades.
- Colleagues can even put on a newly released movie to watch together.
You can enliven this event by organizing a dance party. Simply play good music over a stereo, and challenge attendees to show off their best moves. You may then give the winner a makeshift crown or sash with “best dancer” written on it, which the player must wear all night.
10. 1960s Office Throwback Party
A 1960s Office Throwback Party is a fun activity that will help break the ice and create a sense of unity among employees. In this activity, employees will wear outfits, play games, and listen to music from the ’60s.
To organize this activity:
- Set a date and time for this activity to give employees enough time to get their costumes in order.
- Curate a playlist of ’60s music for the event. Some suggestions include “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen and “My Generation” by The Who.
- Organize fun games like hula hooping, limbo, and pin the tail on the donkey. You could also host ’60s trivia.
- Make arrangements for food and drinks. Some ideas include pigs in a blanket, fondue, and shrimp on sticks.
- Employees will attend the event dressed in their ’60s costumes.
- Teammates will eat, dance, and play games.
Additionally, you can give awards to employees with the best outfits. This activity helps boost morale and build a fun work culture.
11. Barbecue Office Party
Barbecue Office Party is one of the best summer work party ideas because it allows employees to loosen up and chat. In this activity, employees will come together to eat delicious food, play games, listen to good music, and relax.
To organize this activity:
- Find a field or local park to host this activity.
- Make arrangements for choice meats and other ingredients to grill, or hire a grill master.
- Curate a playlist of party-worthy music, or hire a DJ to enliven the event.
- Organize games or fun activities like tug-of-war, sack race, or Jenga.
To make this activity even more engaging, encourage employees to volunteer to grill food. Colleagues can also create a signature cocktail for this event instead of buying drinks. This event is a great way to boost team morale and improve employees’ moods.
12. Comedy Show
Comedy Shows are entertaining events where colleagues listen to hilarious jokes and funny experiences. You can hire a stand-up comedian to entertain the team or encourage employees to try their hands at making their colleagues laugh.
To organize this activity:
- Choose a venue with a stage for the comedians to perform.
- Hire a stand-up comedian.
- Also, if you have employees who are passionate about comedy, then you can give them the opportunity to showcase their talents.
- Provide food and refreshments.
To make this activity more fun, you can provide props like clown costumes, fake mustaches, and dramatic glasses. This idea promotes laughter among employees, which helps elevate their moods and reduce stress.
13. Office Dance Party
Office Dance Party is a fun activity where employees get to interact with each other and dance to their favorite songs.
To organize this activity:
- Find a large empty room.
- Decorate the venue with bright, colorful lights to imitate a dance floor.
- Curate a playlist of trendy songs, or hire a DJ to play at the party.
- Set up a food station with snacks and drinks like cocktails or punch.
- Employees will drink and socialize as they dance on the makeshift dance floor.
You can make this event even more engaging by setting a theme so attendees can dress accordingly. For instance, you can set a rodeo theme where employees must wear cowboy attire.
14. Casino Night
Casino Night is a fun and engaging activity where teammates enjoy the thrill of living lavishly without actually losing any money. Teammates will get to play casino games and wager on different games with fake money or tokens.
To organize this activity:
- Decorate the venue with large dice, casino-themed balloons, and playing cards.
- At the start of the party, give each attendee the same amount of fake cash.
- The teammates will use this money to place bets, wager, and gamble with colleagues during games.
- Share drinks like wine and cocktails as employees play.
- At the end of the games, the employee with the most funny money wins.
You can complete the night by having music in the background to encourage employees who do not gamble to dance the casino night away. This activity is a great way for new team members to socialize and engage with others, and is one of the best work party ideas.
15. Hollywood-Themed Party
A Hollywood-Themed Party is a fun activity where employees get to dress up as their favorite movie stars, play games, watch movies, and dance.
To organize this activity:
- Find a suitable venue, such as a local movie theater or gala hall.
- Set a date and time to give employees adequate time to get their costumes in order.
- Create a red carpet entrance at the venue.
- Nominate an employee with a vibrant personality to host the red carpet.
- Invite a photographer or set up a photo booth where teammates can take pictures with each other.
- Once the event starts, provide some preshow entertainment. For instance, you can encourage employees to perform a dance or a song.
You can also organize games or offer awards to employees for their costumes.
16. Games Night
Games Night is a fun activity where employees get to challenge each other in a series of games. This event is a great way to promote healthy competition and team collaboration.
To organize this activity:
- Choose a variety of games that colleagues can play in teams. Examples include Monopoly, Scrabble, ludo, chess, and card games.
- Make arrangements for food and drinks.
- Split the players into different groups.
- Ensure that you highlight the rules of each game before teammates start to play.
- Once the games begin, the teams get a point for each round they win.
- The team with the most points wins the competition.
You may offer rewards to winners and give consolation prizes to other teams. This activity effectively boosts communication among teammates and helps them develop strategic and critical-thinking skills.
17. Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs is one of the best office party games for large groups because it allows employees to vibe to their favorite songs and challenge each other to get a seat in the game.
To organize this activity:
- Find a large empty room.
- Grab enough chairs to match the number of participants for the game, then remove one seat and set it aside.
- Arrange the remaining chairs in a circular form.
- Play a collection of catchy music.
- As soon as the music starts, players will dance clockwise around the chairs.
- When the music stops randomly, participants must scramble for a seat.
- The player without a seat is out of the game.
- Remove one more chair from the circle, and play the music again.
- The game will continue in this fashion until only one player remains.
- The last player standing wins!
To make this activity more engaging, use songs that employees are familiar with so they can easily get carried away by the song. This activity is a great way to build team spirit and encourage a healthy work-life balance.
18. Office Talent Show
Office Talent Show is one of the best work party entertainment ideas because it allows employees to enjoy and participate in different artistic performances. Teammates can perform any act they are talented in or passionate about, like magic, juggling, singing, and dancing.
To organize this activity:
- Choose a venue with a stage where employees can perform.
- Nominate three judges and an MC.
- The MC will host the show, introducing performers and setting a ten-minute timer.
- Performers will take turns entertaining the audience and other teammates with their acts.
- The judges will take note of the performances and grade them according to skill, effort, costume, and stage presence.
- Once all the participants have performed, the judges will vote for the best act and give the MC the results.
- The MC will dramatically announce the winner, using as much suspense as possible.
- Award a prize to the best performance.
It is important that you give employees enough time to prepare before the start of the event. If possible, have employees prepare and practice several days before. You may also split employees into different groups to encourage teamwork.
19. Paint and Sip Night
Paint and Sip Night is a therapeutic activity that encourages employees to get out of their work routines and have some fun. In this activity, employees will translate different emotions and creative thoughts into a painting while sipping their favorite drinks.
To organize this activity:
- Create individual painting stations with materials like brushes, paint, a mini canvas, and an easel.
- Ask participants for their favorite drinks, and pour them a glass.
- Encourage participants to use their creativity and paint what they feel or see around them.
- You may also play slow and inspiring songs as the painters work.
- Once the painters finish with their artwork, they will take turns presenting these paintings to colleagues and explaining what inspired that art piece.
Employees do not have to be artists to participate in this activity. The purpose is for employees to express themselves and explore their creative sides. This activity is best organized at the end of the week so teammates can fully enjoy the experience and ease stress.
20. Office Award Night
Office Award Night is a great way to reward and show appreciation to employees for their efforts. In this activity, employees get recognition for their hard work within an organization and the opportunity to socialize simultaneously.
To organize this activity:
- Curate a list of employees who are eligible for an award or recognition.
- Select the awards categories, and nominate employees for the awards. Some examples of the awards category include most punctual employee, most versatile employee, and best team leader.
- Make arrangements for refreshments, such as cocktails, cheese trays, and cupcakes.
- Hire entertainers to enliven the event.
- Choose a company representative to make a presentation or speech before giving out the awards.
You can also allow employees to nominate each other for different award categories. You may also add noncorporate awards like the most friendly, creative, and best-dressed employee.
Conclusion
Work party ideas are fun and exciting activities employees can organize during team gatherings. Attendees can play games and activities, watch movies, and enjoy snacks and drinks during these work party events. These activities help improve team engagement, build team spirit, and create a fun and inclusive work culture. It is important to host these get-togethers at least a couple of times a month to help employees ease stress and create a healthy work-life balance for employees.
For more party inspo, check out these articles on virtual pizza parties, online retirement parties, and company holiday parties.