27 Jan 30 Cool Office Party Ideas That Rock

Office parties can easily fall into the trap of being stuffy, cookie-cutter affairs. The corporate world is changing at a rapid pace to accommodate a company’s success is ensured by employee retention.

Studies have shown that average employee turnover costs companies 33% of that individual’s salary. Ensuring an employee stays once they have been trained is far more profitable than losing them in the first year.

Reports have concluded that 79% of employees seeking new employment do so because they feel unappreciated at work. Office parties provide an easy way of including employee appreciation while allowing participants to disconnect and unwind, even during the day.

When office parties are catered to the workforce and deliver entertainment that employees can enjoy, satisfaction rates get a boost. No matter what type of business model is involved, an office party idea can turn it from outdated and irrelevant to the coolest moment on the calendar.

A successful office party will bring teams closer together, encourage networking, and provide excellent mood-boosting. So whether the office opts for a day out, a gaming tournament, or team volunteering, make sure to listen to your employees and provide them with the parties they wish to have.

Virtual Gift Exchanges

You will commonly encounter three types of gift exchange in an office setting: Secret Santa, White Elephant, and Yankee Swap. All three of these can be easily integrated into a party to add entertainment and team bonding to it.

While you can enjoy these exchanges during an in-person event, lately, it has become necessary to discover virtual alternatives. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to ensure that a gift exchange will be successful even when working remotely or from home.

Here are a few ideas to help you navigate a virtual gift exchange for your coworkers or for your teams:

• Choose the type of gift exchange. This can be influenced by the team’s feelings on it, the time of year, and the type of party. Secret Santas are typical in December and involve gifts given in secret to a drawn recipient. White Elephants involve funny or impractical gifts being added to a common pool, then participants will draw a number with their order to pick. Yankee Swaps are more common in New England and are similar to the White Elephant but involve the chance to swap a gift for the preceding one if it is not to one’s liking. Some will be more suitable for a virtual event than others.
• Choose a budget and a date for the event. You can include the exchange during a virtual party on Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
• Start sign-ups. Use Google Docs or Sheets to determine participants and their gift requests.
• Assign recipients. To do this, you can use a platform like Elfster. It will do all the work for you in assigning pairs and sending out emails with the required information for all participants.
• Organize gifts. Presents will be purchased and wrapped. A platform like Amazon can take care of these things without going through extra hassle. The items can be delivered directly to each recipient with the sender’s address hidden.
• Unwrap: During a virtual party, once everyone has received their gifts, set out a time for the exchange and enjoy the results.

If you would rather focus on an in-person event, adapt some of these steps. You can include different types of exchanges more easily in that way.

Photo Booths

Photo booths are an easy way to add entertainment to an office party. Everyone loves an Instagrammable moment at a party, which allows fun and customized representation of the company. You can add various props and backdrops that spark creativity and make for hilarious shots.

A custom hashtag can be created that everyone can use to put their photo booth moments on social media. This will make the success of the party last well beyond the actual event itself.

While there are numerous options for photo booth rentals that can be delivered straight to the office or any other venue you are using for a party, some companies stand out.

Photomatica is one of the most popular choices. It delivers retro-looking enclosed open-air rental photo booths for any type of corporate event. Use of the booth includes benefitting from the quality of a studio-level flash and a professional DSLR camera.

You can also have access to unlimited photo strips that employees can take full advantage of. An onsite technician will accompany the booth at all times to ensure it’s smooth running. Once the event is concluded, USB sticks with digital copies will be made available to participants.

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, Booth by Demand should feature at the top of your list. This DIY choice features free round–trip shipping and easy installation that can be completed in 15 minutes. If you require assistance, you have access to a  24/7 support line.

The basic option allows you to choose one backdrop from twenty choices. It also includes photo QR codes for easy sharing.

Virtual Games

While virtual hangouts are great, you can go turn them into a great remote office party by adding games to the mix. This creates easy entertainment and team bonding, resulting in an overall successful event.

If you host a virtual office party on Microsoft Teams, you can use the Kahoot integration to start the night off with a fun selection of games. You can create a custom game or browse an extensive collection of them on any topic and in any language.

Once the party gets going, you can switch to other great virtual group games, like those offered by Jackbox. Any of their selections will provide hours of entertainment, but some can be even more suited to virtual office parties because they adapt better to the environment.

Fan-favorite Quiplash is great for Zoom or Google Hangouts parties. It can take 3 to 8 players, but different groups can alternate rounds. It involves players responding to prompts with quips. The funniest wins.

Fibbage is another popular choice and can take from 2 to 8 players. It involves answering trivia questions wrong, but with the aim of getting it to sound realistic enough to be voted.

If your team wants to have fun by flexing their creative muscles, they can try their hand at Drawful. This game involves a timed drawing in response to a random prompt. 3-8 players can enjoy it.

Jackbox games give access to audience members for voting and viewing purposes. Usually, up to 10,000 people can join.

Talent Showcase

Each team of employees has individuals with different talents. If you have an office party, dedicate some time to exhibit the skills they want to share. For virtual office parties, people can show their paintings, crafts, and other talents they have been practicing at home.

There can be jam sessions at in-person office parties where the musically talented can bring their knowledge of instruments or singing together. This allows the flourishing of team bonding and has the benefit of adding to the entertainment at the event. There may be those who have stand-up comedy skills, or you can even create short work theater plays.

This all depends on the people you have in the team and what they bring to the table. Their interests should be supported, and this is an easy way to showcase who they are outside of work.

Employees will feel appreciated as people, the fun will be assured, and the event will be a triumph with long-lasting positive effects.

You can go further with this and make a formal office party out of it based on the showcase. You should hire a venue and provide the talent with what they need to do this. Promoting it around the company will open it up to a wider audience.

Karaoke Segment

If you have the type of laid-back environment outside of office hours to support this, you should host an office party that includes karaoke. Rentals are easily found in your area, but you can go further than that and invest in an office karaoke machine.

This machine can be taken out whenever it is required to add entertainment to the office party. There are many options you can consider for this, but it’s always best to invest in one that is easy to set up and that includes a good variety of songs.

One of the most top-rated options is the Tonor K20 wireless karaoke machine. It includes dual wireless microphones, no-hassle installation, and colorful LED lights. The disco ball adds flair to the design,

The machine can connect to Bluetooth devices in the area or can be plugged in via USB. This option will create the perfect atmosphere at office parties, featuring clear, crisp, and loud sound quality.

Charity Hangout

There is no saying that pleasure and good deeds can’t mix. An office party can be created as a way to contribute to charity. You can host an event that doubles as a fundraiser for a specific organization, or you use the party as an excuse to get out on the town and volunteer. Help out at select charities in teams of employees, and make a game out of it.

This encourages team building while promoting a culture of giving back and helping those in need. Getting away from work to do this will also give employees a boost.

If you want to make a grand gesture during these troubled times, you can cancel a planned office party taking place on a larger scale and donate the budget to charity. You can choose the beneficiary with your employees, and you can all go deliver the good news while helping with the charity’s to-do list on that specific day.

Giving back and making a difference is as memorable a party as any other formal event or gala.

Puppy Party

If you really want to treat your employees to an unforgettable casual office party, get in touch with the animal rescue organizations in your area and see if they host puppy parties. This gets your employees the experience of unbridled joy in being exposed to so many puppies at once while also helping the adoption drives that the rescues are doing.

Local organizations will be able to point you in the right direction regarding these events. Places like Homeward Trails will bring the puppies to your office for a minimum donation of $500. This gets you one hour to spend with the puppies. Treat the employees to pizza or ice cream on the side to add to the fun.

This activity has the extra benefit of being highly therapeutic. No matter how stressful the week is, there is nothing a bunch of puppies won’t be able to fix. Associations like this one will only operate in the local area and maybe host limited events.

Make sure to find the right fit for you, especially because it can make a huge difference to the animal rescue you pick and to other animals there. Employees can find out more about adoption choices from the puppy party monitor.

Not only is this a great idea for a relaxing and highly entertaining office party, but it can also get pets good homes soon after the event has ended. You can then choose to continue hosting these sorts of parties at regular intervals and even with different teams.

Food Festival

Most offices will have an inclusive and diverse staff. The rich culture present in these environments should have a say when deciding the next office party, and what better way is there to enjoy different cultures than by tasting samples of their foods from those who know how to prepare them?

When you’re planning an office party, you can opt for catering, but you can also sit down with employees and ask them if they would like to contribute a dish that is special to them. This can work for anyone from different backgrounds, no matter the generation of immigration.

If enough people are willing to contribute dishes to the event, you can host an international food festival at the office. Participants can prepare meals, either on their own or with their families, and this can bring a sense of community to the workspace. You can ask them to bring their relatives to the party if they wish to attend.

Other employees can learn about the dishes and the cultures they come from by mingling at the event and tasting the delicacies. The meals don’t have to be extremely complex, as long as they hold some significance to the person making them.

Themed Movie Night

Movie nights are easy to organize at the office. All you need is a seating and a decent projector. Conference rooms are particularly suitable for this type of event. To add a twist and turn this into an entertaining office party, create a theme.

You don’t have to limit the theme just to the movies you’ll be watching. Extend it to include the audience of employees into the experience. This is what can turn a regular movie night into a memorable event.

A cinema-worthy experience can be created at the office. Set a theme that your employees like, such as Old Hollywood. Get the movies that fit the theme, and encourage everyone to dress the part.

You can add simple decorations to the office to make it feel fitting, and then you can rent a service like Get Cozy Bar, a vintage mobile bar that doubles as a caravan and can be driven up to your location. Services like these require you to only provide the alcohol while they provide the service and the aesthetic.

Picnic With a View

This is a great office party solution for the summer. It can be held on a small scale, somewhere in a scenic location. If there are any big work milestones to celebrate or if the company would like to go all out, the event can occur on a larger scale.

If you opt for the big event, you should get assistance from a company with experience in the business, such as Event Solutions. They operate in select locations and can turn an office party picnic into a huge success with no extra effort for you to take.

A company such as this can provide you with excellent picnic entertainment to appreciate your employees. These picnics are great opportunities for employees to bring their families along, and this ensures that all ages will be considered in the fun activities.

Picnic entertainment companies can provide face painting stations, dunk tanks, carnival rides, petting zoos, and balloon sculptures. Craft stations can be included, as can various prize games.

If you’re looking to get catering too, you will benefit from various options, such as buffets, BBQs, traditional cookouts, or a full experience.

Adventure Day

Whenever possible, it’s a great idea to move the office party outside. Treat your employees to a day out and keep the party going for hours. Depending on the scale of the party and the budget, you can opt for a big resort like Walt Disney World or a highly entertaining theme park like Universal Orlando.

If that sort of option isn’t a logistical possibility, see what’s available in your area. You can take the party to a regionally-accessible amusement park, a grill party, or even an outdoor team sports day that can then be followed by other entertainment like food and drink.

Moving an office party outside will be influenced by external elements, but it can create plenty of entertainment if you have the opportunity. Being away from the office while still enjoying a hangout with your team has numerous mood-boosting effects that everyone will benefit from.

This can create a memorable event that employees will know to expect, especially if offered on a regular basis.

Pub Crawl

An excellent idea for a Friday night that can easily provide plenty of entertainment. Take the office party to the bars by arranging a pub crawl through your city’s most enticing options. You can add a theme to this event to make sure the whole team bonds and stands out among other merry-makers. Pub crawls are a lot of fun and create many socializing opportunities. You can even add pub quizzes to the mix to keep the entertainment going.

If you’d rather not have to deal with the logistics of booking different locations and getting everyone together, you can ask a company like Get A Clue to do it for you. Services like these will take care of the details while offering a custom experience.

They will also include a championship trophy token for your team, which can enhance the party-going mood.

Pub crawls will allow you to discover new locations. You can go from the trendiest places in town to the hidden jewels, all in one amazing night that your employees won’t soon forget. This is one of the best party ideas to get everyone to unwind and enjoy what the evening has to offer.

Office Escape Room

You’ve heard all about escape rooms and have probably participated in team bonding activities at such locations. Have you ever imagined you could bring the escape room to the office? Now you can, with providers such as Adventure Games Inc.

The office escape experience can be used as an add-on to a corporate party. This would easily boost the entertainment value of the event. If you want to be sneaky about it and preserve the atmosphere, you can trick your employees into participating in it.

During an office party, you can tell your employees to gather in a specific conference room for a quick speech or a video from leadership. The company will have turned this regular room into an inescapable space unbeknownst to them.

The team will have to collaborate to make their way out. They will need to find the solution to various puzzles together, and they will only usually have an hour to do so. This type of event requires mostly strategy and communication skills.

This unique experience will turn the familiar into an unfamiliar space. Employees will have lots of fun escaping from the conference room, and if they win, they can be treated to drinks or special prizes.

Team Scavenger Hunt

Enhance the entertainment value of any office party with a team-building staple: the scavenger hunt. Organizing a successful scavenger hunt within a laid-back event will allow your employees to have even more fun in a way that will bring them together.

If you are considering adding this to an office party, here are some ideas to help you create a good hunt:

• Create clues that encourage communication: Some employees will be natural leaders, while others will be natural wallflowers. You should be aware of these characteristics and adapt the clues to them. Include bilingual phrases if you know there are bilingual individuals on the team.
• Encourage the use of different media: The instructions should challenge the team to take photos or videos of each other fulfilling the requirements, from doing a group dance number to drawing each other.
• Play to individual talents: If you know your team well, you should know about their skills. Include challenges that involve them and that need to be performed to receive the next clue.
• Let them explore: Don’t keep the hunt confined to the workplace. Include clues and challenges that send them in the vicinity, especially if you have amenities or parks nearby.

Unofficial Work Gala

Gala events can provide great parties, but they only occur once a year or celebrate huge achievements. It can be a cool idea to create an office party that mimics a gala but on a lower scale.

It is a good excuse for everyone to get dressed up and feel treated to a luxury experience even though it is not time for a company-wide event yet. Opt for a premium catering service like the high-end Little Lily’s Kitchen.

Companies like these can provide you with an upscale custom experience for your employees. Even if you are celebrating smaller milestones than at a gala, you can still enjoy these sorts of rewards.

A consultation will be part of the process, and you will be able to discuss at length every aspect of what you want the catering to provide. They will then handle the details and the service.

To add to the gala atmosphere, you can create an unofficial awards ceremony and bestow small custom prizes to the hard-working members of the team. Despite not being a huge event, this take on an office party can have great benefits for all.

Holiday Mood Party

There are plenty of holidays around the year, but you can use an office party to get your employees in the mood for them. This is an especially good idea in the winter, when moods may be affected by the change of seasons and the lack of good outdoor weather.

Setting an office party designed around one of the winter holidays, especially Thanksgiving or Christmas, can set the tone for the end of November and December. It would be an easy mood-booster and a way for employees to get to unwind together.

If your employees have had a difficult week or month in achieving targets and dealing with everyday stress, treat them to a holiday-themed party at the office. Include decorations and carols if the season is right.

You can have a casual hot chocolate and cookies event or a Christmas sweater competition. You can have stations for creating personalized cards that the employees can give each other.

This informal gathering can offer a nice way to take a break from things, even during the workday and even during winter.

Lunch Out

Many office parties can take place during the day. They are in no way limited to night-time events that include alcohol or dancing. You can set up a quick office party during the day, even as an unplanned surprise.

Create a gathering of employees and take them out to lunch, somewhere off the premises, somewhere special. This will be a nice way to unwind and disconnect from the routine. An impromptu party can provide the necessary energy to keep going through the day.

If you notice your employees are more stressed than usual, this is exactly the type of pick-me-up that would benefit them. Good food, good company, and a way to leave the worries of work behind in a new location are recommended at any time.

Before you do this, you can explore what eateries are available in the area that would accommodate a group. Take into account the employees’ dietary requirements.

Bowling Party

An office party set at the bowling event can provide endless hours of entertainment. Companies like Bowlero offer special corporate bowling events that will provide customized fun to your employees.

This is a quick and easy way to reward the team with an office party that breaks the norms of tradition. With a bowling party, everyone can relax and enjoy themselves. Catering is provided and can be personalized to suit every team’s dietary requirements.

Drinks can also be included, and there are various types of attractions, from blacklight bowling to access to deluxe arcades to keep everyone having fun.

Bowling encourages team collaboration and friendly competition. This is a great way to disconnect from the work routine in a setting that only encourages fun and games. Make sure to consider this option for the next office party.

The event will be memorable, and the benefits will remain long after it is done. Plus, employees might even start a league, and traditions can be created for further parties and nights out.

Mixology Delight

A great activity for after-work Fridays, you should bring your employees to an office party that will treat them to the best cocktails and even teaches them more about how they are made.

If you only have virtual availability for your team, treat them to a virtual mixology class. Services like The Cocktail Guru deliver cocktail-making kits to your employees to assist them during the event.

This can be included at the beginning of a virtual office party that employees can then enjoy their new cocktails for once class has ended. This sort of lesson usually takes either half an hour or an hour and can be a great start to the festivities.

If you’re looking to add anything to a mixology event, you can include food tastings or chocolate tasting add-ons, both virtually and in person. Drinks and food to accompany them are guaranteed to create a good office party no matter the venue.

BBQ Party

Barbecue parties are a staple during the summer, and there’s nothing saying that an office party can’t involve one. It will make it stand out by changing the usual rules and bringing something that is usually done at home during the weekends.

If you would like to treat your employees to a barbecue officer party as a reward for their hard work, here are some tips to ensure its success:

• Select a location: You may have an extensive garden or lawn around your office building, which would be ideal for this event. If not, rent an outdoor venue or an appropriate parcel at the nearest park. Make sure to have a backup plan if you are in a place with rainy summers.
• Choose a date and promote it: Your employees should be aware of when the barbecue office party is taking place and any relevant details. This will ensure as much attendance as possible.
• Plan the menu: To get the most out of the food, make sure you are aware of dietary restrictions. All participants should be able to partake in at least some of the food available.

International Celebration

There are traditional local holidays that can be great for office parties. However, you don’t have to limit your employees to only celebrating the regular dates. Numerous international festivities can inspire you.

St Patrick’s can be a great opportunity to have a pub crawl office party. There are also events like the summer solstice or the year’s longest day. You can use that as inspiration to create an office party that goes well into the night.

On the winter solstice, the shortest night, you can have an office party that allows everyone to leave an hour earlier.

If you have employees from different backgrounds, you can ask them about the holidays they observe and whether an office party would suit one of them. This is an easy way of fostering a diverse and inclusive work culture.

Office Olympics

This is an event that is great in Olympic years, but always a huge source of entertainment. You can organize an office party and include office Olympics events in it. You should plan access to an outdoor space for your party. Then create a schedule of events that different teams can sign up to.

This sort of activity encourages team bonding and collaboration and promotes well-being. It is ideal during a summer office party that includes a barbecue and other fun activities.

If you only have access to the indoor space at work, here are some ideas for what to include on the schedule for office Olympics:

• Archery: Use rubber bands as arrows and a board to act as the target. Give competitors a set time and a fair distance from the target. Keep score as they go through the rounds.
• Gymnastics: Of the mental kind, also known as charades. These can be Olympic-themed, with each member of a team acting out a prompt from a card for the others.

Gaming Party

If your employees enjoy gaming, create an office party that considers that hobby. You can include a board games event or an Xbox tournament. Friendly competitions can be created, with different games on offer to suit everyone’s tastes.

This is an ideal office party if you have the kind of office with a games room to unwind. Having access to multiple consoles will increase the list of activities on offer. Team games can take place on the Wii or with the Switch too.

Keeping score of everyone’s progress or creating specific challenges around unlocking specific game achievements will allow you to create a leaderboard. This can be updated at the next gaming-themed office party. The entertainment is always assured with this theme.

Carnival

This festive season occurs at the end of February/beginning of March and involves many colorful events around the Western world. You can take inspiration from this and create an office party with a costume or masquerade theme.

You could even include a low-scale DIY parade with employee-made floats that they can collaborate on in groups.

If you would like to go for a proper event on a grand scale, you should opt for the services of companies like Monte Carlo Productions. They can bring all the atmosphere of a carnival indoors for the benefit of your employees.

This includes carnival food, custom invitations, and games. They can mix this with a circus theme, and attendees would be encouraged to wear relevant outfits to support the theme and create an immersive atmosphere.

Gratitude Notes

When hosting an office party, include a segment where the focus can be on giving and receiving gratitude. Encourage your employees to create handwritten notes of gratitude prior to the event to read aloud during the event.

These can be for other coworkers, teams, managers, or anyone who impacted each specific individual. It is easy to forget about being thankful and expressing it in a demanding work environment.

Taking the time to appreciate each other’s work and efforts during an office party will strengthen relationships and bonds that will help with performance and well-being in the long run.

Milestone Festivity

Work anniversaries, retirements, and other company-related milestones should always be celebrated. You can create milestone office parties that gather everyone important to the employee in question, including teams and management.

Retaining employees and recognizing their loyalty will make others feel they are supported and that their effort is being acknowledged. These events can either be casual or formal and can involve activities that are suited to the tone of the party and the number of people.

These types of occasions can involve a gift that holds meaning to those achieving anniversaries or going on to retire. A Patek Philippe watch is always a hit as a retirement gift.

Doughnut Break

If you’re looking for a casual office party idea that can happen any time, there is nothing that can be as cool or as exciting as an impromptu doughnut feast for the team. Get a few cases of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and let your employees take a break from work to enjoy them.

This leads to an extended period away from work that can be used to have a chat with coworkers while indulging in a sugar rush. Energy can be replenished, especially if you provide fresh coffee from chains like Starbucks to accompany the treat.

This is an easy way to create a moment of partying in an informal setting, even during a busy workday. Your employees will feel appreciated, and even a small reward such as this will help their well-being.

Card Games

Casual office parties can include card games. You can create team competitions for different games, from poker to whist, depending on the time everyone has to spend on them. Card games benefit from providing time to unwind and encourage collaboration in some cases.

Light gambling can also be part of it, especially with items that don’t have high monetary value, like drinks or treats. Of course, if you would like to opt for a cool and trendy alternative to traditional card games, you can always opt for a Cards Against Humanity tournament, which can include up to 20 players.

Personalized Gifts

A memorable office party should include personalized gifts and favors that employees can keep long after the event has ended and they have returned to the usual routine. This should be reserved for events on a larger scale where statements can be made through rewards.

You can use platforms like Caroo to get personalized goodies and custom gift boxes tailored to the interests of your employees. You can opt for small gifts for each employee attending the office party or go for bigger pieces for the biggest achievers.

Baking Competitions

A small and casual office party can be created around baking competitions. Participants can sign up and work on their offerings. They can even have face-off contests against each other, with the rest of the teams or managers acting as judges.

Everyone can then enjoy the results of the bakers’ hard work while unwinding and getting an energy boost for the rest of the day.