Introduction
With many workplaces still debating the best ways to handle remote or hybrid setups, office Christmas parties are having to adapt to companies and teams of all shapes, sizes and types. But we genuinely believe that there’s no better way to bring everyone together, boost morale, and celebrate the festive season than with a fun and engaging office Xmas party. If you’re on the hunt for the best work Christmas party ideas to make your team’s celebration unforgettable, look no further—these creative suggestions are sure to bring the holiday cheer back to your workplace!
Our Top Work Christmas Party Ideas
1. CSI Save The Boss
For those who fancy themselves as amateur detectives, CSI Save The Boss is one of our most thrilling and interactive work Christmas party ideas that puts your investigative skills to the test. The plot? Your boss has been “kidnapped,” and it’s up to your team to solve the mystery and bring them back before time runs out. Participants are divided into small groups and armed with clues, evidence, and puzzles that they must piece together in order to crack the case.
This immersive experience is perfect for fostering teamwork and collaboration as everyone races against the clock to solve the crime. It’s ideal for competitive teams who enjoy a good challenge and a bit of lighthearted drama. Not only will you get to see your colleagues in a different light, but you’ll also have a great time playing detective and working towards a common goal. Who knows—you might just discover the next Sherlock Holmes in your office!
Book CSI Save The Boss to come to your office or to explore your local town or city – in places like Dublin, Galway, Belfast, Kilkenny, Cork or any of our Irish destinations.
2. The Cube
Inspired by the popular TV game show, The Cube offers a high-energy and fast-paced experience that’s perfect for bringing out the competitive streak in your team. This work Christmas party idea involves a series of mental and physical challenges that require precision, skill, and nerves of steel. Participants face off in a large inflatable “cube,” where they’ll need to complete various tasks under pressure.
What makes The Cube stand out is its versatility—challenges can be adapted to suit all fitness levels and abilities, making it inclusive for everyone. It’s an excellent way to encourage teamwork, improve communication, and provide some light-hearted entertainment as colleagues cheer each other on. Whether it’s balancing a ball on a beam or navigating a tricky obstacle course, The Cube will have your team laughing, strategizing, and celebrating every win together. It’s a unique and unforgettable way to mark the festive season.
You can book The Cube to come to your office or a venue of your choosing anywhere in Ireland or Belfast. More destinations in the UK are coming soon!
3. Charity Party
If you have a few competitive team members and enjoy some friendly rivalry, it’s worth considering including a charity aspect to your party. This is one of our fave work Christmas party ideas as it combines fun for your team and allows you to support an organisation in your local area at the same time. Whether you have an organisation that it already linked to your business, or whether you take a vote around the workforce for suggestions, there are undoubtedly dozens of very deserving causes you can get involved in. It’s becoming more common for businesses to adopt socially responsible policies and having that focus can help to galvanise your team.
Hosting a series of games in the office where each participant pays 50p/50c or £1/€1 to play allows you to raise a pot of money, which can then be donated to your favourite cause. Alternatively, the winners of any individual game can choose their own nominated cause, enabling the monies raised during the event to be split between several charities. If you’re feeling particularly flush, the business could match any donations raised at your party. As well as raising desperately needed funds for charity, both sides can promote the venture on their respective websites, leaflets.
Check out this list of the most popular charities in the UK or this list of top charities in Ireland.
4. Bubble Football
If you’re looking to inject some laughter and a lot of bouncing into your work Christmas party, Bubble Football is the way to go. Imagine regular football but with one twist: each player is encased in a giant inflatable bubble, making for some hilarious tackles, bounces, and rolls. This activity is less about scoring goals and more about having fun, as the bubbles turn even the most serious of players into clumsy, bouncing contenders.
Perfect for small and large groups, Bubble Football breaks down barriers and gets everyone involved, regardless of skill level. It’s an excellent choice for teams that love a bit of physical activity and aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves. Plus, it’s a great way to burn off those Christmas calories in a fun and festive way. Whether you’re toppling over your boss or rolling down the field in fits of laughter, Bubble Football promises a memorable and energetic party experience.
Book your team in for Bubble football in Manchester, Belfast, Kilkenny, Galway and a mobile version that comes to your venue in Cork.
5. Murder Mystery Dinner
It might seem like a strange idea, but murder mystery evenings are a great way to show off your office worker’s teamwork skills. Not only do you all get to dress up for a night out with dinner and drinks, but everyone gets to showcase their strengths and weaknesses. Working together as a crime-fighting brigade to decipher clues and follow trails to find the culprit helps to increase morale and show off sides of staff members you may not have had cause to see before.
This activity is a step up from the usual dinner and drinks night out, adding the additional element of the murder and subsequent investigation for a bit of a twist. Work Christmas party ideas don’t come with more suspicion (we hope…) than a murder mystery dinner. You never know, one of your team might even end up being the victim or the perpetrator.
Book your team in for a Murder Mystery Dinner or Drinks in your office building or at a tasty local restaurant in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Westport, Kilkenny or any of our Irish destinations. Please note that the food isn’t included – just the entertainment!
6. Escape Room
Smart, competitive team members will love the challenge that comes from having to solve riddles and find clues to fight their way out of a locked room before their time is up. It’s a fun, if not completely challenging experience, and there’s a whole host of themed games to choose from. This helps to ensure everyone has some input into the game that’s eventually chosen.
It’s the perfect choice for a work Christmas party for small businesses or teams, as most escape rooms fit 4-10 people. However, if you have a large group, you can simply book in multiple rooms at the same time and split your team into smaller groups to take on each one simultaneously.
Plan your escape in Galway, Manchester or GoQuest in Dublin. More escape room experiences are on the way!
7. Treasure Hunt
If you have office premises that are sizeable, or ground surrounding your place of employment, this is a great way to get a bit of exercise while building up your team morale and engendering a spirit of working together to solve problems. For this you’ll need a list of items; some small, some larger, that can be concealed around the office and grounds. Print off a list of all the items hidden and split everyone into teams. Basically, the first team to return with all the items is the winner.
This is a particularly good work Christmas party idea if you’re planning to host your shindig within the premises. This way, everyone can have a breather from cake and canapes to seek out the hidden corners of the stationery cupboard that no one dares venture to.
Or, you can book your Treasure Hunt to take place in your local area where you’ll hunt for clues around the streets and complete challenges (photo/video proof is essential!).
You can book a treasure hunt in almost all of our Irish destinations.
8. Joint Business Parties
It’s not uncommon for large local venues or football stadiums to host Christmas parties. As a work Christmas party idea, this gives you all the chance to dress up and go out for dinner, drinks and dancing at a dedicated venue that take care of everything for you. You’ll usually find other local businesses also booking tables at the venue and it not only fosters and builds relationships between your own staff, but also on a business-to-business basis with other companies in your locale.
We know that Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh does this every year and it’s gotten to be such a popular event, that tables are sold very quickly. The venue does everything bar getting you dressed and it’s a fun way to chill out without the stress of making all the arrangements.
9. Paintball Champion
Some workers will roll their eyes at the prospect, so it can be important to split your employees into teams of two with one enthusiast matched up with someone who hasn’t played before or doesn’t think it sounds like their kind of thing. It’s seriously good fun to get out for some fresh air – particularly if you usually spend your time sitting behind a desk in your office.
Not only does it get people out of their comfort zones and push them to explore aspects of themselves they may never otherwise do, but it’s generally just a good giggle to try shooting the boss without fear of reprisals.
You can find Paintball in almost all of our UK and Irish locations.
10. Potluck Dinner
As an alternative to going out for dinner, why not organise a sit-down meal in your office? Instead of hiring a caterer or ordering takeaway food from a local business, why not propose a potluck dinner where everyone cooks or bakes a dish and brings it with them? Some work Christmas party ideas can be pricey, so this helps to scale back some of the expense.
f you’re feeling particularly competitive, you can set the challenge seen on ‘Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook’ and give employees an expense limit of £5 from which to produce their potluck meal. This means it’s not expensive for your workers and sets a bit of a challenge for them to rise to.
11. Karting
This is one of the most popular work Christmas party ideas that our groups book! Firstly, it’s good fun; secondly, you don’t need a licence to do it and, third, it doesn’t take long, so it’s not too much of a bind for those employees who wouldn’t put it at the top of their list of things to do in their spare time. Many of the larger karting centres have cafes on site, so there’s plenty of scope to get everyone on the track for a few laps before taking a break and then heading back on again.
If your team is sizeable, you can split into smaller teams and then eliminate those finishing last until you’ve got a final few participants left to battle it out for the title of ‘Office Karting Champion 2022’. As there’s often a viewing station for others to watch, it lets everyone else cheer on their colleagues while they wait.
You can book your karting work Xmas party in most locations in Ireland and the UK.
12. Employee Award Ceremony
If you’re short on work Christmas party ideas and hosting a ‘do within your office, why not liven up proceedings with an award ceremony? We suggest that, in the spirit of team morale and Christmas spirit, these be both fun and a little bit serious, where required. We also suggest that, if your team is small enough, you ensure no one is left out. Just because an achievement may be small, doesn’t mean it’s not huge to the person involved. All wins are wins and should be celebrated as such.
Just be mindful of your introverted colleagues. There’s nothing they hate more than being the centre of attention and you don’t want them feeling anxious during what should be a fun night. Also, you should probably make everyone wear their ugliest Christmas jumpers to the event because why pass up the opportunity for more fun?
13. Dragon’s Den
Even if you’re heading out on the town for dinner or drinks to celebrate another year together as a team, this can be a great way to get things started before you hit the town.
For this work Christmas party idea, you need a range of household objects, which will be doled out to individuals or small teams. The idea is for them to pitch alternative ideas on what the items can be used for to the office ‘Dragons’. This game is best played when the tables are turned, and team leaders and managers are the ones pitching the ideas while junior staff members get the chance to ask all the awkward questions. Give the teams 20 minutes to come up with the plans and then 3 minutes to pitch their ideas.
Conclusion
Bringing your team together for a festive celebration is a wonderful way to end the year on a high note. With these work Christmas party ideas, you can create an office event that’s not only fun but also strengthens team bonds and lifts spirits. Whether you’re opting for a high-energy activity, a unique dining experience, or something more relaxed, these suggestions will ensure your office Xmas party is one to remember. It’s time to celebrate your team, enjoy some holiday cheer, and make this office party one for the history books (in a good way)!
