Christmas Party Ideas Picker: Find One Your Team Will Actually Enjoy
Christmas party ideas for work: find one that fits your team
These Christmas party ideas for work are grouped by type and written for the person who has to organise the event. There are 54 ideas. Use the idea picker to narrow them by team size, budget band, format and time of day, then build a shortlist to take to your team.
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54 work Christmas party ideas by type
Each idea shows the effort for the organiser, a budget band, the team size it fits and who it suits.
In the office
Office Christmas party ideas that need no travel and can finish inside the working day.
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Long lunch at the meeting tables
Push the meeting tables together, lay them properly and bring in a caterer or a shared order. Close the laptops for two hours.
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Festive bake-off with blind judging
Number the entries and let everyone score for taste and looks. Add a shop-bought category so people who do not bake can still enter.
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Quiz with a round written by each team
Each team writes one round about its own work, clients or in-jokes. One person compiles the rounds and hosts.
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Decorate-a-zone contest
Give each team a small pot of money and a week to decorate its area. Ask someone neutral, such as the front of house team, to judge.
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Board game and jigsaw afternoon
Set out tables with different games and one large jigsaw that people can join and leave. It gives quieter colleagues an easy way to take part.
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Wreath or table-centre workshop
A tutor comes to the office with the materials. Everyone goes home with something they made.
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Film afternoon in the biggest room
Run a vote on the film a week ahead. Bring popcorn, turn the subtitles on and let people drift in and out. Check that you have a licence to show films at work.
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Street-food lunch on site
Book one or two food traders for the car park or atrium and give each person a voucher. People can drop in when their work allows.
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Hot chocolate and mince pie station
Set up a drop-in hour with hot chocolate, toppings and mince pies. It works as a small event by itself or as an add-on for people who miss the main party.
Out of the office
Work Christmas party ideas for when you want a change of scene. An activity gives people something to do other than stand at a bar.
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Private dining room dinner
One table, a set menu chosen ahead and a room to yourselves. Collect menu choices and dietary needs when people reply.
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Shared party night
Many venues sell tables at mixed party nights with a meal and a disco. The venue does most of the organising.
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Exclusive venue hire with dinner and dancing
You hire the whole space and set the timings, menu and music. Book early, because December dates go first.
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Bowling, darts or mini golf with food
Book lanes or a games area and order food to share. The game mixes people up and fills any quiet moments.
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Escape room followed by a meal
Split into teams of four to six and compare times over dinner. Mix departments when you set the teams.
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Cooking class where you eat what you make
A chef leads the group through a meal and everyone sits down to eat it. Send dietary needs to the school in advance.
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Christmas market trip
Agree a meeting point and a time, hand out food vouchers and let people wander in small groups.
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Theatre, pantomime or comedy night
Make a group booking and add a meal before the show. A matinee suits people who need to be home in the evening.
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Ice skating or curling session
Book a session and a warm drink afterwards. Offer a spectator role so nobody has to go on the ice.
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Cocktail and mocktail making class
A bartender teaches the group to make two or three drinks. Ask for an alcohol-free version of every recipe.
Daytime and alcohol-free
These finish inside the working day and do not depend on a bar.
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Festive breakfast or brunch
Start the day together and finish by late morning. People with evening commitments do not have to choose.
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Afternoon tea
Sandwiches, cakes and tea at a hotel, a café or in the office. It is easy to adapt for most dietary needs if you ask ahead.
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Winter walk ending with lunch
Plan a route with a shorter option and finish at a pub or café for lunch. Check the path is suitable for everyone who wants to come.
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Pottery painting session
Everyone paints a mug or a plate and the studio fires them afterwards. People can talk while they work.
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Chocolate making or tasting workshop
A chocolatier leads a tasting or a truffle-making session. Share allergen information before you book.
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Finish at lunchtime, lunch on the company
Close at midday, eat together and send everyone home early. The time off is part of the gift.
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Coffee tasting or barista session
A roaster or barista runs a tasting or teaches latte art. It suits a morning slot.
Virtual and hybrid
Virtual Christmas party ideas work best when they are short, hosted by a named person and have something to do in the first five minutes.
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Posted tasting box with a live host
Send cheese, chocolate or tea to each person and taste it together on a call. Order early so the boxes arrive in time, and check allergens.
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Online quiz with breakout-room teams
Use breakout rooms as team tables and bring everyone back for the scores. A confident colleague or a hired host can run it.
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Virtual escape room
A host guides small teams through puzzles on screen. Keep teams to five or six so everyone has a job.
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Cook-along with a shared ingredients list
Send the list a week ahead and cook the same dish on a call. Choose a recipe with a vegan version.
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Online festive bingo or game show
Fast rounds with small prizes. It works for big numbers because people can play with cameras off.
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Same lunch, different places
Give everyone a lunch allowance, then eat together on a call for 45 minutes with no agenda.
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Hybrid party with a remote table host
Give the remote group its own host, its own screen in the room and its own part of the programme. Post food or a small gift so they share more than the call.
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Show and tell
Each person shows a pet, a family tradition or their worst decoration. Two minutes each is enough.
Small teams
Christmas party ideas for small teams can be more personal, because one table fits everyone.
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Chef's table or tasting menu
Book the kitchen-side table or a tasting menu. Send dietary needs when you book, because set menus need notice.
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Team's choice day out
Offer three options and ask everyone to rank them. Book the one with the most support.
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Supper club or pop-up dinner
Take seats at a supper club where a set menu is served to shared tables. It feels different from a standard restaurant booking.
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Town centre treasure hunt
Write a trail of clues and photo challenges around the town centre and send people out in pairs or threes. Finish at a café where the answers are marked.
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Small-group craft workshop
Candle making, printmaking or calligraphy for a handful of people. Studios often take small private groups.
Large companies
Large events need choice built in, because one format will not suit several hundred people.
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One venue, several zones
Plan a dining area, a quiet lounge, a dance floor and a games corner. People choose how to spend the evening.
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Team budgets with one shared moment
Each department plans its own event from a per-head budget. The whole company joins a 20 minute thank-you on a call or in the atrium.
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Family day
Hold a daytime event with activities for children, so staff can bring the people they live with and show them where they work.
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Rolling open house for shift sites
Serve food across every shift change, including nights. Managers cover the floor so people can step away.
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Peer-nominated thank-yous
Collect nominations from colleagues and read them out. This can be added to any party format.
Low budget
These cost little more than food from a supermarket and some time.
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Potluck lunch with a sign-up sheet
Everyone brings a dish and adds it to a sheet so you get a balanced table. Ask people to label ingredients.
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Secret Santa with a low cap
Set a low spending cap, or a rule such as handmade or second-hand only. Remote colleagues can post gifts or send e-gifts.
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Christmas jumper day with a collection
Pick a day, invite a small donation and take a team photo. Make it clear that an ordinary jumper is fine.
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Desk-drop treats and handwritten cards
Managers write a card for each person and leave it with a small treat. Post them to remote staff.
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Lunchtime singalong or staff choir
Invite a staff choir to perform, or run an informal singalong of winter songs for half an hour. Keep it opt-in.
Giving back
Alternative Christmas party ideas for teams who would like some of the budget or the time to go to a good cause.
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Volunteer day followed by a meal
Spend a morning helping a local charity, then eat together. Ask early, because many charities are busy in December and need notice.
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Reverse advent calendar
Each team fills a box by adding one item a day for a local food bank. Check the food bank's list of wanted items first.
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Gift wrapping for a present appeal
Buy and wrap gifts from a local appeal's list during an afternoon in the office.
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Staff vote on a donation
Set aside part of the party budget as a donation and let staff vote on where it goes.
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Charity quiz or raffle
Run a quiz or raffle with donated prizes and give the proceeds to a charity the staff choose.
Looking for a supplier? The EmEx Something Different directory lists team experiences, and venues.org.uk can help you find a venue.
Worked example: a small remote team
A team of eight works remotely and wants a daytime event on a low budget that does not involve alcohol. In the idea picker, choose Small, Low, Virtual and Daytime, and tick “Works without alcohol”. The picker shows 5 ideas: “Online quiz with breakout-room teams”, “Same lunch, different places”, “Show and tell”, “Secret Santa with a low cap” and “Staff vote on a donation”.
Change the team size to Large, clear the other filters and keep “Works without alcohol” ticked, and the picker shows 24 ideas.
Planning a work Christmas party that people can come to
Most of the work is in the practical details. These are the ones that decide who can attend.
Timing and caring duties
Evening events are hard for people who collect children, care for a relative or travel a long way home. A lunchtime or afternoon event inside working hours reaches more of the team. If you hold an evening event, give at least four weeks’ notice so people can arrange cover, and state a finish time.
Alcohol-free options
Some colleagues do not drink, for reasons they may not want to explain. Choose a format with something to do other than drink, and order alcohol-free drinks that are as good as the rest of the list. If the company is paying for drinks, the allowance should cover soft drinks on the same terms.
Dietary needs
Ask about allergies and dietary needs in the invitation, and pass the answers to the caterer in writing. Ask the venue how it labels food and handles allergens. Check that halal, kosher, vegetarian and vegan guests get a full meal. December has festivals other than Christmas, so check the date against your team’s calendar.
Accessibility
Before you book, ask the venue about step-free access, accessible toilets, seating, lighting and noise levels. A quieter space away from the music helps people who find loud rooms tiring. Share the plan for the event in advance, including timings, travel and what will happen, so people can decide what works for them.
Optional attendance
Say in the invitation that attendance is optional, and hold the event in paid time where you can. Avoid surprise activities and anything that puts a person on the spot. People who do not come should still get the thank-you, so pair the party with a card, a message or a small gift that reaches everyone.
Remote staff
Decide early whether remote colleagues will travel, join online or have their own event. If they travel, cover the cost and book it for them. If they join online, give them a host and a programme of their own. The virtual and hybrid ideas above are a starting point.
Tax: the annual function exemption
GOV.UK says an annual party or similar social function is exempt from reporting and tax if it is open to all your employees, is annual (such as a Christmas party or summer barbecue) and costs £150 or less per head. This also applies to online parties. Separate parties for different departments or locations can qualify if every employee can attend one of them. If you hold several annual events, they stay exempt as long as the combined cost is no more than £150 per head.
Work out the cost per head by dividing the total cost, including VAT and any transport or overnight accommodation you provide, by the number of people who attend, guests included. The £150 is not an allowance. If a single event costs more than £150 per head, the whole cost is taxable, not only the amount above £150. Sources: GOV.UK, Expenses and benefits: social functions and parties (opens in a new tab) and HMRC Employment Income Manual EIM21690 (opens in a new tab), checked October 2026. This is general information for UK employers and is not tax advice.
Questions about work Christmas parties
What are good Christmas party ideas for work?
Good Christmas party ideas for work give people something to do and a choice about how they take part. This page lists 54 ideas, from a long lunch at the meeting tables to a volunteer day followed by a meal. Use the idea picker to filter them by team size, budget band, format and time of day.
What can we do for a work Christmas party without alcohol?
52 of the 54 ideas on this page work without alcohol, because the event is built around food, an activity or time off. Examples are a festive breakfast, afternoon tea, an escape room and a pottery painting session. Tick “Works without alcohol” in the idea picker to see them all.
What are some virtual Christmas party ideas?
This page lists 9 ideas that work fully online, including an online quiz with breakout-room teams, a posted tasting box with a live host, a virtual escape room and a shared lunch on a call. Short sessions with a named host tend to work best. Choose “Virtual” in the idea picker to see the full list.
What are good Christmas party ideas for small teams?
Small teams can book things that large groups cannot, such as a chef’s table, a supper club or a small-group craft workshop. 41 of the 54 ideas on this page suit a team of up to 15 people. Choose “Small” under team size to see them.
How do you plan a work Christmas party on a low budget?
Pick an idea where the main cost is food or materials. This page has 23 ideas in the low budget band, including a potluck lunch, a bake-off, a quiz with a round written by each team and a Secret Santa with a low cap. Hold it in the office and in working hours to avoid venue and travel costs.
Is a staff Christmas party a taxable benefit in the UK?
Not if it meets the annual function exemption. GOV.UK says an annual party or similar social function is exempt from reporting and tax if it is open to all your employees, is annual and costs £150 or less per head, including VAT. The £150 is not an allowance, so an event that costs more than £150 per head is taxable in full. If you hold several annual events, they stay exempt as long as the combined cost is no more than £150 per head. This was checked on GOV.UK in October 2026 and is general information, so confirm your own position with your accountant or HMRC.
Related tools
Something Different directory
Team experiences and away-day ideas from suppliers across the UK.
Browse team experiencesFind a venue
Search UK venues for a party, dinner or away day and enquire with the venue directly.
Search venues.org.ukAfter the Christmas party ideas picker: find a team experience
Found an idea you like? The EmEx Something Different directory lists unusual team experiences from UK and US suppliers. You contact the supplier direct, with no fees or commission.
