Office party themes and decorations

An office is a hard room to decorate: strip lighting, grey carpet, and a landlord who doesn't want anything stuck to the walls. The trick is to decorate one surface properly rather than the whole floor badly.

Below are themes that don't cost anyone money to join in with, and a ten-minute decoration setup that photographs well under office lights.

Rule one for themes at work: if following it requires buying something, half the team won't, and they'll feel awkward all afternoon.

Free office party themes

• Christmas jumper day - the one dress code most people already own.
• Bad tie or worst festive socks, judged at 4pm.
• Colour theme: everyone wears one colour, whatever they've already got.
• Decades day - 80s or 90s, using clothes from the back of the wardrobe.
• Home team shirts, for an office that follows the football.
• Where you're from - a photo, a snack or a song from your home town.
• Desk decorating competition, one prize, judged by whoever's most senior.

Themes that suit a booked-out venue

• Winter wonderland - white, silver and fairy lights, the safest Christmas theme there is.
• Casino night with fake chips and a prize for the biggest pile.
• Masquerade, if the budget covers the masks so nobody has to buy one.
• Great British summer: bunting, garden games and a barbecue.
• Around the world, with a food table per region.
• Black tie, only if the company is paying for hire.

The ten-minute decoration setup

• One banner on the wall behind the food or drinks table - the highest-value thing you can put up.
• Balloons in threes at the corners of the table, not an arch.
• Table confetti scattered down the middle of the buffet.
• A cake topper instead of piped icing, so a supermarket cake looks made for the occasion.
• Fairy lights along one shelf or window, which does more than any ceiling decoration.
• Turn off half the overhead lights if you can - office strip lighting ruins every photo.
• Clear one surface completely and decorate only that. A tidy table beats a decorated room.

Decorating a rented or shared office

• Use removable putty or washi tape, never drawing pins or duct tape.
• Nothing on fire doors, sprinklers or smoke alarms - it's a genuine fire safety issue, not fussiness.
• Hang from existing hooks, curtain rails and shelf edges.
• Freestanding decoration on tables beats anything on walls.
• Agree a takedown time before you start, and put it in the invite.
• Check with facilities before you buy anything - it takes one email.

Making the photos look good

• One decorated corner as a photo spot beats decorations spread thin everywhere.
• Take the group photo in the first hour.
• Stand people in front of the banner, not the whiteboard.
• Daylight from a window beats every ring light in the building.
• Print one photo afterwards for the office wall - people notice.

What to skip

• Themes that need a costume purchase.
• Anything glittery on a carpet you have to hoover.
• Confetti cannons indoors.
• Decorations that block a fire exit or a corridor.
• Balloon arches in an office - too much setup for a two-hour party.
• Anything that has to come down at 9am Monday by someone who wasn't at the party.

Shop banners & bunting

Banners, toppers and confetti for the office

Decorations that take ten minutes to put up and photograph well.

How to write it so it lands

• One banner, one table, ten minutes.
• Check with facilities before you buy.
• Group photo in the first hour, in daylight.
• Agree who takes it down before you put it up.

Where to shop next

• Work party ideas hub
• Work party invite wording
• Office party themes and decorations
• Leaving do ideas
• Office birthday ideas
• Team building ideas
• Work Christmas party ideas
• Work Christmas party planning guide
• Office Christmas party games
• Leaving card messages for a colleague
• Work colleague leaving gift ideas
• Office party ideas
• Work party games
• Christening party ideas
• Communion quiz questions
• Naming ceremony themes
• Religious milestones hub
• Congratulations messages
• Congratulations on your promotion
• Work anniversary messages
• Thank you messages for your boss
• New job card messages
• New job gift ideas
• New job cards
• Promotion cards
• Secret Santa gift ideas
• Secret Santa rules
• Buy party supplies
• Bunting & banners
• Table confetti
• Cake toppers
• Pin badges
• Retirement cards
• Christmas cards
• Celebration ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas

Frequently asked questions

What are good office party themes?

Free ones work best at work: Christmas jumpers, worst festive socks, a single colour, a decades theme or desk decorating. If a theme costs money to follow, a good chunk of the team will quietly opt out.

How do you decorate an office for a party?

Decorate one surface properly. A banner behind the food table, balloons in threes at the corners, confetti down the middle, fairy lights along one shelf, and half the overhead lights off. That's ten minutes.

Can you put decorations up in a rented office?

Usually yes, with removable putty or washi tape and nothing on fire doors, sprinklers or alarms. Send facilities one email before you buy anything and agree a takedown time up front.

What decorations should you avoid at work?

Glitter on carpet, confetti cannons indoors, anything blocking a fire exit, balloon arches that take an hour to build, and anything someone else has to clear up on Monday morning.