Work Christmas party ideas

Christmas party ideas for work fall into three brackets: something in the office, something booked out, or something you do instead of a party. The right one depends far less on budget than on whether your team actually likes each other in a nightclub at 11pm.

Below are ideas in all three brackets, with rough UK costs per head so you can price them before you pitch them.

If you've already decided to run one and you need the planning order, etiquette and legal bits, read the work Christmas party planning guide linked at the bottom.

In-office Christmas party ideas (£5-£15 a head)

• Christmas jumper day with a prize for the worst one.
• Secret Santa with a £10 cap and a reveal round.
• Afternoon tea in the boardroom - sandwiches, mince pies, proper coffee.
• Desk decorating competition, judged by whoever's most senior.
• Office bake-off, with a topper on the winning cake.
• Christmas quiz over a long lunch - an hour, teams of four.
• Grotto-style prize draw where everyone wins something small.
• Movie afternoon on the big screen with popcorn and an early finish.
• Wreath-making session with a kit each and a bottle open.
• A breakfast party instead: pastries at nine, nobody has to book a taxi.

Booked-out party ideas (£25-£70 a head)

• Function room above a pub - usually free hire against a bar minimum.
• Shared Christmas party night at a hotel, £35 to £70 a head with a meal and DJ.
• Restaurant set menu, £25 to £45 a head, the safest option for a team of ten.
• Bowling, karting or crazy golf with food after - best for teams who hate standing about.
• Escape room in the afternoon, dinner in the evening.
• Christmas market trip, with a group table booked for later.
• Curling, axe throwing or darts bar - competitive, and nobody stands in a corner.
• Boat or rooftop hire in a city, if the budget genuinely stretches.
• Comedy club night with a pre-show meal.
• Cocktail-making class, which breaks up the group better than a table plan.

Ideas for teams that are remote or spread out

• Regional dinners on the same evening, with a group photo from each.
• Posted party box - a card, a badge and something edible per person.
• Online quiz with prizes posted out the week after.
• Virtual Secret Santa using a delivered-gift-only rule.
• One central meet-up a year, with travel budgeted properly.
• Half-day off in December instead of an evening event.

Instead-of-a-party ideas

• Give the party budget as vouchers and take a long lunch.
• Charity afternoon - pack hampers or volunteer as a team.
• Early finish every Friday in December.
• A January party, which is cheaper and better attended.
• A daytime celebration with families invited.

What a work Christmas party costs per head

• In-office afternoon: £5 to £15 a head including food and decorations.
• Pub function room with a buffet: £15 to £30 a head.
• Restaurant set menu: £25 to £45 a head, more in central London.
• Shared hotel party night: £35 to £70 a head with a meal and DJ.
• Exclusive venue hire with catering and a band: £70 to £150 a head.
• Remember the £150 per head annual exemption before the tax bill lands on someone.

Decorations that make the office look done

• One banner behind the food or drinks table - the highest-value ten minutes you'll spend.
• Table confetti down the middle of the boardroom table.
• A topper on the cake instead of icing nobody has time to pipe.
• Balloons in threes at different heights rather than a full arch.
• Fairy lights on the reception desk, left up for the whole of December.

Shop Christmas cards

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

• Book the venue before you announce the date; December Saturdays go by September.
• Ask about dietary needs when you invite, not on the night.
• Put a finish time on the invitation so people can plan lifts and childcare.
• Budget for non-drinkers properly - a good soft drinks list costs almost nothing.

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 Christmas party ideas for work?

For a small budget: a Christmas jumper day, Secret Santa, a quiz over a long lunch or an office afternoon tea. For a bigger one: a pub function room, a shared hotel party night, or an activity like bowling or an escape room with food afterwards.

How much should a work Christmas party cost per head?

£5 to £15 a head in the office, £15 to £30 for a pub buffet, £25 to £45 for a restaurant set menu and £35 to £70 for a shared hotel party night. Keep the total under £150 a head across the year to stay inside the UK annual event exemption.

What can you do instead of a Christmas party?

A long lunch with the budget given as vouchers, a charity afternoon, early finishes through December, or a January party - cheaper, easier to book and usually better attended.

What time should a work Christmas party start?

Start early - 4pm or 5pm - and put a finish time on the invitation. Daytime and early-evening parties get better attendance from parents and commuters, and cost less in taxis.