Work party ideas for every office occasion

Work parties go wrong in predictable ways: booked too late, priced so half the team quietly doesn't come, and built around drinking so anyone who doesn't drink stands about holding a glass of orange juice. All of that is fixable in the planning, not on the night.

This hub links to a full guide for every kind of work do - the Christmas party, the games that actually work in an office, what to write on the invite, themes and decorations, leaving dos and office birthdays. Every one is written for UK budgets, venues and office politics.

Start with the occasion you're organising. If you only need the card or the Secret Santa rules, the links at the bottom go straight there.

The Christmas do

• Work Christmas party ideas: 40+ ideas from a £5-a-head office afternoon to a full venue night.
• The planning guide: when to book, what it costs per head, and the etiquette nobody writes down.
• Office Christmas party games that work in a room with a photocopier in it.
• Secret Santa with a £10 cap, clear rules and a reveal round.
• Christmas cards for the team, signed at a desk rather than posted late.

Games, entertainment and icebreakers

• Work party games for teams of six to sixty.
• A quiz of eight rounds, mixed teams, 45 minutes maximum.
• Desk-based games that need nothing but paper and a prize.
• Team building ideas, for when the party is meant to do a job.
• Prizes matter more than the game - a badge beats a certificate.

Invites, themes and decorations

• Work party invite wording, with templates you can paste into an email.
• Always put a finish time and the cost on the invitation.
• Office party themes and decorations: one banner, one table, done in ten minutes.
• Dress codes only work when they're free to follow.
• Say what the food is, so people with allergies aren't guessing.

Leaving dos and office birthdays

• Leaving do ideas: the send-off, the speech, the card and the collection.
• Leaving card messages for a colleague you know well - and one you barely do.
• Work colleague leaving gift ideas under £20 and under £50.
• Office birthday ideas: cake, a card round and ten minutes away from the desk.
• Work anniversaries, marked in front of the team rather than by email.

Costs per head in the UK

• In-office afternoon: £5 to £15 a head.
• Restaurant set menu: £25 to £45 a head.
• Shared hotel Christmas party night: £35 to £70 a head.
• Escape room, bowling or crazy golf: £15 to £35 a head.
• Facilitated away day with venue and catering: £60 to £150 a head.
• Leaving collection: £3 to £5 a head is the usual ask, and it should stay optional.

Things that quietly ruin a work party

• Booking it outside work hours and expecting full attendance.
• Asking people to pay on the night without warning them first.
• No non-alcoholic options beyond tap water.
• A venue that isn't step-free.
• Speeches that run past five minutes.
• No finish time, so nobody can book a lift home.

Cards for the office

Christmas cards, leaving cards and thank-yous for the team.

Banners, toppers and confetti

Ten minutes of decorating that covers every photograph.

Pin badges for prizes

Better received than another mug, and they fit in an envelope.

Where to shop next

• Work Christmas party ideas
• Work Christmas party planning guide
• Office Christmas party games
• Office party ideas
• Work party games
• Work party invite wording
• Religious milestones hub
• Christening party ideas
• Communion quiz questions
• Naming ceremony themes
• Office party themes and decorations
• Leaving do ideas
• Office birthday ideas
• Leaving card messages for a colleague
• Work colleague leaving gift ideas
• Team building ideas
• Congratulations messages
• Congratulations on your promotion
• Work anniversary messages
• Thank you messages for your boss
• New job cards
• Promotion cards
• Secret Santa gift ideas
• Secret Santa rules
• How does Secret Santa work?
• Secret Santa gifts under £10
• Funny Secret Santa gifts for work
• Christmas cards
• Retirement cards
• Buy party supplies
• Bunting & banners
• Cake toppers
• Table confetti
• Pin badges
• Celebration ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Gifts to make someone smile
• Thinking of you gifts

Frequently asked questions

What are good work party ideas?

In the office: an afternoon tea, a quiz, a bake-off or a Secret Santa reveal. Booked out: a restaurant set menu, a shared hotel Christmas party night, bowling, crazy golf or an escape room with food after. Each has a full guide linked on this page.

How much does a work party cost per person in the UK?

An in-office afternoon runs £5 to £15 a head, a restaurant set menu £25 to £45, a shared hotel Christmas party night £35 to £70, and an activity like bowling or an escape room £15 to £35 before food.

When should you book a work Christmas party?

Book the venue by the end of September for early December dates - the first two weekends of December go first. If you're leaving it later, mid-week dates and January parties are far easier to get and often cheaper.

What do you write on a work party invitation?

Date, start and finish time, venue with a step-free note, what the food is, what it costs and whether partners are invited. The invite wording guide has templates you can paste straight into an email.

How do you include people who don't drink?

Put proper non-alcoholic options on the order, not just tap water, hold at least part of the event in daylight hours, and pick a venue where there's something to do besides stand at a bar.

What's the etiquette for a leaving do?

Keep the collection optional and anonymous, hold the do in work hours where you can, cap speeches at three minutes, and get the card signed a day early so nobody is caught out. The leaving do guide covers the running order.