16 Best Office Party Ideas That are(actually) Out of the Box

Attending an office on Monday morning can only be smoothened by office parties. Coming up with some excellent office party ideas is a pain in the ass.

Not only does it have to be fun, but it is also light on the pockets. When someone throws an office party, you have to keep a lot of things in mind. Are people going to have fun? Will people participate? What if I run out of budget?

No, you can’t run away from it. And let’s face it, isn’t a big chunk of employee branding all about office parties?

Be it a holiday gathering or success celebration. Office parties are now a norm (and a headache) for the human resources department.

From deciding on a theme, maintaining the business etiquette, to making employees show up, putting up an office party is an uphill task. Now that you have been assigned the responsibility of throwing a kickass party, the job seems even more daunting! As if the task wasn’t scary enough, you are presented with a budget far less than you wished for.

Here're 15 office party ideas to make your life a tad bit easier

1. The Office Food Party

Let’s start with a simple one, shall we? Any office party will be incomplete without food being one of the stars. In this one, food is the numero uno star. A great way to conduct an office food party is a potluck. Assign each department or members about the type of food they are supposed to bring(or have fun sampling 16 different types of apple pies). Ask a random group of employees to get any item of their choice(for the surprise element)

Spread all the items on a huge table and let everyone sample and vote for the best dishes! Make sure you have a prize ready for the best team or member(duh?). The best part? Since the groups volunteer all the food items, the party barely makes a dent in the pockets. End the night by opening a bottle of champagne, thus making sure everyone leaves happy. And make sure you have ice cream!

You can amp up the excitement by jumping on the holiday spirit wagon and making things more festive.

2. Murder Mystery(Who killed the boss?)

The only thing more fun than food is a thrilling murder mystery. This event is full of surprises and mystery and will leave everyone thrilled. Have a storyline and allocate roles to different employees, with one of them being a murderer.

The murderer aims to remain unspotted until the end of the evening—splatter clues around the office as to who is the real murderer. The greater your creativity greater is the level of involvement of your employees. This event works as a great team-building activity and helps promote communication among your employees.

3. Disco Flashback

One thing that’s synonymous with most corporate parties around the globe is that it’s boring. Yours don’t have to be. Combine great costumes ideas with nostalgia and dive back to the 80s(or any other decade). Everyone should come with the fashion of the period and dance to the appropriate music at that time(let’s face it, everybody likes disco). If you want to take a step further, you can even make food items and beverages period-appropriate.

4. The Dad Bod Party

Sometimes all you want to do is chill, set up a barbeque, and have a beer or two. At this party, this is just what we are going to do. No complication, no extra panning, contact your local butcher, get the finest cut of meat, and get down with the barbeque pit.

And, of course, don’t skimp out on the beer. Everyone loves great food and drinks. Feel free to indulge in guilt-free sin once a while!

5. Be Good Once a While

While volunteering might not be an ideal “party” definition for everyone, but once a while, it’s a nice break to indulge in some community service.

The easiest way is to find a non-profit organization in your vicinity and provide volunteering services. Or visit an orphanage with specific activities and gifts in mind. But we believe that providing training rather than providing food or gifts for orphanages.

6. Puppy’s Day Out

There’s no better way to relax than to play with puppies. Contact a local animal shelter and flood your office with ever so cute puppies. Of course, you need to make sure about any allergies as such. Playing with puppies is a great way to relax and go to the escape room. And let’s face it, you will have an arsenal of Instagram-worthy pictures!

7. Celebrate The Un-Holiday Season

We get it, holiday seasons are the best, but sometimes you need to think outside the office. Celebrate pi day like never before. You can have the party according to the “pi” theme, with a pi bar or pi cake, the options are endless. A few other theme ideas can be an oreo day, sandwich day, etc.

8. Minute to Win It

Let’s face it. Everyone wanted to try out those fun games in a minute to win it. Well, here’s your chance. Organize a “minute to win it” themed company party and witness everyone go wild. The best part? Those games are super fun and easy to organize as most of the games contain household items. Make sure you have proper arrangements for prizes! You don’t want them to label you as a miser, don’t you?

9. The Sitcom Party

One thing nobody hates is sitcoms. And that’s what we are going to do here. There’s no party more fun than your favorite sitcom-themed party. Take notes on how to get details right on decoration, costumes, and food(yes, we need Rachel’s shepherd’s pie). Hitting the right nostalgic notes will not only satisfy your employees but also increase their fondness and loyalty for your organization. Don’t forget the photo booth! Your employee branding campaign will thank you later.

10. The Classic Movie Night

Sometimes post-work parties can get too tiring, both for the organizers and the attendees. Hosting a movie night can be a relatively hassle-free yet perfect event for your next office party. Some things that you might want to keep in mind are choosing the suitable date, the right timing, the right place, and of course, the right movie.

Check beforehand what date and time work for your employees. While choosing the movie, don’t go for a very serious or sad movie. You want people to leave the party on a happy note yet give them something to talk about. An excellent classic Hollywood movie often does the trick.

11. The Holiday Party

Okay, we need to have a few conventional ones on this list. A Holiday season-themed party might be cliched as hell, but it’s warm. Get into the festive season with an office holiday party, hot chocolate, and secret Santas. A holiday party theme creates a special bond among employees, which is not usually replicated in other parties.

12. The Stood Up Guy

Corporate standup comic act is the new buzzing keyword for office parties. Why shouldn’t it be? It’s a great office party idea! Alcohol? Check. Food? Check. Laughter? Double Check. Just one small whammy, the event won’t be very pocket-friendly. Standup artists are known to charge quite a lot of money for their acts. More prominent the name, the higher the rates. But isn’t the happiness of your employees priceless?

13. Are you ready to Gamble?

This one is a favorite among corporates! Come on, who doesn’t like a bit(definitely a bit!) of drunk gambling? Hire blackjack dealers, rent a few slot machines and a roulette table, and you are all set to go! If you want to keep things clean, allot makeshift coins and exclude real money from the table(where is the fun in that?) Whichever option you go for, one thing is for sure, excitement, fun, and entertainment.

14. The Field Trip

Offsite field trip works like a charm in de-stressing your employee. The best part? You don’t have to worry about the office mess. Field trips work like a charm in encouraging employees to communicate and bond. One very appealing aspect of this type of activity is that you can tweak the event according to your budget. An extravagant budget allows you for a daylong trip to the nearby(?) hill station. Short on budget? Don’t worry, a mini picnic at the local park will do just fine.

15. Board Game

Board games are a fun way to turn around any dull day at work into an evening filled with laughter and competitive goodwill. You can have multiple classic board games (Chess, Checkers, Scrabbles) and group people for different games. Since many people will be taking part (most probably), try to avoid games with a massive rulebook. And don’t forget to make a great playlist and arrange some great snacks for the party.

16. The Price is Definitely Right

This one might not be one of the cheapest ways to have fun, but it scores full marks in the fun department! The game is pretty simple!

Design or get about 15-20 cool items. The price of those items can be according to your budget. It can be anywhere from $1 items to $100 items(or even more). Allot every participant’s specific numbers. Pick four numbers from a hat(or a bowl, hey, it’s your office, so your accessories!) Now ask the people with those numbers to guess the price of the first item. The one closest to the accurate price gets to keep the thing!

Sounds fun, right? Small tip: Ensure the items you get are unique and fun and not regularly used.

Office parties are a great way to unwind, but it’s oh so difficult to hit the right notes. We will keep this space updated frequently, so you never run out of fun ideas!

This article is written by Iftekar Ahmed. He works as a Content Creator and Digital Marketer at Vantage Circle. When he is not playing guitar or solving puzzles, he is often seen fussing over foods he can't eat because he is on a perennial dieting spree. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com