Energize Your Party With Interactive Entertainment
From Casino Night to a talent show, these ideas will keep your guests active and amused
(Published in the Chicago Holiday Party Planning Guide) (July 2019)
There is a line of thinking that believes time is a flat circle, meaning everything humanity has done it will do again, ad infinitum.
That vicious cycle does not have to apply to your holiday party though. While others opt to host the same staid party year after year, you can spice up your soiree with interactive activities that will make your guests happy they attended instead of watching True Detective reruns. Here are some activities that will keep your partygoers invested, invigorated and entertained.
Around the World Potluck
Everyone comes from somewhere, and this internationally themed potluck will enable your co-workers to proudly show off the cuisine that makes their culture famous. Encourage attendees to bring a dish from the country their ancestors hail from, and if they want to bring adult beverages along the lines of a regional wine, even better.
A potluck allows guests to display their cooking and baking skills while also giving them ample material to strike up a conversation with their office brethren. Set up food stations and decorate them with flags and paraphernalia that represent each country. Invite attendees to bring swag of their own to give their station a personal feel. Prior to the event, establish a sign-up sheet to ensure everyone knows what dish to bring, lest your heavily Italian office flood the party with copious amounts of lasagna and baked ziti. Which actually sounds pretty great.
Casino Night
Considering sales were down last quarter, your boss might not sign off on chartering the office to Las Vegas, Atlantic City or even Reno. While that’s a bummer, you can still bring the thrill of gambling to your company party with a Casino Night. Set up gambling stations where guests can compete with faux money in games like poker, blackjack, craps and roulette.
The money may be fraudulent but you can offer very real prizes to the night’s big winners including gift cards, event tickets or even iPads or kindles.
Games
While we don’t recommend you incorporate Monopoly into the mix unless you want to watch Adam in editorial brawl with Matt from the loading dock, there are a host of gaming options that can loosen up a crowd. Invite your guests to bring their favorite board games and set aside an area where they can escape the rigors of the dance floor for the thrill of dominating at Connect Four. Not only will games tap into your guests’ competitive nature, they can also be an excellent team-building exercise, which will enthrall your bosses.
Gingerbread House Contest
Few would argue gingerbread houses are delicious, but the effort it takes to construct them can be tedious. That is, unless the creation process takes place at a party in which drinks are served and judges are determining whether that gumdrop bush in the front yard is up to code.
Rather than crafting houses in a stuffy environment, invite your guests to ratchet up the adrenaline and compete in a gingerbread house building contest. Gingerbread house purists know the best way to hold a competition is to provide individuals or teams with plenty of table space and supplies and to allot a set amount of time (roughly a half hour) to create the first portion of the house.
The first half hour should be used to assemble the structure of the house and the second half hour should be used to decorate with whatever flair the competitors desire, be it candy canes, marshmallows or, egad, black licorice. In between those sessions, give the builders a half hour break so they can load up on hors d'oeuvres and work on their blueprints. When the sugary dust has settled, the judges can award the most creative house with a well-deserved prize.
Ornament Decoration
Those hankering to engage in a traditional Christmas activity will appreciate the chance to get crafty by decorating ornaments or building a wreath. Or both, if your office is filled with overachievers.
Set up a festive mood for the participants by playing holiday tunes, mixing a bowl of punch and providing Christmas-themed appetizers. Depending on the size of your budget, you can acquire all of the supplies (glue, glitter, wreath forms, wire, etc.) or you can encourage your guests to bring their own accessories to make their creations stand out.
On the off chance your officemates are creatively impaired, have a variety of ornament or wreath suggestions handy for them to peruse. When the event has concluded and your guests depart, they will have a keepsake that reminds them of how fabulous the holiday party was, and, by extension, how fantastic you are.
Paint a Masterpiece
Masterpiece might be a bit strong given the average person’s artistic ability tends to rival that of prehistoric man. That said, even if your guests’ inner Picassos have never and will never surface, they will still enjoy the prospect of applying paint to a canvas via a fancy brush.
A painting party will allow them to do just that and all you need for such an occurrence is canvases, paint and, of course, smocks. In order to keep the party from unraveling into an artistic free-for-all, give the painters structure in the form of a theme.
After the allotted time has run its course, a panel of judges can decree a victor. The winner’s painting can be given the royal treatment on Monday morning when it is hung in a prominent spot in the office. Is there a bigger thrill than gathering at the water cooler while your painting of a cat riding a minotaur lords over the break room? I say no.
Talent Show
Well, there could be one bigger thrill. While the prospects of painting an award-winning piece de resistance is scintillating, the electricity that comes with grabbing a microphone and belting out an incredible rendition of Girls Just Want to Have Fun might be even more exhilarating.
Which is exactly why you should allow your co-workers to strut their stuff in a talent show. Regardless of whether they have preternatural skills when it comes to yo-yo tricks, stand up comedy or solving a Rubik’s Cube, your co-workers will undoubtedly love to put their talents on display for all to witness, if only for one night.
But what a night it will be.