Virtual holiday party ideas for remote teams.
An end-of-year party is the one event most remote teams actually want, and the easiest to get wrong: too long, too many games, half the team asleep in another time zone. Here are 20 free games and activities, a 60-minute agenda that works, and how to plan it so people come because they want to.
By Jitto Joseph5 min read
Plan it first
- Pick a time that works for most people. For a team across time zones, the overlap is often an hour. Use a time zone planner, choose the least painful slot, and offer the people stuck in the night slot a second, smaller session.
- Keep it to an hour. Sixty minutes with a clear end gets more people than an open-ended evening. Those who want to stay longer will.
- Make it work time. Hold it during working hours if you can. A party people have to give up an evening for is a party fewer people come to.
- Call it an end-of-year party. Not everyone celebrates the same holidays. An end-of-year party includes everyone and still allows a jumper.
- Send a budget, not a box. If there's money for food or drinks, a per-person allowance travels across countries far better than shipping.
Games
- 1.
Holiday bingo
15 minutes · any size
Cards with things like "someone's pet appears" or "a festive jumper". First to a full line wins. Free generators make the cards.
- 2.
End-of-year trivia
20 minutes · teams of 3 to 5
Questions about the year at work and in the world. Small teams in breakout rooms, one person submits the answers.
- 3.
Scavenger hunt at home
10 minutes · any size
Call out an item ("something red", "the oldest thing in your kitchen") and the first person back on camera with it scores.
- 4.
Guess the baby photo
15 minutes · up to 20
Everyone sends a childhood photo beforehand; the team guesses who's who. Collect them a week ahead.
- 5.
Holiday this or that
5 minutes · any size
"Real tree or artificial?", "Snow or sun?": quick picks, then a few people explain. More in our this or that questions.
- 6.
Two truths and a lie, holiday edition
15 minutes · up to 12
Three statements about past holidays, one untrue. See two truths and a lie ideas.
- 7.
Draw it on the whiteboard
15 minutes · teams of 4 to 8
One person draws a holiday word on a shared whiteboard, the others guess against a timer.
- 8.
Name that tune
10 minutes · any size
Play the first five seconds of a seasonal song; first to type the title wins. Share your screen with sound on.
- 9.
Emoji movie quiz
10 minutes · any size
Post a holiday film in emoji in the chat and let people guess. Easy to run, surprisingly competitive.
- 10.
Year in one photo
15 minutes · up to 15
Everyone shares one photo from their year and says why. Quietly the most memorable part of many parties.
Activities without a winner
- 11.
Team awards
15 minutes · any size
Light-hearted awards voted beforehand: best background, most helpful in a crisis, best typo of the year.
- 12.
Background contest
5 minutes · any size
Everyone decorates the corner behind them, or picks a festive video background; the team votes in the chat.
- 13.
Festive jumper or hat parade
10 minutes · any size
Everyone shows theirs on camera; the team votes in the chat. Optional, and paper hats count.
- 14.
Cook or bake along
45 minutes · up to 12
Send a simple recipe a week ahead and make it together, cameras pointed at the kitchen.
- 15.
Gratitude round
10 minutes · up to 15
Each person thanks one teammate for something specific from the year. Short, and people remember it.
- 16.
Playlist swap
Before the party
Everyone adds one song to a shared playlist that plays in the background of the party.
- 17.
Wishes for next year
10 minutes · any size
One thing each person hopes for next year, at work or not. A good way to end.
Gift exchanges across countries
- 18.
Virtual secret Santa
Set up two weeks ahead
Draw names with our free Secret Santa generator, set a small budget, and give everyone an address-free option such as a digital gift card or an e-book.
- 19.
White elephant, online
30 minutes · up to 15
Everyone buys a digital gift, numbers decide the order, and people can steal a gift already opened. Works best with a host keeping track on screen.
- 20.
Give together instead
No gifts needed
The team chooses a charity and gives the gift budget there. It suits teams spread over many countries.
A 60-minute agenda
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Arrivals, music, everyone says hello |
| 5 to 15 min | Quick game: holiday this or that, or the scavenger hunt |
| 15 to 35 min | Main game: trivia or bingo |
| 35 to 45 min | Team awards or the gratitude round |
| 45 to 55 min | Open time: people drift into small conversations |
| 55 to 60 min | Wishes for next year, then goodbye |
Hosting it in a virtual office
On a video call, everyone sits in one grid and only one person talks at a time, so the open time at the end rarely happens. In a virtual office the team can play the games together in the meeting room and then walk off in small groups to talk, the way people do at a real party.
Decorate the invite rather than the software, keep cameras optional, and give the quieter people a job: running the playlist, keeping the score, judging the awards.