40 fun virtual holiday party ideas and team building activities

Can you and your team escape the Arctic in this holiday-themed virtual escape room adventure? We hope so. The premise here is that your group has booked a Groupon (other discount platforms are available) to the North Pole, but your plane crash lands! From here, you must figure out how to get to your destination with what you can grab from the wreckage. The group will split into smaller teams in breakout rooms, and has just one hour to work with the clues provided before, we assume, you freeze to death like Jack Nicholson at the end of ‘The Shining’.

Can't decide what kinds of games your team would prefer to play this holiday season? Or are they just a capricious bunch who can't agree on anything? (We can see why you might want to do a bit of team bonding.) The good news is that this virtual holiday minigame showdown is perfect. It’s a fast-paced team building session that includes one round each of trivia, speed typing, Feud Frenzy, and a mini escape room. These holiday-themed mini-games are perfect for helping diverse teams come together and celebrate the season. Get ready to show your holiday knowledge! And win. Always go for the win.

Does your team hit the club for karaoke after work on Fridays? Actually, are they even in the office on a Friday? Either way, letting them belt out their best Mariah Carey and Elvis at this virtual trivia event is guaranteed to have them serenading you with what a great boss you are. Play four rounds of trivia (all based on holiday bangers) and get in the holiday spirit as you sing along to classic and contemporary Christmas favorites. Plus, since this is a trivia event, even your team members who aren’t holiday crooners will get to enjoy the event. Well, that’s the plan.

This digital twist on the classic game show will challenge your team and get everyone in the holiday mood. Small teams will answer survey-based questions as quickly as humanly possible, with your fine staff needing to think on their feet as they attempt to prove that they know what’s what when it comes to all things festive. And you? Well, you can kick back and watch the action because this activity comes with a guide, who will explain how to play and ensure everyone gets a turn through four fun-packed rounds.

Ready to give your team a chance to show their creativity? With this brick-building team challenge, they’ll get to test the tensile strength of Lego bricks in every formation imaginable. Before the big event, participants will receive a package with more than 200 Lego bricks, which the group will use to complete a collection of noodle-scratching brick-building challenges. Some will be collaborative among smaller groups, some will test the mettle of individuals. All will be fun. So what to expect? Well, we’re talking things like building animals, creating Lego self-portraits, or a quest to find out who can build the largest – stable! – structure. Ready, set, build!

Who doesn't love a good murder mystery? Put your team's detective abilities to the test with this murder mystery-themed virtual escape room. Because someone's been killed. Yep, someone’s murdered the star quarterback – at the high school class reunion! Can you believe it? Your group will break into smaller teams to figure out who done it, by solving riddles, puzzles, and challenges to get clues to solve the case and free their team. This fun activity will challenge your team members to work together and flex their logic and reasoning skills. And, you know, get justice.

Ready for a nostalgic trip back to the time of Nickelodeon, Blockbuster, and dial-up modems? We thought so. Groups will work together to solve puzzles, answer trivia questions, and perform challenges all based on their knowledge of the 1990s. In this very fun race against time, your team will need to work together and put their collective memories of the ‘90s to the test in order to succeed. Even team members who weren’t around in the 90s will be able to enjoy this challenging and brain-testing escape room adventure. But they will also laugh at how old the rest of us are, so just be ready for that. 

Your team will enjoy this fast-paced, raucous, multimedia, virtual version of everyone’s favorite ball-drawing, number-based game of chance and loud shouts. This game blends classic bingo rules with a wide range of fun minigame challenges that will keep your team on their toes and their pen at the ready. Tick off boxes in categories like song identification, name-that-quote, know-that-famous-slogan, finish-the-joke, and other hyphenated challenges. This is an hour of fun for any group and is a great way to celebrate the end of the year with a light-hearted, merry celebration.

A virtual pizza party is a great way to celebrate the holidays, especially when your group makes the pizza. And eats the pizza. Because who doesn't love pizza? Learn to make your pies from scratch in this virtual team-building experience. Under the direction of a professional chef and pizza expert (or pizzaiolo), the group will learn to make and roll out pizza dough, choose and add toppings, bake the pizza in your home oven, and then eat their pizzas together. Pizza ingredients including extra virgin olive oil, a can of tomatoes, flour, a packet of yeast, and a head of garlic will be sent to each participant before the event. Common baking supplies like bowls, spoons, knives, and a cookie sheet need to be supplied by the attendees.

Warm, fluffy New York pretzels are a winter staple, and this virtual pretzel-making class is a great team bonding experience. A professional chef will show your group how to mix up and shape the dough, bake the pretzels, and add their favorite toppings. At the end of the event, the group will eat their homemade treats together, with everyone keeping an eye out for those grimacing at the taste because they were simply incapable of following the guidance. There’s always one. Participants will get a pre-event kit with yeast, flour, cornmeal, sea salt, and baking soda. If gluten-free options are needed, contact the event organization team for recommendations on the best gluten-free flour to use. Loads available.

If members of your team enjoy a nice bottle of wine, this virtual wine-tasting workshop will give them the opportunity to learn more about wine – and wine tasting – from a wine expert. Learn to sample wine like a real sommelier and get to know the kind of lingo that will impress your guests at your next holiday party. The group will receive three bottles of wine before the event, including a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, a Rosé from Spain, and a Pinot Noir from California. A Brut Prosecco from Italy is also available, should you want some bubbles. The instructor will lead a discussion of varieties, wine history, tasting tips, and other wine appreciation ideas. Cheers!

Give your team a deliciously indulgent holiday experience with this virtual chocolate-tasting workshop. A professional chef and chocolatier (how do you get that job, seriously?) will lead your group through the history of chocolate while the group enjoys three different bars of specialty chocolate from around the world. Participants will learn the science behind chocolate making and what makes different kinds of chocolates unique. Plus, of course, you’ll get to enjoy some rich, decadent chocolate, making this a wonderful event even for those teams not big into food science. The chocolate and a package of palate-cleansing crackers will be sent to participants before the event. And if you can't be trusted? Give them to a friend to look after before the big event. 

You know what your home needs this holiday season? Even more festive cheer. And we've got just the thing because this virtual hot cocoa candle-making workshop will fill the air with the stuff. Literally. It's a fun and easy holiday team-building activity that gets the group working together to create scent-sational (fnar fnar) candles to burn or give as gifts. The smell of rich chocolate cocoa will be a constant reminder of the magic of the holiday season, and you’ll be able to replicate the process again and again, ensuring that you can always have a festive seasonal candle on hand to gift or enjoy. A kit containing glassware, wax, dye, scent, and other accessories will be sent to participants before the event.

Take a cookie break like no other with this brilliant Christmas cooking decorating workshop. Your team will have a great time learning cookie-decorating techniques from a professional pastry chef, keen to impart their cookie-decorating expertise unto your mind. Participants will receive a box of materials, including 15 fresh-baked sugar cookies, four bags of frosting in different colors, and four containers of sprinkles and jimmies for decorating. Learn techniques like icing, flooding, and writing to create decorated cookies to use as ornaments, give as gifts, or simply enjoy eating.

Who wouldn't want to learn how to make delicious chocolate truffles this holiday season? This is a great way for teams to bond while practicing the art of the chocolatier – which is quite the art, by the way. Start with a chocolate ganache and then roll the truffles. As the candies chill, an expert in this kind of thing will help participants choose and prepare coatings before getting on to those delicious final touches. Materials will be provided for making honey fig truffles, oreo coconut truffles, and cinnamon coconut truffles, including dried figs, honey, organic unsweetened cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, semisweet chocolate shavings, coconut milk, Oreo crumbs, sprinkles, cup liners, gloves, and a spatula. Tasty.

We like this one a lot. Why? Well, mochi are one of our favorite decent discoveries and to be able to make them ourselves would really be quite something. A professional chef will lead the team in making mochi dough and wrapping ice cream to create homemade mochi together. And again, you don’t really need to do a lot, because in advance of the class, participants will get a box with a dough cutter, ice cream molds, matcha and cocoa powders, potato starch, sweet rice flour, and an e-gift card to buy ice cream.

Schedule a fun holiday team building activity for your group to decorate some beautiful gingerbread cookies. A professional pastry chef and cookie baker will lead this workshop, showcasing their culinary mastery and teaching your crew how to make this firm holiday tradition. Participants will learn techniques like icing, flooding and writing, and then decorate the cookies with sprinkles. Attendees will receive a shipment with 15 freshly baked gingerbread cookies, piping bags with icing, and decorations to use at the event. 

There aren’t many better ways to bring your team together than this dreamy combo of booze and painting. Team members will each get a bottle of wine and a kit with acrylic paints to follow along with the group, with the vino hopefully acting as lubricant for their creativity. You can choose from a collection of painting subjects, or submit your own for the group. An experienced art instructor will lead the group through the painting process as everyone creates their artistic masterpieces and sips their wine. And don’t worry, this paint and sip session is designed for novice painters, so even if you’ve never held a brush, you’re in good shape.

Need a pretty wreath for your front door? Help is at hand, friend. You and your team will learn to make and decorate this enduring symbol of the holidays, safe in the knowledge that working on a creative project like this is a great way to bond. And the best bit? After the workshop, participants will have a lovely wreath to hang wherever they damn well please. Or give it away, as an inexpensive but very thoughtful Christmas gift. The instructor will share tips on creating a long-lasting wreath, and then lead the group in decorating a grapevine wreath with the materials provided in the kit, including a 12-inch wreath base, greens, leaves, branches, flowers, pine cones, wire, and twine. Participants will need to provide scissors.

Few activities ring in the holiday season quite like decorating the home, whether it is a tree, a stocking, a door, or something unintelligible the kids have brought home from school. In this creative and artistic team event, your team members will learn to make beautiful papier-mâché holiday ornaments that will wow neighbors, friends, family, and anyone else you deign worthy of your work. Team members will receive a crafting kit with everything they need, including ornament balls, colored tissue paper, glue, sequins, glitter, cording, paint, a brush, and beads. 

You’re going to have to wear one, so why not totally own it? Here’s your chance to create the Christmas sweater of your nightmares. Let the glitter fly as participants design their own sweaters while listening to holiday music and answering holiday trivia questions. They’ll get to model their creations at the end of the even, and if you want to give prizes for the best, or worst, then we’re definitely all for that. Attendees will receive a kit containing a red sweater, fabric glue, stencils, assorted craft materials like felt and pom poms, googly eyes, glitter glue and beads. Make it bad, people, make it bad.

Sure, edible houses are great and all but once they’re gone, they’re gone. So what’s the solution? Yep, you guessed it: making one out of actual wood. You can’t eat it, but it’ll sure last longer. Your team will come together to craft a decorated gingerbread house out of wood – one that will pass the test of time itself. Each team member will get a kit containing a 14-piece wooden gingerbread house, glue, paint, glitter, a paintbrush, pom poms, foam stickers, 3-D paint, and an easy-to-follow instruction sheet. The instructor will keep the festivities moving and everyone can show off their house at the end. 

Bring out your very best Bob Ross with this virtual holiday watercolor workshop. With the help of an experienced art instructor (sadly not Bob Ross), your team will explore different painting techniques to create a unique and beautiful work of art. You can select a subject from an expansive catalog or submit one of your own for the group to paint (perhaps a holiday-themed landscape, or a picture of the boss...?). Participants will get a kit with watercolor paints, premium-grade watercolor paper, and a variety of watercolor brushes, meaning that everyone can participate and team members of all skill levels can start to learn this relaxing skill.

The holidays are a time for giving thanks and coming together (awwww) and if you can’t do that physically, a personalized holiday card is one way to show you care. It sure beats buying something mass-produced, right? In this workshop, your group will enjoy learning to make their own holiday cards to send to friends and loved ones. It’s led by a professional art instructor who will show your group how to create collages and turn them into greeting cards. Participants will use materials from a kit including ten blank cards with envelopes and various embellishments like foiled paper, tags, buttons, stick-on gems, ribbon, and foam shapes.

Doodling and cartooning are great stress relievers. (Have you ever seen a stressed cartoonist?) If you want to get in on some of that action – and you’re looking for an easy and accessible team event – you can sign your team up for this fun and relaxing workshop. This beginner-level drawing class will take your team from stick figures to faces, and participants will be working on a personal cartooning style by the end of the workshop. The event can even be customized for holiday-themed drawing. Participants need to supply their own pens, pencils, and paper for the class.

When it's Halloween it's time for things that go bump in the night. Or whenever, really. And with this scavenger hunt your team will have a wild and spooky time, combining some of the most popular games with ghoulish fun. A scavenger hunt round requires participants to find Halloween-related objects around the house or complete a task within a time limit. Woe betide anyone who comes back empty-handed... The trivia round quizzes the group on Halloween topics like candy, scary movies, or classic movie monsters. And the wild card round? It’s a secret, but guaranteed to be fun.

Of course, escape rooms are a great way for a team to bond, but when there’s even more peril? Even better. This spooky Halloween escape room will make your team feel like the gang from Scooby Doo. In this thrilling game, the group must solve puzzles and gather clues to figure out who stole the Crimson Crystal at Madame Grim's monster ball. That’s the only way to escape and save Halloween. Participants will need to keep their wits about them as they attempt to navigate the virtual escape room and succeed before the monsters and ghouls find them.

Enjoy time together and create some beautiful Halloween cookies in this popular team building event. This seasonal activity blends creativity with food and gives everyone the chance to make their own, delicious cookies and get into the spirit of Halloween. Participants will receive a box of materials, including 15 freshly baked sugar cookies, four bags of colored icing, and four containers of colored cookie decorations to create their own unique Holiday treats. Show your creations to your teammates and enjoy your treats together.

Ever wanted to learn to make Halloween-themed cocktails? This spooky and delicious team building event is going to be right up your street. A professional mixologist will teach your team how to make three spooky potions, including a Ghoul's Night Out, The Night Crawler, and an Apple Bobbins. A cocktail kit with alcohol, syrups, juices, and garnishes will be sent to participants before the event. For those interested in enjoying the holiday spirit without the spirits, mocktail options are available upon request.

Give your team a break with this virtual Thanksgiving party. This seasonal event combines a round of trivia with a scavenger hunt, plus a wild card round for some additional holiday fun. You and your team will test their knowledge of Thanksgiving traditions and history, and they’ll have a chance to show off their creative skills in fun scavenger hunt challenges. If you are looking for a light-hearted way to celebrate Thanksgiving with your team, these fun games are a perfect solution.

Relax amid the holiday whirl and create some decorated Thanksgiving cookies with your team. Materials will be sent to participants before the session, including 15 freshly baked sugar cookies, four bags of icing in fall colors, and four containers of Thanksgiving-themed cookie decorations. This low-stress holiday activity is a perfect blend of art, creativity and dessert and it is sure to be a hit amongst your team members. Plus, once it is done, you’ll be in a giving mood and you’ll be able to share your creations with friends and family! Win, win.

It's not Thanksgiving without an apple pie (or maybe an Apple Pie Martini?!). In this team-building event, a professional pastry chef will lead your group through the best way to bake an apple pie – with an option to create an Apple Pie Martini. We know what we're going for. These festive holiday treats will be perfect for your next Thanksgiving get-together. Gather your materials and then bake and sip together. 

Virtual team building events aren’t just for the holidays, they are a great way to help bring your team together regardless of the season. Working apart can be straining on teams and an online team building activity is a great way to make your team members feel like they are part of something bigger. These events range from fun game nights to practical cooking classes to mixology workshops and so much more. No matter what time of year it is, it is the right time to start thinking about planning the right virtual team building event for your team.

After exploring some of the best options for virtual holiday parties, the next (and most daunting) step is to actually choose one. With such a wide range of choices, this can feel like a pretty challenging task for an employer. Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to narrow down your choices to ensure you select something that everyone will be pleased with. Start by identifying your primary goals for the holiday event, whether it’s strengthening communication and encouraging collaboration or you simply want to reduce stress and have fun. You’ll then want to determine some logistical details to accommodate your team’s preferences while being mindful of essential factors like budget and schedule. Luckily, no matter which activity you choose, your employees will surely enjoy a festive event full of laughter and new memories.

When it comes to selecting a group holiday activity, you can always ease the burden on yourself by requesting input from everyone on your team. Conducting a simple, anonymous survey will often elicit helpful information about people’s preferences that can quickly steer you in a positive direction. This is also likely to promote additional excitement about the event since employees will know that their opinion was valued throughout the process. Regardless of what type of event you’re planning, there are several additional factors you’ll want to consider to ensure you’ve made a careful and thoughtful decision:

What is the goal of your holiday party?

The overall purpose of your event will strongly influence your final decision. A group looking to collaborate or break the ice will likely choose a different event than a group that wants to unwind after a major deadline or a stressful year. Luckily, there are several categories of holiday events to choose from. These events range from quiet and relaxing to highly competitive and engaging, and each type will cater to different groups looking to accomplish different things. 

For example, a virtual escape room would be an excellent option for teams looking to strengthen their communication and collaboration. There is no need to be competitive in an escape room because everyone is working towards a common goal. Escape rooms give each team member opportunities to shine because they often contain multiple puzzles and require people to work on solving different clues simultaneously if they want to beat the clock. An escape room also allows for a lot of supportive communication between teammates since it’s highly likely that people will need to rely on one another if they want to win the game.

Other virtual team building games like trivia, bingo, and Feud Frenzy are highly engaging because they encourage a healthy dose of good-natured competition between colleagues. In these events, everyone will be divided into smaller groups and be encouraged to think quickly and work together to ensure victory for their team. Since everyone loves to win, these events are likely to keep everyone actively participating for the whole time. These activities are also a great way to improve working relationships because they allow everyone to show off their strengths. They’re also a popular choice for teams that need to blow off some steam and want to enter the new year feeling invigorated and excited about their colleagues.

There are also plenty of virtual cooking classes that are perfect for the holidays since, regardless of culture, this time of year revolves around sharing delicious food with loved ones. These activities encourage lighthearted conversation and supportive collaboration as colleagues bond over shared experiences and teach each other new skills. There are plenty of cooking classes that teach participants to make classic holiday recipes, like a cookie decorating workshop, making the event even more cheerful and festive. A group cooking class also allows colleagues to strengthen their relationships by learning more about each other outside of work. Cooking often encourages conversations about culture and favorite childhood memories, making it likely that coworkers will build stronger bonds and find out they have much in common. There are also several virtual mixology classes that would work well for a holiday party, and many of them include mocktail recipes to ensure everyone can join in the fun. Ultimately, a group cooking class is a unique and exciting way to allow teammates to relax and have fun at the end of the year. 

A virtual arts and class workshop is an ideal holiday event for teams that want to keep things low-key and unwind after working hard to complete a particular project or meet a challenging goal. Activities like building your own terrarium or crafting a gingerbread house allow team members to relax and express their creativity while enjoying a much-needed break from their daily work routines. Creating a craft by hand can also provide an enormous sense of accomplishment as people watch a project come together before their eyes. These classes also encourage collaboration and communication in a relaxed environment, allowing teammates to connect on a more personal level. All of these factors can lead to a more cohesive and supportive workplace and help rejuvenate your teammates before getting ready for another busy and successful year.

Budget

Understandably, cost is one of most people’s chief concerns when organizing a group event like this. Luckily, virtual events are often budget-friendly because they don’t require companies to spend money on additional things like drinks, food, venues, and entertainment, making them an especially good choice for smaller groups or those with a more limited budget. Many of the activities listed above cost $400 for the first 15 people and $15 for each additional person. Unless otherwise listed, these events can typically accommodate up to 200 people, so businesses with a larger staff can still likely find something they’ll be happy with. 

Some of these events that require special supplies may have a different pricing structure. For example, the Virtual White Elephant Gift Experience offers a few pricing options depending on the types of gifts you’d like team members to receive. There are also some events that allow groups to customize their event for an additional $200 for the group. However, some current estimates state you should anticipate spending as much as $300 per employee on an office holiday party. Any way you slice it, these virtual holiday activities won’t cost nearly that amount.

Reading reviews

Before finalizing your decision, one last step you can take is to read reviews of the event you plan to book. These reviews are often full of helpful information you can’t find anywhere else and can help you feel more confident in your decision. You can use these to learn more about the structure of the event and how well the instructor did at keeping participants excited and engaged throughout the activity. Reviewers also typically share information about whether they were satisfied with the quality of the materials provided and how well the activity helped the group meet their team building objectives.

With professional teams continuing to embrace the remote work lifestyle, virtual gatherings are only going to become more common. Luckily, there are plenty of advantages to allowing your team to convene remotely, and a virtual event can be just as festive and cheerful as an in-person one. A virtual event is inherently more inclusive and accessible than an in-person one, allowing companies with remote workforces to build strong relationships regardless of their physical locations. 

Virtual activities also often boast higher turnouts because people can attend from anywhere without worrying about traveling, finding accommodations, or other logistical roadblocks. It also bears repeating that these events are especially budget-friendly for larger groups since they don’t have to worry about renting ample space for everyone. Virtual events are also scalable and can host groups of hundreds of employees. Allowing your group to participate in a virtual holiday activity also means you’ll have a broader range of options to choose from since you won’t be limited to what’s available nearby.