With Christmas party season fast approaching, here's how to make your festive event genuinely memorable — from photo booths to retro gaming lounges and everything in between.
It's that time of year. Venues are filling up, budgets are being signed off, and event managers across the UK are quietly panicking about how to make this year's Christmas party better than last year's.
The bar has never been higher. Employees have attended enough forgettable buffet-and-quiz nights to know the difference between an event that's been genuinely thought about and one that's been booked out of obligation. Here's how to get it right.
Why Christmas Parties Need Entertainment, Not Just a Venue
A beautiful room and decent food are table stakes. What people actually remember — what they talk about at their desks in January — is how the evening made them feel. Did they laugh? Did they bond with a colleague they'd never properly spoken to? Did something genuinely surprising happen?
That's where entertainment comes in. The right activities create those organic, unscripted moments that no amount of decorations or canapés can manufacture.
The 360° Photo Booth: Still the Crowd Pleaser
There's a reason 360 spin booths keep appearing at Christmas events — they work. Guests step onto the platform, a slow-motion video sweeps around them, and they leave with a shareable clip that carries your branding. At a Christmas party, it captures the energy of the evening, the fancy outfits, the slightly questionable dance moves.
Pair it with a custom Christmas-themed template and a prop box of festive accessories, and you've got an activity that draws people in all evening — not just for ten minutes before dinner.
Retro Gaming Lounges: Nostalgia Does the Work
Original arcade cabinets and restored console setups are brilliant for Christmas parties because they appeal across age groups. A 60-year-old senior partner and a 24-year-old graduate are equally matched on Pac-Man. That shared ground is surprisingly valuable at work events where hierarchies can sometimes make people stiff.
Set up a seasonal high-score leaderboard — maybe with a prize attached — and you've got gentle competition running all evening that keeps energy up without forcing anyone to dance.
Garden Games Moved Indoors
Surprised to see garden games mentioned for a Christmas party? Don't be. Giant Jenga, Connect Four, and boules translate perfectly to indoor spaces. They're tactile, social, and accessible — no instructions needed, no awkward explaining. Guests gravitate towards them naturally during the drinks reception or between courses, and they fill the dead time that usually sees people retreating to their phones.
For venues with a large lobby, pre-function space, or mezzanine, a well-curated selection of lawn games transforms an underused area into a buzzing activity zone.
Casino Tables: Elevated Grown-Up Fun
Casino tables — roulette, blackjack, poker — strike a particular tone that suits upscale Christmas parties beautifully. They're glamorous without being exclusive, competitive without being intense, and they create natural groups of six to eight people who end up chatting for far longer than they intended.
No real money changes hands, but a leaderboard prize at the end gives the evening a satisfying narrative arc. Who walked away with the most chips? Cue the speech.
Planning Your Christmas Entertainment Package
A few practical points to keep in mind:
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