Diversity Month is your team’s chance to shine brighter, together.
It’s a chance to honour different backgrounds and bring people closer through creativity, culture, and connection.
These 14 team activities will help you mark the month in style: fun, thoughtful, and full of heart.
Let’s get started!
What is Diversity Month, and why is it so important?
Diversity Month is the perfect time of year to recognise, embrace and celebrate team members from different backgrounds. It gives a chance to deepen connections in diverse teams, and learn more about each person’s culture and identity; who they really are.
In the U.S., Diversity Month is officially celebrated in April, while the global version typically takes place in October. While they’re on different days, the message remains the same: diversity makes teams stronger, smarter, and more connected.
Marking this occasion in the office can kickstart important conversations and create a stronger sense of belonging in teams. It doesn’t need to be complicated either. Just a few meaningful activities can go a long way in showing your team that every voice matters.
14 of the best celebrations for diversity month
So here are 15 of the best activities to celebrate diversity month in style. Try these fun, practical DEI activities out with your teams this Diversity Month:
1. International food cook-off
Kicking off our list, we must say, nothing brings people together quite like food. You’ve heard the phrase “the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach,” right? Well, win some hearts over with an international cook-off to remember.
Encourage every person to cook a dish that is relevant to their culture, reminds them of their childhood, or is a recipe handed down to them. Have each person label their dish with its name, country of origin, and maybe a fun fact about what’s in it. It’s a lovely way to create meaningful moments, leading to great conversations around heritage, family traditions, and favorite flavors. This is a heart-warming (and belly-warming) way to build culture in the office, one dish at a time. Bon appétit!
2. A day out at a cultural art exhibit
It can be a very powerful experience when you stand in front of art that tells a different story from your own. Visiting a cultural art exhibit is a fantastic way to help your team explore perspectives they might not encounter every day. Take a moment to check out local exhibitions that showcase photography, sculpture, textiles, or traditional crafts.
Make a day of it: plan the visit, give people time to wander, and follow it up with a casual discussion over coffee. This kind of excursion can start chats about everyone’s shared values and inclusivity. An artistic day out can work great as one of your company’s diversity program ideas. Try it out in the next diversity month celebration!
3. Build a world-music playlist
Let your office playlist do the travelling for you. Invite everyone on the team to contribute songs from their own background, language, or just something that reminds them of home. From Afrobeats to K-pop, samba to sitar instrumentals, celebrating diverse musical influences is a connection-building activity that makes everyone feel seen (and especially, heard).
Once built, you can play the playlist during lunch breaks and team huddles. You could even ask contributors to share a short note about what their song means to them. It’s an easy, low-effort way to champion everyday inclusion and start spontaneous conversations.
4. Raise money for a minority-owned business
Supporting diversity goes beyond words, it needs action! Organize a fundraising event or donation drive in support of a local minority-owned business or charity. It could be as simple as a bake sale or as elaborate as a community raffle or talent show. Even better? Invite a rep from the business to speak at your office or join virtually to share their story.
It’s a great way to give back while shining a spotlight on entrepreneurial talent from underrepresented communities. You could even look for minority-owned businesses during Black History Month. The way we see it, that’s a win-win for both your company and the broader community around you. Make the most of it!
5. International book club
Celebrate Diversity Month by starting a book club that explores stories from around the world. Choose novels, memoirs, or non-fiction written by authors from different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Here are a few ideas to start:
- "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan – A moving look at Chinese-American identity, family, and intergenerational stories.
- "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi – An epic novel tracing two half-sisters and their descendants through Ghanaian and African American history.
- "Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah – A hilarious and powerful memoir about growing up in apartheid South Africa.
You can swap titles monthly or let the team vote on what to read next. This is a great way to broaden horizons while reading something new, so everyone is engaged and involved.
6. Build a diversity calendar
Help your team stay aware and inclusive year-round by building a shared diversity calendar. Highlight cultural holidays, heritage months, international observances, and religious celebrations from around the globe. You might include Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, Pride Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and more.
Encourage your team to contribute dates that are meaningful to them personally. This is a simple but powerful way to recognize the richness of different backgrounds. Once the calendar is set, you can use it to plan events or just raise awareness in a respectful and celebratory way.
7. Diversity-focused mentorship
Mentorship can be one of the most impactful ways to support underrepresented employees. Set up a mentorship programme that pairs team members across different departments, seniority levels, or cultural backgrounds, with a focus on championing diversity and inclusion.
These kinds of programs help build empathy, challenge assumptions, and create more equitable pathways to leadership. If possible, provide mentors with guidance on how to have inclusive, supportive conversations. Incorporate these into your DEI activities in the workplace, and your team will be over the moon!
8. Inclusive language training
Language shapes culture, and when it comes to diversity, what we say matters. Run an inclusive language training session to help your team spot everyday phrases, habits, or assumptions that might unintentionally exclude others.
The point isn’t just to be overly formal or walk on eggshells. Inclusive language training helps to make the workplace a more thoughtful, respectful space. The session could include real-world examples, group discussions, and even a light quiz to keep things engaging. Use this training as the groundwork for creating an atmosphere where everyone, from any background, can share their thoughts.
9. Step into the countryside together
Swap your usual office backdrop for a day in the great outdoors. A countryside walk or nature hike gives your team a breather from their screens and opens space for meaningful conversations, especially around cultural identity, belonging, and personal experiences.
Nature has a way of making us all feel more relaxed. Without desks or screens between you, people find it easier to share stories and connect on a more human level. You could even tie the walk to a theme, like personal heritage, and encourage light, reflective prompts during the journey. This is fantastic for culture building in your diverse teams and it gives everyone’s mind a break from the office setting.
10. Personality tests (know thyself!)
While personality tests might seem like a quirky office icebreaker, they can also spark serious reflection. Tools like the Enneagram, DISC, or even the classic MBTI help people understand their strengths, communication styles, and how they relate to others. This is great for diverse teams.
Run a session where everyone takes a short personality test, then host a relaxed group discussion to explore what the results say. Make sure no one feels boxed into one personality type, because we all have different things that make us tick. Celebrate the diversity of your results. It’s actually a fantastic tool for intercultural communication in the office, as people can express themselves in ways that don’t use words.
11. A day of artistic expression
Sometimes the best way to explore diversity is to let creativity do the talking. Set aside a day for artistic expression, where team members can paint, sketch, sculpt, or collage something that represents a piece of their identity, heritage, or worldview.
You don’t need a studio or fancy supplies, just give people time, space, and a few materials. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s expression. At the end, host a casual art walk where people can share what they’ve created (if they feel comfortable). You’ll be surprised how powerful this can be.
12. Word association clouds
Here’s a simple but surprisingly insightful activity: ask your team to create word association clouds around diversity-related themes. Start with a few open starters, like “inclusion,” “culture,” or “belonging”, and have everyone jot down the first words or phrases that come to mind.
Once the words are collected, display them in cloud form using online tools or posters in your office. The best part comes in the discussion after: what stood out? What patterns appeared? Where did people’s associations differ? This activity opens up meaningful dialogue and helps highlight how varied our perceptions can be. It’s a creative way to explore shared language and challenge assumptions. It’s also great for photos and creating visuals you can share in the group channels afterward.
13. Invite guest speakers
Nothing generates diverse understanding quite like hearing someone’s real-life story. Bring in guest speakers from diverse backgrounds to share their lived experiences with your team. They might speak about overcoming barriers in the workplace or what inclusion means to them on a personal level.
These talks can be powerful, perspective-shifting moments that encourage empathy and challenge assumptions. You could even tie the speaker’s theme to a monthly initiative or company value, making it part of a broader diversity program.
Make it interactive by allowing space for questions or a short group discussion afterwards. You’ll be surprised how quickly one person’s story can spark a ripple effect of reflection, awareness, and more inclusive thinking across your entire team.
14. Use a “quote of the day”
Sometimes, just a few powerful words can make a big impact. Start each day of Diversity Month with a quote that highlights inclusion, equity, or cultural understanding. Here are some of our favorites to get you started:
- “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” ― Verna Myers
- “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” ― Maya Angelou
- “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” ― Stephen R. Covey
- “Our differences are not liabilities—they’re superpowers.” ― Elaine Welteroth
- “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry.” ― Maya Angelou
- “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
- “Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.” ― Jesse Jackson
Celebrate your team’s diversity - offsite!
Diversity Month is the perfect reminder that every culture, background and perspective has a place in your team. So why not take it one step further?
A Surf Office retreat is a fantastic way to erase cultural barriers and create shared memories that build real connections. Whether you plan it for April or later in the year, an off-site retreat gives your team the space to bond beyond day-to-day tasks (and have a seriously great time while doing so!).
Here’s what we offer:
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- Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
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- On-site support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅
Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.
Make diversity month the perfect time to connect teams like never before. Spaces fill up quickly, so get in touch with us today!
