It’s that time of year! Ready to enjoy this spooky season? 

If you’re wondering how to embrace all of the fall fun, look no further. Halloween activities or games are the perfect thing to add to your company holiday party. Everything from Halloween bingo to pumpkin decorating can bring groups closer together and foster team spirit - all while building on the spirit of the season. 

Many companies need innovative ideas for team-building activities or company celebrations and an upcoming holiday is the perfect way to incorporate some new fun. If you have been looking for some fresh office party ideas, try incorporating some of our favorite Halloween activities. We’ve broken the activities down by category to make it easy to find the perfect idea for your unique group. Let’s dive into the best Halloween activities for tons of spooky socializing! 

Halloween team-building activities

1. Potion-Making Class

If you have ever tried a mixologist or cooking class, this is similar - but with a twist. A potion-making class is based on the same principles but with festive elements like steam, fog, or using cauldrons instead of pots. You can do research in your town for a host that can help everyone put together beautiful (and tasty) potions. Or, you can research online which ingredients can make a really cool and delicious drink and have supplies ready for everyone. This event may require investing in cooking tools, ingredients, and other supplies, but can be done almost anywhere. Bonus points for having cute Halloween aprons or chef’s hats printed up!

2. Harry Potter Spell Sharing

If you - or anyone in your office (or their kids) -- are huge Harry Potter fans, Halloween is the perfect time to dig into all of the spells that the wizarding world offers. Try picking up a Harry Potter spell book and having everyone memorize one of their favorites. At your office party or other event, kick things off by having everyone show the group their spell and explain what it’s for. This is a nice little icebreaker activity for beginning a party or other work event. Seeing which spell everyone picks is a great way to get to know more about them and what matters to them. 

3. Group Costumes

Before your next office party (or other event where you’re embracing Halloween), try dividing your group into teams and then having them come up with a group costume that they will do together. Try challenging various departments or work teams to coordinate a group costume like a movie cast or other themed idea. Some fun concepts could be game pieces of a popular game (Monopoly tokens anyone?), a superhero squad, or the cast of a blockbuster movie like Lord of the Rings. The more creative and interesting the costumes are, the more fun the activities will be. Consider making the event a challenge and rewarding the most original team. 

4. Costume Challenge

An oldie but a goodie, this traditional Halloween idea involves having everyone dress up in their favorite costume. This idea is one of the most popular because most people can have a lot of fun with it. People can be as creative as they want to be, from throwing a sheet over their clothes for a ghost costume to creating an entire paper mache outfit. We suggest making this activity voluntary and not mandatory. Some people may not be comfortable dressing up, but they may want to vote on the best costumes. During your event, have everyone who dressed up stand in front of the venue and judge the popularity by applause - whoever gets the loudest response is the winner! 

5. Office Trick or Treat

Not just for kids! Most people tend to enjoy candy, so why not make a day of it and host trick or treating at work? Set aside a few hours where everyone can set down their work and go from desk to desk picking up candy. Instruct everyone in advance to choose their favorite candy to hand out. For an extra special touch, have branded trick or treat bags printed for everyone to use (some companies make this a yearly tradition and then print a new bag each year as a keepsake). 

6. Kid or Pet Trick or Treating

If you feel a little silly inviting all adults to trick or treat in your office, tell everyone to bring a loved one! Encourage people to dress up their kids, a pet, or a friend, and bring them around the office for some candy collecting as well as networking and family fun. This is an excellent activity for organizations seeking a family-friendly activity where everyone can have a little fun and get to know each other better. 

7. Scary Movie Marathon

A full-day movie marathon can make for great office entertainment. You’ll first need to decide on a set of spooky films based on what you know of your team. For example, you may want to avoid gory horror movies if people are a bit more sensitive. If your group tends to be more squeamish, then opt for some more childlike or nostalgic Halloween movies. Collect a screen and projector, lots of comfy cushions and seating, and plenty of snacks. Make sure to offer staples like popcorn and movie-theater candy. If you want, you can set up a movie-viewing space in the office and just keep the movies going all day - everyone can come by as they have time in their day. 

8. Desk Decorating

Turn your office space into a haunted house by having everyone decorate their space. You can have individuals compete or have people get into groups and come up with themes. You can have people come up with their own idea, or assign a theme like zombie apocalypse, creepy history, alien invasion, horror movie royalty, etc. 

9. Halloween Potluck

Get everyone in a festive mood by sharing a meal. Organize an in-person Halloween themed potluck meal. With a little research, you can come up with tons of Halloween recipes to whip up. Create a signup sheet so you have everything from appetizers to main dishes to desserts available. Need a few ideas? Try pumpkin pie, apple bread, creepy mac and cheese, themed mocktails, etc. 

10. Pass-it-On Ghost Story

This game is a great addition to any party or activity because it doesn’t require any special supplies or preparation. It’s perfect for adding on to an event, meeting, or retreat since it’s simple and quick. Simply gather guests in a circle, and take turns crafting a creepy ghost story like the ones you used to hear at summer camp. Choose one person to begin, and have them state a couple sentences and then pass the torch. The next person in the circle should add to the story, and on it goes, until the last person wraps it up with a clever conclusion. 

11. Candy Corn Cooking Contest

How many things can you do with candy corn? You might be surprised. Before your next party or group event, instruct everyone to come up with a creative recipe using candy corn, and bring it to share with the group. Using candy corn, you can make everything from cookies to candy corn pretzels to white chocolate candy corn bark (as you can see, most of the recipes will be dessert). This is a great way to sample all kinds of delicious treats and bring in a little competition at the same time. 

12. Halloween Bad Decisions Script

Do you ever watch scary movies and get so frustrated at what the main characters do? For this activity,  choose a few classic horror movies and print out the script. Bring all of the scripts to your party or event and break your larger group into teams. Have everyone review one of the scripts and highlight the parts where the characters made the silliest decisions possible - then have them work together to write a new part of the script where they make good decisions that actually beat the big baddie in the movie. Have each group share their movie and the new decisions, and how the movie would ultimately end with those changes. 

Halloween games for work groups

13. Halloween Taste Testing

See who is the bravest on your team by having everyone try different, unique foods. This activity requires a bit of advance work, but will be worth it. To start, gather some interesting fall foods like pumpkin-spiced anything or chocolate covered bugs (a specialty in some areas). Try to pick things that are a little strange but not actually gross, terrifying, or unhealthy. Have the various dishes set up behind boxes or curtains so that people can’t see what they are. Blindfold the willing participants and then have them try each dish and write down what they think each is. The person with the most correct answers wins. We love to include a bonus prize for the bravest soul who is willing to try absolutely everything on the menu. 

14. Greatest Fear Games

This is an excellent get-to-know-you activity for work teams. It requires a bit of vulnerability which is really helpful for bonding. It’s pretty simple to play. Have everyone write down their biggest fear on a slip of paper, and then put them into a pile. Next, have everyone stand in a circle, and one at a time, draw out a slip. They’ll read the fear out loud and then try to guess who in the group has that fear.

15. Guess the Ghost

This is another get-to-know you game for colleagues. It does require a bit of advance work, but can add a lot of fun elements to a Halloween-themed event. In advance, have everyone find a photo of themselves as a child dressed up in costume. Collect all the photos and then place them on a large bulletin board with a number attached to each. Create game cards where participants can “guess the ghost” and have them fill each card out using the photos. Whoever gets the most correct, wins! 

16. Spooky Scavenger Hunt

For this Halloween activity, come up with a list of themed objects or challenges for everyone to complete. Split everyone into teams and then have them take off to make their way through the list. Set a time limit and have everyone check off as many items as possible. Try to add things like pumpkin-flavored food, a black cat, Halloween candy, etc. You could also add tasks like coming up with a one-sentence scary story or taking a photo of your best zombie pose. 

17. Candy Bracket

For some fun, fantasy-sports style games, try creating a Halloween candy bracket. First you’ll need a list of the most popular candies. Then, create brackets and have everyone vote using a “this or that” style. Each round, the candy that gets the most votes moves onto the next one. Retreat the process until one candy is the supreme winner! This activity is the perfect add-on to an already planned event. 

18. Pumpkin Tossing

For a more physical activity that can energize everyone and help them to blow off some steam, try pumpkin throwing. The premise is simple: get everyone outside and have them throw pumpkins as far as possible. We suggest using tiny pumpkins or small gourds to make them easier to handle. Warning: the vegetables may smash, so make sure to do this where clean-up will be easy or unnecessary. For more energizing team warmups make sure to follow our blog. 

19. Halloween “Never Have I Ever”

A popular icebreaker game, try putting a Halloween spin on “never have I ever”. Most people treat this game as a drinking game, taking a drink every time they are “guilty” of the statement. Some prompts you might want to use include “Never have I ever stolen my kids’ Halloween candy”,  “Never have I screamed in a haunted house”, or “Never have I ever played a prank on someone trick or treating”. You’re sure to learn a lot about your colleagues and to have some laughs in the process. 

20. Halloween Truth or Dare

Another really fun and easy game is a take on an old classic. Come up with some Halloween questions and challenges like “What is the silliest thing that scares you?” or “I dare you to show us your most blood-curdling scream.” Keep things clean, family-friendly, and focused on fun! 

21. Halloween “Most Likely To”

One more take on an icebreaker, this game is for people who know each other reasonably well. Answer questions about coworkers based on what you know about them - but keep things Halloween themed. Here are some examples: “Who is most likely to spend more than $300 on a costume?” or “Who is most likely to hide a zombie bite during the apocalypse?” 

22. Hidden Object Game

This activity is really fun because you can have it go on as long as you want. You can make it part of a one-day activity or have it go on for weeks leading up to Halloween. Simply print several small items (like a pumpkin or ghost) and put a number on each, then hide them around the office or event venue. The person who collects the most, wins. To make things a little more challenging, you can have people add up the numbers on the items, rather than just the amount that they found. So, if someone found pumpkins with the numbers 1, 6, 11, 4, and 5, their score would be 27. That would beat someone who found 6 pumpkins with lower numbers. Either way makes for a good time! 

23. Making Mummies

If you’ve ever been to a baby or wedding shower, you’ve probably played a silly shower game. This game is straight out of that handbook. Pair people off and give everyone a roll of toilet paper. The teams should use the toilet paper to wrap one person up like a mummy. Then have a contest where the best mummy-making group wins! Note: expect a lot of clean up; have plenty of recycling bins available. 

24. Festive “Feel” Boxes

Gross guests out with this silly game! For this hands-on activity, fill boxes full of items that could be considered creepy, slimy, cold, or otherwise unpleasant. Make sure the boxes are covered so that participants cannot see what’s inside. Their job is to guess what is in each box. Peeled grapes or cold spaghetti are classic examples of what to offer in this game. Bonus points for putting a themed name on the box such as “eyeballs” for the grapes or “zombie brains” for the spaghetti. 

25. “Jinx” Words

This is a super simple add-on activity for any kind of event. Come up with a Halloween-themed word or phrase and instruct everyone not to use it. If someone does slip up, they are jinxed and should pay some form of penalty. Come up with a light-hearted consequence of using the forbidden word. 

26. Battle of the Balloons

Rather than decorating pumpkins, give balloons a try! Blow up several orange-colored balloons and have plenty of markers and stickers available. Have contestants spend 15 minutes decking out their balloon, and the best one wins. You can even come up with some categories to judge, like scariest or most colorful. 

27. Candy Corn Relay Race

When you need to get physical, set up a relay race with the famous Halloween candy. Split everyone into two separate teams and then set up two lines with small bowls. Give each person a spoon and then fill the first bowl for each team with a small amount of candy corn. Upon saying “go!”, each person must move the candy from the bowl in front of them to the next bowl in the line using only their spoon. No hands allowed! The first team to get the candy corn through each bowl in the line wins. Tons of laughs are sure to ensue! For more fun group activity ideas, make sure to subscribe to our blog. 

28. Candy-in-Jar Game

For a really simple festive touch, add a jar full of candy to your next event. Give everyone the opportunity to guess how many pieces are in the jar, and the person who is closest wins. 

29. Halloween-Themed Charades

A fresh take on a classic, break everyone into groups and kick off a game of charades - but with a scary twist! Have people pick from things like scary movies or common creepy scenarios to act out and have their team guess.

Halloween fun for virtual teams

30. Pumpkin Decorating Contest

For your next online meeting or virtual event, bring a pumpkin that you carved, painted, or otherwise decorated. Have everyone who will be present at this online event grab a pumpkin and then decorate it whichever way they see fit. Start the meeting or event by showing off your creation! Set up a poll for the end of your meeting where everyone will vote on the winner. 

31. Halloween Bingo

A social game that can add a lot of team spirit to any event, set up a bingo game for your group. To play, give everyone a bingo card with randomized, Halloween-themed prompts. You can look online for a template or come up with one yourself. Have everyone go through their card and check off the boxes that apply to them. Just like regular bingo, getting boxes in a row makes you a winner. For the cards, add prompts like “owned a black cat”, “loves scary movies”, “made my own Halloween costume” or “worked in a haunted house”. 

32. Impromptu Costume Contest

For your next Zoom gathering, start things off by instructing everyone to go put together a costume based on things around their house. Set a time limit like 2 minutes for everyone to collect whatever props they can to make into a costume of sorts. You’re sure to get a lot of laughs seeing what everyone comes up with. Plus, this is a great activity for showing off artistic skills and getting the creative juices flowing.

33. Dressed-up Happy Hour

If your team is scattered, why not set up an online event where everyone can socialize and celebrate the season? Have everyone dress in a costume before hopping onto the call (so obviously people will need some notice). Bonus points for bringing their favorite festive snacks or drinks, too. 

34. Horror Movie Trivia

Trivia is a great addition to any office party because it can be done from anywhere. Test everyone’s spooky holiday knowledge by coming up with a list of themed questions. Consider questions based on scary movies, the history of Halloween, or candy. Share your list of questions at the beginning of the event and see who can get the most right. 

35. Spooky Zoom Background

Who can come up with the creepiest background for your next virtual event? Find out by kicking off a background contest. Have everyone decorate their working space or create a custom background that fits the theme. Best background wins! 

Celebrate more than Halloween

Office parties are ideal for fostering team cohesion and building camaraderie - the trick is keeping them fresh and interesting. That’s why an upcoming holiday is the perfect opportunity to insert a little themed fun into your event. However, don’t let the time of year restrict your team-building activities.

Consider taking things a step further by planning a team-building retreat. Surf Office can help you plan the perfect series of events to keep your team excited, energized, and motivated - all year round!