Mardi Gras party ideas for work: 16 games, plus food and decor
A Mardi Gras office party pairs a few easy games, like a mask decorating contest, a bead toss and the king cake baby hunt, with purple, green and gold decor, New Orleans music and food. Mardi Gras is Tuesday, February 9, 2027. Here are 16 games and the party plan around them, for the office or a video call.
Form krewes at the door, run one or two team games, play the music round and save the king cake for last: that is a 45-minute party in a break room or on a call. Each game below has its rules, its supplies and a line on how remote players join, and the plan after the games covers decor, food and the traditions behind them.
16 Mardi Gras party games for work
Four or five games fill a 45-minute party; one opening game is enough for a 10-minute meeting opener. Teams of 5 to 8 work best.
Games to open the party
Five to ten minutes each. They form the teams and get the beads moving.
1. Name your krewe
Split into teams of 5 to 8. Each team has five minutes to pick a krewe name and a parade theme, then announces both in a ten-second royal proclamation.
You need: Paper and a marker per team
On video: Breakout rooms of five pick a name and post it in the main chat.
2. Bead shout-outs
Everyone starts with three strands of beads. Hand a strand to a coworker and tell them one thing they did that helped you. Keep going until everyone has given all three.
You need: Three strands of beads per person
On video: Say the shout-out on camera; the host tallies a virtual strand next to each name.
3. King cake baby hunt
Serve the king cake. Whoever finds the baby in their slice is crowned for the day and brings next week's cake, so the tradition runs through the season.
You need: A king cake and a small plastic baby (see the safety note below)
On video: Mail a small token to one random remote player; whoever has it reveals it on camera.
4. Doubloon hunt
Hide 30 gold coins around the office before the party, plus three purple ones worth five points each. Teams get five minutes to find them.
You need: Plastic or foil-wrapped coins, a little purple paint or tape
On video: Give five clues to spots in a shared photo of the office; first correct answer in chat wins.
Team games
Ten to twenty minutes each, played by the krewes you formed in game 1. Rather skip the glue and glitter cleanup? A host can lead a mask decorating workshop with a kit shipped to every guest.
5. Mask decorating contest
Twenty minutes to decorate a plain half mask. Prizes for most purple, best use of office supplies and most like our team.
You need: Plain paper or card masks, feathers, sequins, glue, markers
On video: Mail a mask kit or have people cut a mask from card stock; judge on camera.
6. Shoebox float build
Each krewe turns a shoebox into a mini parade float for its theme in twenty minutes. Bottle caps make wheels. Floats roll in the parade lap later.
You need: One shoebox per team, tape, scissors, colored paper, bottle caps
On video: Everyone builds a float from a small box at home, or sketches one on a shared whiteboard.
7. Bead toss
Toss strands of beads from a tape line onto a coat rack or a row of upturned chair legs. One point per strand that stays on, three for the top hook.
You need: A coat rack or chairs, 10 strands of beads per team, tape
On video: Toss three strands into a bowl from across the room on camera.
8. Three-color sort relay
Mix purple, green and gold pom-poms or beads in one bowl. Relay style, each player sorts with a spoon into three cups for 30 seconds. Fastest finished team wins.
You need: A bowl of mixed pom-poms or beads, three cups and a spoon per team
On video: Each player sorts a handful of colored items from home into three piles in 60 seconds.
Music and parade games
Put on a New Orleans playlist and let the party get a little louder. Want someone else on the playlist? A host can run music bingo for the whole team, in the room or on video.
9. Playlist round
Play the first 15 seconds of a New Orleans classic. Teams write the title. One point per title, a bonus for the artist. The song list is below.
You need: A speaker and the playlist
On video: Share your computer audio and have teams answer in the chat.
10. Parade lap
Put on a New Orleans brass band and let each krewe roll its float around the office for a five-minute mini parade. The crowd lines the hallway, cheers and votes on the best float.
You need: The floats, a speaker, a route marked with tape
On video: Each krewe presents its float sketch for 30 seconds with music playing.
11. Who's behind the mask?
Collect the finished masks with no names on them and lay them out. Teams guess who made each one. One point per correct guess.
You need: The masks from the contest, numbered sticky notes
On video: Everyone sends a photo of their mask to the host, who shows them one by one.
12. Krewe theme charades
One player from each krewe acts out another krewe's parade theme without words while the music plays. Their team has 60 seconds to guess it.
You need: The krewe themes from game 1, a timer
On video: The actor spotlights their camera while their team guesses out loud.
Playlist round: 7 songs and answers
- 1. Go to the Mardi Gras, Professor Longhair
- 2. Big Chief, Professor Longhair
- 3. Iko Iko, The Dixie Cups
- 4. Carnival Time, Al Johnson
- 5. Mardi Gras Mambo, The Hawketts
- 6. Hey Pocky A-Way, The Meters
- 7. Do Whatcha Wanna, Rebirth Brass Band
Games for a video call
For remote and hybrid teams. Send beads or a mask kit ahead if you can; every game also works without them. With a big remote group, a host-run virtual Mardi Gras party keeps every square on the call playing.
13. Mask reveal
Everyone decorates a mask before the call. On "3, 2, 1" everyone puts it on at once. Vote in the chat for most colorful and most surprising.
You need: A mask kit or card stock and markers
14. Three-color still life
Two minutes to build a little scene from things on your desk in purple, green and gold, then hold it up to the camera. The team votes on the best.
You need: Whatever is within reach
15. Krewe float sketch
Breakout rooms of four get eight minutes to design a parade float on a shared whiteboard. Back in the main room, each team presents in 30 seconds.
You need: Breakout rooms and a shared whiteboard
16. Lagniappe round
Lagniappe is a Louisiana word for a little something extra. Each person shares one small extra the team gave them this year, a tip, a favor, a laugh.
You need: Nothing
