Small company holiday party ideas for 5 to 50 people
Party ideas sized for a team that fits in one room or one call, with budgets and 2026 book-by dates. Written for the person who got handed the party this year.
The best holiday party for a small company is a two to three hour event on company time that everyone can actually attend: a special dinner for a team of 10, a hosted game or venue buyout for 25 to 50, or a virtual party with kits shipped home when the team is spread out. Most small companies spend $50 to $120 a person, and a party in mid-December 2026 should be booked by mid-November.
Holiday party ideas by team size
A party for eight and a party for 45 are different problems. Find your headcount, then pick one idea. For activities to add once you have the plan, see our office holiday party ideas and holiday party games for work.
5 to 10 people
Small enough for one table, so book the table and make it special.
- Chef's counter dinner. Book a counter or tasting menu that seats the whole team side by side.
- Cook dinner together. A hands-on class at a local cooking school, where the team makes the meal and then eats it.
- Matinee and an early dinner. Close at 2 pm, see a show or a film, then dinner at 5 so everyone is home by 8.
- A catered dinner at the owner's home. Hire a caterer to cook and clear, so the host gets to sit down too.
- A paid day trip. A winery, ski hill or spa day within an hour's drive, booked on a workday.
11 to 25 people
Too many for one table, so pick something that mixes people up.
- A long weekday lunch in a private room. Close the office at noon and let lunch run to 3.
- Bowling or duckpin lanes with food. Reserve one lane per five or six people and shuffle the teams after each game.
- A private escape room session. Teams of five or six race through rooms side by side, then meet for dinner.
- Catered party at the office with a hosted game. A caterer plus a host-run trivia or music bingo game in your own space.
- A holiday market walk. An hour at a seasonal market with a hot drink budget per person, then a table nearby.
26 to 50 people
Big enough to need a plan for the room, still small enough to know every name.
- Buy out a taproom or wine bar. Many small venues will close to the public for three hours on a weeknight.
- Rent a game hall. Shuffleboard, darts and pool keep 40 people moving between groups all night.
- A host-run game show at the office. One host runs the room for up to 50 guests while the caterer handles food.
- A painting workshop with dinner after. Everyone paints the same scene with an instructor, then the canvases go home as gifts.
- An afternoon party with families invited. A Saturday from 1 to 4 pm with food that works for kids, so partners and children can come.
A spread-out team
When half the team is remote, nobody should watch the party through a laptop in the corner.
- A kit workshop shipped to every home. Cookie decorating or holiday cocktails, with the same box at every address.
- Hosted holiday trivia on video. A host runs mixed teams in breakout rooms, so remote people play with office people.
- A dinner stipend and one shared hour. Everyone orders their own dinner on the company, then joins a hosted game together.
- A white elephant over video. Gifts reach their final owners by mail or email after the game.
Small company holiday party budget per person
Pick a per-person number first; it decides the idea faster than anything else. These are planning ranges. Our holiday party cost per person guide prices each line.
Under $50 a person. A catered lunch at the office, or a hosted virtual game with no food.
Good for: A long lunch with a game, or a virtual party for a remote team.
$50 to $120 a person. Dinner in a private room, or a kit workshop shipped home with a live host.
Good for: Most small companies: one good meal or one hands-on activity.
$120 a person or more. Dinner plus an activity, a venue buyout, or a paid day trip.
Good for: Teams under 15, where a bigger per-head budget is still a modest total.
One small-company trap: most hosted virtual games are one price for up to 25 guests, so a team of 10 pays the same as a team of 25. Kit workshops price per guest, which suits a team of 8 better.
At the office, out, or virtual?
Pick the setting by where people live, not by habit.
- At the office when most people are local and you want it during work hours. Cheapest, and nobody has to travel. Clear the desks and bring in a caterer and a host.
- Out at a venue when the office is cramped or the year was hard and people deserve a night away. Book early: private rooms for December fill fast.
- Virtual when the team lives in more than one city. Ship a kit or hire a host so remote people play rather than watch.
Throwing it at the office? Our holiday office party guide covers the room, food and run of the day. Half in the room and half on video? Use the hybrid holiday party ideas.
Who plans the party at a small company
There's no events team, so the work lands on whoever says yes first. Split it like this instead:
- The owner or CEO pays and shows up. Their jobs are the budget, a short thank-you and staying to the end.
- One person books. Often the office manager or an executive assistant, with time set aside for it on the calendar.
- Two volunteers pick the idea. Ask for two people from different teams, and rotate them every year.
- Everyone gets one vote. Send a three-option poll with the dates and a rough cost, then book the winner within a week.
Six touches that matter more on a small team
- Hold it on company time. A party from 3 to 6 pm on a weekday gets more yeses than a Saturday night.
- Thank each person by name. With 20 people, the owner can say one line about every person's year in under five minutes.
- Decide plus-ones up front. Say it in the invite, so nobody has to ask.
- Plan for people who don't drink. A real alcohol-free drink on the menu, not just water and soda.
- Give remote people the same thing. If the office gets dinner, remote people get a dinner budget on the same day.
- Send a gift to every home. A box that arrives the week of the party makes it feel like one event for everyone.
For the gift, our holiday gifts ship chocolate boxes to every home or desk with your note inside. For delivery by Friday, December 18, 2026, order smaller unbranded orders 2 to 3 weeks ahead, and anything branded between November 6 and November 20.
When to book a December 2026 holiday party
Thursdays and Fridays in mid-December are the most asked-for party dates. Here is the latest day to book each kind of event for each of them.
| Party date | Hosted virtual game | Kit workshop, US | Kits, guests abroad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Dec 10 | Thu, Nov 26 | Thu, Nov 19 | Thu, Nov 5 |
| Fri, Dec 11 | Fri, Nov 27 | Fri, Nov 20 | Fri, Nov 6 |
| Thu, Dec 17 | Thu, Dec 3 | Thu, Nov 26 | Thu, Nov 12 |
| Fri, Dec 18 | Fri, Dec 4 | Fri, Nov 27 | Fri, Nov 13 |
Hosted games need about 2 weeks, kit workshops about 3 weeks for US addresses, and about 5 weeks when any guest is in Canada or abroad. Missed December? A party on Thursday, January 14, 2027 or Friday, January 15, 2027 has far more open dates, and nobody minds a new year party.
Holiday party ideas for a small remote team
A remote team of 15 can have a better party than an office of 15, as long as everyone does something together instead of watching a slideshow. Our virtual holiday parties run about 60 minutes with a live host on Zoom, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request.
Christmas Trivia PartyStarting at $34 USD / person
Holiday Fun & GamesStarting at $39 USD / person
Cookie DecoratingStarting at $88 USD / person
Holiday-Themed MixologyStarting at $115 USD / person
Kit workshops ship a box to every guest, with continental US shipping included; Canada, Alaska and Hawaii, US territories and international addresses cost extra per kit. The games need nothing but a laptop. More options are on our team building kits page, and if gifts are part of the plan, try a virtual white elephant.
A host at your office
In 17 US cities, a host can bring a game show, music bingo or live trivia to your office, with one price covering up to 50 guests: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle. Painting workshops run in more cities; see all in-person events. Not sure which fits? Get a free quote with your date and headcount and you’ll have a full plan within 24 hours.
