When employers host and endorse workplace activities, like fun office Halloween activities, they can significantly boost morale and strengthen camaraderie. Halloween is the perfect opportunity to inject some fun and excitement into your workplace, kicking off the holiday season. This sets the tone for workplace culture in the months ahead. From horror movie marathons and party games to DIY costumes, there’s so much you could do!
Whether you’re fully remote, hybrid, or in-office, here are 15 spooktacular and inclusive office Halloween activities to create a festive atmosphere for October 31st. Embrace the spirit of Halloween!
Related Reading: Virtual holiday party ideas for a very merry Zoom-mas
Inclusive and Fun Halloween Initiatives
So, how can you plan activities that everyone can enjoy—whether they're Halloween enthusiasts or just along for the ride? Here are some exciting ideas for your office Halloween festivities that will inspire maximum participation:
1. Costume Contest
Encourage everyone to dress up whether they’re in office or working remotely! Offer fun categories like "Most Creative," "Scariest Costume," or "Best Costume." This way, everyone has a chance to shine!
A Halloween costume contest is a classic office activity that never fails to bring out creativity and enthusiasm. Encourage creative costume ideas beyond superheroes. To make it more inclusive and exciting, you could allow remote employees to participate by submitting photos or joining via video call. Set up a voting system where employees can cast ballots for their favorites.
Then, offer prizes like extra vacation days, gift cards, or company swag to encourage participation! Remember to establish clear guidelines to ensure costumes remain workplace-appropriate while allowing plenty of fun and self-expression.
To include employees who prefer not to dress up, an alternative activity could be to bring in an old Halloween photo from their childhood. Offer a special reward for “Cutest Throwback Costume.”
Tip: Before Halloween, reiterate your company's dress code policy in staff-wide communications to prevent potentially awkward situations.
2. Costume Parade
Showcase your team's creativity with a costume parade and photoshoot. Set up a Halloween-themed backdrop for photos and organize a runway or parade route through the office during lunch!
Invite a professional photographer or designate a team member to take high-quality photos. Then, create a digital album or slideshow to share with the entire company. For remote teams, create a virtual photo booth or collage of costume photos.
Tip: Once again, reiterate your company's dress code policy in your staff-wide communications before Halloween.
3. Office Decoration Challenge
Transform your workspace into a haunted wonderland by organizing a team-based office decoration challenge. Divide teams and see who can create the spookiest or most festive workspace—mini haunted houses! This activity not only sparks creativity but also brings everyone together.
Divide employees into teams and assign each a specific area to decorate. Provide a budget for decorations or encourage the use of recyclable materials. Then, set a theme, such as "Haunted Hospital" or "Spooky School," to guide the designs
Invite a panel of judges or allow employees to vote for their favorite decorated area. Most importantly, make sure you have award prizes for categories like "Most Creative," "Scariest," and "Best Use of Theme"!
This is a little trickier for virtual teams. Remote teams can decorate their home offices with cobwebs or toilet paper.
Tip: Let your employees know in advance so they can get creative!
4. Pumpkin Carving Contest
Bring the fall spirit into your office with a pumpkin carving contest. This hands-on Halloween activity allows employees to showcase their artistic skills. All you need to do is provide pumpkins and carving tools for employees to use.
Then, set up a designated carving area with protective coverings. Encourage both traditional and unconventional designs. You can also provide examples so it doesn’t feel too daunting for new carvers (hello, Jack-o-lantern!).
Display the finished pumpkins in a prominent area for voting. Consider categories like "Most Intricate," "Funniest," and "Most Original"” You can adapt this activity for remote teams by having employees carve pumpkins at home and share photos of their creations.
Provide pumpkins and tools for a friendly competition. It's a great way to unleash creativity and have some laughs along the way.
Tip: Employees are likelier to participate if you provide all the tools they need to carve a pumpkin! Consider sending a Halloween pumpkin-carving kit to your remote team.
5. Halloween-Themed Potluck
Food brings people together, and a Halloween-themed potluck is an excellent way to celebrate the season. Invite team members to bring in their favorite Halloween-themed dishes or treats. Here's how to make it a success!
Create a sign-up sheet for different categories (appetizers, main dishes, desserts). Encourage Halloween treats or spooky presentations. Provide prizes for categories like "Best Tasting," "Most Creative," and "Spookiest Presentation"”
With the help of your staff's aspiring chefs and bakers, arrange for a team lunch on Halloween, with dishes, delicacies, appetizers, and desserts inspired by the spooky symbols of the haunting holiday. Make sure to balance out the sweet treats by incorporating healthy options like pumpkin pie, fruit spiders, jack-o-lantern hummus, boo-nanas, and pumpkin oranges.
Remember to include options for those with dietary restrictions. For remote teams, share recipes and have a virtual "show and tell" of dishes.
Tip: Plan this in advance so you have enough time to note everyone’s dietary restrictions which can help guide the potluck options employees bring!
6. Office Trick-or-Treating
Organizing office trick-or-treating brings back childhood memories. This activity adds an element of fun and nostalgia, and it is especially fun for offices with multiple departments or floors.
Assign different areas or departments as "treat stations." Provide candy or small treats for employees to distribute. Encourage employees to decorate their stations. Create a map or schedule to guide trick-or-treaters through the office.
For remote teams, consider sending care packages with Halloween treats to employees' homes or ask employees to host trick-or-treat meetup in local cities.
Tip: Employees are more likely to participate when candy is provided!
7. Spooky Movie Hour
Host a movie screening of classic Halloween films during lunch or after hours. T This relaxed activity allows employees to unwind and bond over shared experiences.
Ask employees what their favorite scary movie is and select a mix of classic horror films and family-friendly Halloween movies. Create a cozy viewing area with comfortable seating. Provide popcorn, cozy blankets, Halloween-themed snacks, and drinks.
For remote teams, organize a virtual watch party using streaming platforms. Movie hour can also double up as virtual happy hour.
Tip: Drum up excitement for a spooky movie hour in advance. Send out polls to gauge what employees want to watch, and ensure it’s office-appropriate!
Related Reading: Virtual happy hour ideas for remote team-building
8. Halloween Trivia
Organize a trivia game with Halloween-themed questions. It’s a great way to engage everyone and maybe learn something new! For example, where did trick-or-treat originate from?
Test your employees' knowledge of all things spooky with a Halloween trivia night. This activity can easily be adapted for both in-person and virtual settings.
All you have to do is prepare questions covering Halloween history, traditions, pop culture, and general knowledge Then, Divide participants into teams to encourage collaboration
Use a digital platform for remote teams to submit answers in real time. Lastly, we offer Halloween-themed prizes for the winning team! A little competition gets the occasion going!
Tip: Make trivia interesting by researching Halloween facts in advance. Choose interesting facts and statistics!
9. Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Engage your team's problem-solving skills with a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt. This activity can be adapted for both in-office and remote teams.
Hide Halloween-themed items or clues around the office or create digital clues for remote teams. Then, divide employees into teams and provide them with a list of items to find or riddles to solve. Ensure to include tasks that require teamwork and creativity and offer a grand prize for the team that completes the hunt first or accumulates the most points!
Tip: Plan this in advance—don’t make it too easy!
10. Haunted Office Escape Room
This is an in-office activity that might be harder for remote teams. However, if you’re in the office, you can transform a section of your office into a haunted escape room for a thrilling team-building experience. Create puzzles and challenges with a Halloween theme.
Then, decorate the space to enhance the spooky atmosphere. If you’ve hosted an office decoration challenge, half the work is done here.
After, divide employees into small groups to tackle the escape room. Remember to set a time limit and offer prizes for the fastest escapes. For remote teams, consider using virtual escape room platforms.
Tip: Plan this in advance, especially for remote teams.
11. Halloween Charity Drive
Combine the Halloween spirit with community service by organizing a Halloween-themed charity drive. You could collect Halloween costumes for needy children or organize a canned food drive with a Halloween twist (e.g., "Scare Away Hunger").
Remote teams can also host a virtual fundraising event for a local charity or encourage employees to volunteer at local Halloween events for children or seniors.
Tip: Let your employees choose which cause to support. Send out a poll!
12. Halloween Murder Mystery
To host a thrilling Halloween murder mystery, whether in-office or remotely, begin by choosing a theme that resonates with your employees, such as a haunted mansion or a 1920s speakeasy, and send out themed invitations at least two weeks in advance to ensure everyone can participate.
Assign characters based on the number of attendees—ideally six or more—and provide them with background information to enhance their role-playing experience. For in-person events, transform your space with spooky decorations and set up areas for private discussions among characters.
If hosting virtually, utilize platforms like Zoom and assign an employee to guide the game, ensuring everyone remains engaged.
Tip: Let your employees choose the theme. Send out a poll!
13. Arrange a Halloween Arts & Crafts Workshop
Get crafty with your team by creating something together. Host an arts and crafts session at lunchtime or after office hours to make participation more accessible to your entire staff.
When choosing your project, opt for a practical craft that your team members can place on their desks or an ornament they can take home to decorate their space for years to come. Some ideas include a painted mason jar pen holder and potion books. Arts and crafts are a great team-bonding activity for people from across departments with shared interests to collaborate.
Tip: Elect an artsy individual from your team to lead a workshop. This will ignite their creativity and show that you encourage leadership, which will reflect positively on their work.
14. Sponsor a Halloween Lunch
Instead of a potluck, sponsor a Halloween lunch to engage employees and foster community spirit while celebrating the spooky season. Start by collaborating with local caterers or restaurants to create a festive menu featuring Halloween-themed dishes, such as "witches' brew" soup or pumpkin spice desserts.
To create a Halloween atmosphere, decorate the lunch area with cobwebs, jack-o'-lanterns, and themed table settings. Encourage employees to wear costumes, offering prizes for the best outfits to boost participation.
To add an interactive element, consider organizing party games or fun activities like a costume contest or Halloween trivia during the lunch hour. This not only makes the event enjoyable but also helps build camaraderie among staff that can strengthen workplace relationships.
You could also arrange take-out packages for your remote team.
Tip: Take dietary restrictions into account to offer an inclusive menu.
15. Host a Halloween Party
This is a classic. Throw a casual team gathering during the last couple of business hours of the day to spread the Halloween spirit before your employees head off for their evening festivities.
Provide the snacks, the music, the festive decorations, and a couple of fun, optional activities to participate in, but above all, allow your staff time to socialize with and enjoy each other’s company. Be mindful of noise out of respect for employees who would prefer to work.
Tip: Send an invite in advance so people can plan their work around this!
Boost Employee Engagement and Team Spirit with Rise
There are so many ways to celebrate Halloween. It’s also an opportunity to plan Halloween team-building activities and boost employee engagement. By implementing these fun office Halloween activities, you'll create a vibrant and engaging workplace culture that celebrates creativity, teamwork, and the season's spirit.
Remember to be inclusive of all employees, regardless of their personal beliefs or preferences, and always prioritize safety and comfort. With the right mix of activities, your office Halloween celebration will be a memorable event that strengthens team bonds and boosts morale.
Want to learn how Rise’s platform helps boost employee engagement too? Let’s chat.
P.S. We help boost employee engagement (and team spirit) all year round, not just on Halloween!
