Last-minute office Christmas parties

Planning a company Christmas party? It can be a lot of work to pick a venue, organise food and entertainment and think of a fancy-dress theme. Here are some ideas that are easy to plan and won’t break the budget.


Cheap and chic: Stay in the office
Save on costs and hassle by having a theme party right in the office. Here are a few ideas of how to do it.

Tree decorating party
Buy a tree and turn your party into a crafting session to deck it out. Empty your neighbourhood stationery store of plain bauble ornaments, craft paper, glue, glitter, stickers, pompoms, paint, ribbons. Even better, try upcycling any office items into ornaments to add that personal touch. Having lots of mulled wine will surely be a welcome enhancement.

Murder mystery Christmas party
If you’ve never been to a murder mystery party: trust us, it’s fun. There are various ways to play it with numerous game kits available online, but it usually involves assigning a character to each party attendee, with one of them secretly the “killer”. The task for all is to figure out who the killer is. But remember, don’t take things too seriously – that always kills the fun.

Daily dress-up challenge
You’ve heard of Christmas jumper day (14 December). Make every day of December leading up to Christmas a dress-up day. Let each person in the office pick a theme, putting them up to a vote if there are too many of you, then assign them to each day of December. Some ideas: ’90s fashion, tartan shirt day, sci-fi, TV shows. Prizes are essential.


Drinking and dining out: Pick a bar
Book out an area of a restaurant for free-flow drinks or enjoy a reasonably-priced festive set lunch. We’ve chosen two places that offer a good Christmas vibe.

Komune
This December, head to the Southside and enjoy a laid-back, office get-together. Komune, Ovolo Southside’s cool and contemporary rooftop restaurant is getting into the festive spirit with a lip-smackingly good Christmas-themed menu. Relax with one of their crafted cocktails, enjoy the sweeping views, and celebrate the party season, the Southside way. Ovolo Southside, 64 Wong Chuk Hang Road; Tel: 3460 8157; komune.com.hk

The Globe
Get into the Christmas spirit at this British-style pub, known for its pies and scotch eggs. There’s a sectioned-off area that’s ideal for private parties, or your group might prefer to crowd around the hefty bar, which offers one of Hong Kong’s best selections of craft beer. Garley Building, 45-53 Graham Street, Central; Tel: 2543 1941; theglobe.com.hk


Action for all: An evening of hilarious sports
Use Christmas as an excuse for a team-building night that’s a little silly and a lot of fun. Get competitive at these places with offbeat games, athletic ability optional.

Crossfire Arena
Unleash your inner beast with bubble football. Each person gets into a neon bubble and rolls around bumping opponents to get the ball into the goals. There are no rules, and small chance of injury – just a lot of laughs. Crossfire also offers archery tag (using foam-tipped arrows), beer pong and more. Shop 306-308, 3/F, D2 Place Two, 15 Cheung Shun Street, Lai Chi Kok; Tel: 3461 9023; crossfire.hk

Player11 Poolsoccer Party
This venue’s highlight is life-size billiards, in which you use your whole body to play billiards on a huge table. There are also areas to play Jenga, board games, foosball and even mahjong. Unit 7B, Yip Fat Factory Building Block 1, 77 Hoi Yuen Street, Kwun Tong; Tel: 6997 9994; facebook.com/player11poolsoccer


Party arranged and it’s time to get to the presents! Don’t miss our gift guide for every Zodiac sign. Check it out here.