17 Ways to Make your Virtual Holiday Happy Hour Memorable
With the holiday season just around the corner, most employees are likely to look forward to a unique happy hour event. Yet, things might be a little more complicated when you are on a remote or hybrid team. But don’t fret, Tagvenue Virtual has got your back with the best happy hour ideas for the holiday season. Whiskey aficionados and cocktail lovers, read on to discover how you can take your online happy hour event to the next level!
How can a holiday virtual happy hour benefit my team?
Hosting an online happy hour for your remote team allows them to interact and bond with each other in ways that are not always possible during working hours. A remote happy hour can help team members come up with brilliant ideas through brainstorming and simple after-work conversations. Moreover, these social events help foster stronger relationships among remote employees. Contrary to what many may think, virtual social events like these boost both employee engagement and productivity. Over time, coworkers will feel more comfortable sharing their ideas inside and outside the remote office. This can help in improving the work environment in the long run.
Now that you know how an online happy hour can benefit your remote workforce, let’s take a look at different ways to ensure a successful virtual event!
Virtual Happy Hour Hampers
What’s better than an online happy hour during Christmas? A remote happy hour with hampers! If you’re anything like us, you probably hate last-minute shopping! So, instead of asking your remote team to get the ingredients or grab their favourite drinks for an online party, why not send them some free drinks ? Hampers with drinks and snacks will not only make everyone keener on joining the online party but will also make them feel valued.
1.Virtual Wine and Cheese Tasting
- Pricing: £70 pp
- Group size: 6-100
- Duration: 90 min
Give your squad some wine and cheese and we promise they’ll be the happiest team! Virtual cheese and wine tasting are an entertaining team-building activity that is perfect for the holiday season. All your guests need are some fancy Cabernet Sauvignon glasses and their gaudiest cheeseboard to impress each other! Everyone will learn how to pair five different kinds of cheese and wines and become real connoisseurs by the end of this holiday happy hour party! Pinot Noir and Gruyere? Yes, please!
2. Christmas Trivia with Hampers
- Pricing: from £65/$90 pp
- Group size: 10-500
- Duration: 120 min
Bring the Christmas spirit to your remote office with two hours of festive games and a mixology class.
Things are about to become festive and cheery this holiday season! Treat your team to a unique mixology class where they will learn how to craft four different cocktails and compete in six to seven mini-games! The winning team takes away the bragging rights! Ask your team to dress up or get their ugly sweaters out of the closet for the occasion.
3. Apres Ski Cocktail Tasting
- Pricing: £45 pp
- Group size: 5-120
- Duration: 60 min
Mistletoe Martini or Christmas Cosmopolitan? Say no more! Enjoy some holiday cocktails and a breathtaking view of the Alpine Party Lodge with your crew during this virtual cocktail class. Spread the holiday cheer with a live mixology host who will entertain and upgrade your team’s cocktail-making skills. Participants will get to visit four lively pubs and interact with each other while sipping on their delicious homemade cocktails!
4. Bespoke Cocktail Masterclass with Live DJ
- Pricing: from $55 pp
- Group size: 5-120
- Duration: 60 min
Can you hear the Christmas hits playing? Dance to your favourite tunes with a live DJ and your favourite cocktail in one hand! With local, organic, and the best ingredients for your team to craft their cocktails, you can guarantee that your team will get in the jolly spirit in no time. This Bespoke Masterclass combines fun and crafting for everyone to enjoy, regardless of whether or not everyone celebrates the holiday season. Need some non-alcoholic options? Let the event manager take care of it and just get your party shoes on!
5. Polish Liqueur/ Nalewka Workshop
- Pricing: from £12.5/$17 pp
- Group size:6-200
- Duration: 120 min
Forget about your usual happy hour and get ready to enjoy some exquisite homemade Polish liqueurs. Host an exceptional virtual hour with your coworkers that will take them straight to Poland. Polish Liqueurs also known as Nalewka are a traditional drink made around the beginning of Autumn which makes it a perfect choice for the Christmas season. Learn how to craft lemon or honey and spice liqueurs during this masterclass while hearing the stories of traditional liqueur-making in Poland. Travel to the Land of Fields and enjoy some drinks with your gang without breaking the bank this Christmas!
6.Craft Whiskey Tasting
- Pricing: $100 pp
- Group size: 2-50
- Duration: 60 min
Skip the usual happy hour and discover the magic of craft whiskey with your squad this year. Support a small business and throw an exclusive whiskey tasting session for your team. Host an interactive and fun happy hour with a professional connoisseur who will have your guests leaving the event feeling like they are in the know! Participants will enjoy distinctive tastes of whiskey and experience hands-on approaches and tasting techniques. Perfect for a virtual holiday party in need of some pizzazz!
7. Pop the Bubble Wine Tasting
- Pricing: £50 pp
- Group size: 6-100
- Duration: 90 min
There’s nothing better than ending the day with a glass of wine, except starting the day with it! Learn a thing or two about your favourite wines with a wine expert who will teach you all things wine bubbles. Spending the holiday season with your colleagues is a lot more fun when accompanied by a glass of wine (or four)! Holiday happy hour events like these are perfect icebreakers for new joiners to get used to the team and for rekindling relationships within the team.
Holiday Virtual Happy Hour Games (Hosted)
Can you imagine a virtual team happy hour with a bunch of people whom you’ve never met before? Skip the awkward conversations and get straight to bonding and having a great time with a hosted game. Instead of getting your guests some hampers, you can ask them to get their favourite drinks and book a hosted activity for some team-building fun! Take a look at our top happy hour game picks for your holiday event:
8. Christmas Essential Trivia
- Pricing: from £16/$22 pp
- Group size: 8-500
- Duration: 60 min
Maintain bonds within your company despite the Christmas-themed trivia. Christmas Essential is a cheerful, hilarious game that includes networking and team building with a sprinkle of pure holiday fun! It’s a great chance for people to catch up, learn some interesting and humorous things, and develop relationships. It’s amazing for team activities, remote work gatherings, or integrating new teammates during the holiday season!
9.Christmas Murder Mystery Game at Skellington Hall
- Pricing: from £16/$22 pp
- Group size: 8-500
- Duration: 60 min
Holiday-themed murder mysteries are our all-time favourite activity as they appeal to different demographics and provide an immersive experience for all. Whether you’re fans of crime tv shows or simply love solving clues, there’s something for everyone in a murder mystery. Murder Mystery at Skellington Hall will take your crew back to Christmas Eve in 1946, where Lord Skellington was found dead during the annual ball. Find out who committed the crime before the murderer strikes again!
10. Virtual Holiday Casino Night
- Pricing: from £20/$29 pp
- Group size: 12-500
- Duration: 60 min
Make it rain in Vegas without breaking the bank! Virtual casinos are super fun during the holiday season, as they’re the perfect event to introduce your team to something new or to simply bring some unique entertainment to the office. With a professional dealer for each breakout room and HD cameras, you can experience the feeling of being in a real casino in Vegas. The event will surely be a hit during the holiday season, so why not try it out and pair it with your favourite drinks?
11. Virtual Drag Queen Bingo
- Pricing: from £900/$1200
- Group size: 10-150
- Duration: 60 min
Add some glitz and glam to your boring office holiday party with Ru Paul’s Drag Race star, Charlie Hides! We bet you’ve never had fun like this before. If celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Elton John love her, then you can be sure that your team will have the best Christmas party ever with a Virtual Drag Queen Bingo party with Charlie. So get your team to wear their funkiest outfits and join the most fashionable and flamboyant Bingo game. We recommend adding some prizes to your event to make it even more festive!
12. Virtual Reindeer Race
- Pricing: from £18/$24
- Group size: 8-250
- Duration: 45 min
Do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Well, it turns out that Rudolph is retiring this year and Santa might not deliver all the gifts on time if they don’t find a worthy replacement. Race to collect the most presents, or get coal attempting. Help Santa at the North Pole and work with other players to choose a new champion Reindeer. In these holiday-themed game Reindeer Games, players will participate in six races to determine Rudolph’s replacement. The game captures the joy and romance of the festive season while being simple to learn and play.
Free Self-hosted Holiday Happy Hour Games
Hosting a virtual happy hour for your remote employees does not have to cost a fortune. While we suggest sending out the hampers so that they have their snacks and drinks ready, you may easily amp up your party with a self-hosted game! From online ready-to-play retro games to holiday-themed scavenger hunts, we’ve got you covered with our top five games to try out during your upcoming holiday cocktail party.
13. Barcade Party with Retro Games
Play your favourite retro video games without spending a penny! Host a legendary barcade party for your employees and watch them enjoy every single minute of it. From Super Mario Brothers to Tetris, you can try it all with your crew. This activity will not only revive bittersweet memories but will also allow everyone to try their hand at some lauded retro games.
14. Never Have I Ever
Never have I ever dined and dashed or believed in Santa! Sharing some fun facts with your teammates can help you quickly get to know each other and discover some similarities. From hobbies to philosophies of life, a rapid round of Never Have I Ever served with some ambrosial drinks will help your team relax and bond in no time. Here is a template for your first Never Have I Ever. Alternatively, you may create your customised list and ask everyone to add 1-2 questions to the list. Remember to keep it work-appropriate but fun!
15. Holiday-themed Scavenger Hunt
With a Christmas Scavenger Hunt, your team is in for a virtual blast. Grab some drinks and get to know each other with a themed scavenger hunt that will help your team learn more about one another. in an entertaining way. One of the most enjoyable ways to celebrate a happy hour is certainly a virtual treasure hunt. In need of some inspiration? Head to our 15 Best Scavenger Hunt Ideas blog post for some instant creativity!
Take a look at our blog post, The 28 Best Ideas for a Virtual Holiday Party in the Office in 2023 for a free Holiday Scavenger Hunt Template and much more!
16. I Spy
This popular road trip game, which is a classic like 20 Questions, also works nicely as a virtual happy hour pastime. The difference? Instead, you spot something in one of the participant’s Zoom windows.
17. Name that Christmas Tune
Get the audiophiles on your team to talk about their favourite Christmas tunes! Challenge your team’s song recognition skills during your happy hour and have a blast guessing the names! All you have to do is pick or customise your own Christmas playlist on YouTube, Spotify, or Deezer and get some drinks of your choice. Split your teams into smaller groups and reward the winning team with a prize!
Final Thoughts
Virtual holiday happy hour parties are effective in bringing teams together as they not only focus on fun but also encourage communication in a relaxed atmosphere. Games, hampers and activities are some of the easy ways to take your remote happy hour to the next level. Hosting such events will help boost employee morale and keep your workers happy during the holiday season!
FAQs: Virtual Holiday Happy Hour
How do you make a Zoom Holiday Happy Hour Fun?
There are several ways to make your online holiday happy hour more fun. From sending hampers with snacks and drinks to your employees to organising a fully hosted event. Make your event memorable by adding a Christmas Theme to the party or by adding a game or activity to your happy hour- this now only shows appreciation but also motivates your coworkers to join the virtual event. Take a look at our list of activities, hampers, and games for some inspiration.
How do you organise a virtual happy hour?
A virtual happy hour can be planned in four simple steps:
- Select a video conferencing system.
- Establish a guest list.
- Pick one game or theme.
- Send out your invites.
What is a virtual holiday happy hour?
Virtual holiday happy hour is just like a happy hour with a Christmas theme. It takes place through a screen but has the same elements as an in-person activity. The purpose of a virtual holiday happy hour is like any other team-building activity, it focuses on bringing people from any location together and providing a space to catch up, grab drinks and get to know each other like in a real-life setting.
How do you pick a provider for a virtual happy hour?
There are many options out there vendors who can help organise everything from sending out hampers to organising an activity or game after your cocktail party. Providers like Tagvenue Virtual can act as your personal event manager and help you plan everything from combining activities to picking the best happy hour games for your team.
What is the average pricing for the virtual happy hour hampers?
It all depends on your choice. If you’re looking for a cocktail event hosted by a professional, along with hampers, expect between £45 pp to £100 pp. You can find other options such as Christmas Hampers for your team for around £25/$35 per person. If you want to save up, you can host your own game and ask your team to get their drinks. However, it’s always preferable to send some drinks and snacks before the event to show your appreciation to your employees.
