Halloween is one of the most popular holidays. Wearing a costume, staying out late, and eating a ton of candy— what’s not to love? But don’t limit your Halloween revelry to the witching hours at night. A festive Halloween party in the office — or over Zoom — is fun for everyone.
At many workplaces, a party is a chance to let the imagination run wild. Employees show their creative flair in decorations, costumes, and fun Halloween treats for the office. Several companies — such as Warby Parker, HubSpot, Etsy, and PayPal — are known for going all out in their celebrations.
Need to scare up some good Halloween celebration ideas for your company? Whether working from home, in the office, or a mix of both, here are some ideas for your Halloween bash:
10 Virtual Halloween party ideas for work
It can be hard creating a company culture when some employees are working from home. Halloween is a chance to help your team members come together, even when you’re not all in the same place:
1. Give your employees a treat
Help everyone get in the Halloween spirit with a gift box. Try an Expensed Meal Halloween-themed coffee and treat from a local cafe or bakery.
2. Dress to impress
For many people, it’s not Halloween without a costume. Make a Halloween costume contest the centerpiece of your company’s virtual get-together. Pick a theme if you’d like (superheroes, pop culture figures) or set a challenge and have everyone craft their costume from items found in their houses. Award prizes, such as DoorDash Employee Gift Cards, to the winners.
3. Tour a haunted house online
Add some thrills and chills to your virtual Halloween bash and explore a haunted house with your team members. Spooky sites such as the Winchester Mystery House or the Pittock Mansion offer video tours you can rent or watch for free. For a real fright, check out the website for the infamous (but fake) haunted house, McKamey Manor, which has plenty of creepy YouTube clips.
4. Decorate pumpkins
You can’t have a list of fun Halloween work ideas without pumpkins. For companies working from home, invite employees to buy a pumpkin and carve their most elaborate jack-o’-lantern in the days leading up to Halloween. They can post a photo of it on the company’s internal website or communications channel, and then everyone can pick their favorites.
5. Host a virtual “spooky hour”
As twilight nears and work winds down for the day, turn your party into a festive happy hour. Everyone can order DoorDash from their favorite cocktail bar.
6. Create a bewitching mood
If your employees are working from home, give them Halloween-themed backgrounds for their video conferences. Team members who want to go all out can decorate their home office instead, whether they hang ghosts from the ceiling or transform their desk into the Upside Down from “Stranger Things.”
7. Hold a trivia contest
Looking for more fun Halloween ideas for remote employees? Test your employees’ Halloween knowledge with some trivia in a game show-style competition between individuals or teams. What state grows the most pumpkins? What’s the original name for candy corn? There’s no shortage of Halloween trivia. (The answers, by the way, are Illinois and chicken feed, respectively.)
8. Hire a virtual party planner
Many businesses specialize in virtual parties now that so many people are working from home. These party packages offer Halloween-themed activities, such as role-playing games or escape rooms, that everyone can participate in together online. Many of these parties have a team-building aspect to make the event a real bonding experience for your employees.
9. Do the Monster Mash
Compile a playlist of Halloween songs and hold a lip-sync or karaoke battle during your virtual party. After all, everyone knows the lyrics to “Thriller” (and probably the dance moves, too).
10. Provide ghoulishly good entertainment
Give your employees goosebumps with a haunting virtual performance. Hire a local actor or theater company to tell ghost stories or stage a murder mystery during your Zoom party. Have a psychic give readings to any willing participants. For a lighter mood, book a comedian to do a short set.
Halloween celebration ideas for employees in the office
Show those in the office your appreciation with a fun and festive event:
11. Serve a healthy Halloween lunch
With so many food ideas for office Halloween parties, it can be hard to settle on just one option. Pick your favorite restaurant specializing in healthy, nutritious meals to counterbalance all the mini candy bars floating around during the holiday. With DoorDash for Business' Group Orders, you can create a shopping cart link and send it to your employees. They use it to order their individual meals, and all the food is delivered at once so everyone can eat together.
12. Go trick-or-treating
Employees place bowls of snacks by their desks. As coworkers circulate, they can pick up some goodies. Some offices open it up to employees’ kids, who come decked out in all their costumes. Remember to give bags to everyone so that they can carry their loot.
13. Host a spooky dessert potluck
Sweets are a staple office Halloween party food. Have your employees bring in their most ghoulish (and tasty) treats. Brownie tombstones, sugar cookie ghosts, Halloween candy bark—these creative desserts will cast a spell on your employees. Want to add a twist? Tell everyone their desserts must incorporate some kind of Halloween candy.
14. Throw a party that packs a punch
Serve a nonalcoholic punch (preferably green, orange, or blood red in color) to go along with your office Halloween team lunch. You’ll find hundreds of recipes on the Internet to inspire you. Get really creative. Fill latex gloves with water and put them in the freezer the night before the party. On the day of the event, take the gloves off, and you have eerie, hand-shaped blocks of ice for your punch bowl.
15. Rent a portable photo booth
Ask your employees to wear their Halloween costumes to the office, and you have the perfect photo op. Employees can hang their photo strips on the walls by their desk, or you can display them in the lobby or breakroom. Speaking of photos, get a group picture of everyone before the party ends—you can make it your company’s holiday card this year.
16. Keep it short and sweet
A great Halloween perk for your employees is a half-day holiday. It allows for everyone to be home early for trick-or-treaters. To help everyone get out the door faster, serve lunch in the office. An easy way to do this is with DoorDash Group Orders. And if you offer DashPass for Employees subscriptions, it’s a quick and easy way for your employees to get dinner on the table at home before going out for the evening. Plus, they get reduced service fees and $0 delivery fees—that’s definitely a treat.
The best Halloween office party ideas can raise your team members’ spirits (no, not the ghostly kind). Contact DoorDash for Business to see how we can help you.
