12 Super Fun Happy Hour Ideas for Remote Teams

1. Why Does Your Office Need A Happy Hour?

The office happy hour provides a perfect setting for coworkers to relax and mingle outside the formal work environment. Originally, happy hour referred to the time of day when bars and restaurants offered their usual fare at a reduced price. However, happy hour ideas have evolved into a more general after-work social activity in the employee workspace.

During an office happy hour work party, employees gather in a common area, such as the cafeteria, lounge, or a local bar, to eat, have drinks, and socialize. You can also livestream a game or sport to keep people occupied. Doing so can bring employees together, build trust, strengthen work bonds, and improve company culture amidst big projects and tight deadlines.

2. 12 Happy Hour Ideas for Work

2.1. Paint and Sip

There’s something so relaxing about channeling your artistic expressions while sipping a drink that makes a Paint and Sip one of the best happy hour ideas. While some of your teammates may have never even painted before, this activity offers a brand new experience of learning to create beautiful keepsake artwork. You and your teammates can learn different paint brush strokes, techniques, and more, all while bonding over drinks and snacks. As part of the idea, provide your employees with art supplies as well as paint-proof clothing and aprons.

For those of you who are working in remote setups, a virtual happy hour session is a great way to enhance team bonding. Hooray Teams, a professional virtual team-building company offers some entertaining and lighthearted ideas like a hosted Virtual Painting or Painting-a-Tote session that’s perfect for your next happy hour.

Dive into our article on the best virtual paint and sip experiences to unlock your creativity, and create masterpieces from the comfort of your own home.

2.2. Happy Hour Trivia

If you are on the lookout for classic and fun happy hour ideas, a trivia game is the perfect choice to infuse your virtual gathering with lively energy, friendly competition, and a dash of team spirit. You can prepare a list of trivia questions from various topics such as movies, music, TV shows, holidays, or pop culture. You don’t need to be a know-it-all, it's all about hanging out and having a blast together.

Whether you're gathering in person or virtually, trivia competitions are a fantastic way to bring people together. Explore virtual trivia sessions with team-building experts like Hooray Teams, who customize trivia activities according to your company preferences. A professional host will be there to take all the stress out of having to organize the session.

2.3. Plan a Karaoke Competition

Is your team ready to elevate the office happy hour activities with an awesome Karaoke competition? If you can get karaoke set up in the office, it would be a great experience. It gives all your employees a chance to express themselves through music.

If hosting an in-house karaoke event is not feasible, consider taking the team to a local karaoke bar. Reserve the entire venue for your office, pick a suitable time, and get ready for an unforgettable time! To add a competitive edge, appoint judges from each department and have them decide on the winners, turning the outing into a lively and engaging experience.

2.4. Organize a Brunch at a Local Restaurant

Team happy hour ideas at work usually sound like lots of alcohol, but how about a brunch with the entire team to start the day on a positive note? Happy hour food ideas like a warm and hearty brunch will fuel productivity across your office and keep everyone cheerful for the entire day.

Breakfast food items such as pancakes, bacon, boiled eggs, and waffles are some of the most widely loved foods. To organize it, you can hire a local restaurant to set up their entire breakfast range in the office cafeteria. You can customize the menu if you are planning to organize happy hour ideas for seniors.

2.5. Mixology Class

Another fun work happy hour idea that’s a surefire hit is a mixology class for your coworkers when they get to make their drinks or have them too! Bring in an expert mixologist to show your team how to create classics like margaritas or mojitos, share insider tips and tricks, and even craft customized blends on request. It’s a great way to loosen up, socialize, and have some fun.

If you are looking for exciting happy hour ideas for a remote team, then join Hooray Teams Virtual Cocktail-Making Class. They even send a cocktail-making kit right to your door, complete with all the ingredients required to make your signature cocktails. All you need to do is book a request and they will handle the rest.

Explore our article on virtual happy hour cocktail kits to discover a world of mixology wonders and learn how to craft tantalizing drinks that will impress your friends and colleagues.

2.6. Have a Theme Party

Who doesn’t love to dress up at work? In the list for happy hour ideas, a themed office party is the perfect way to let your employees wear their goofiest costumes and let them flaunt it all around with confidence.

In a costume theme party, the sky's the limit - a favorite TV show, movies, music artists, sports heroes, and many more. You can also open up the field for everyone and let the entire office vote on the theme it is most excited about. This is an opportunity to understand the creative side of your coworkers in a fun and relaxed environment.

2.7. Hire a Professional Stand-Up Comedian

You know what they say about laughter being the best medicine. Then we’d say stand-up comedians are the doctors we need if we could use some cheering up! Invite a local artist to your corporate happy hours event and have him or her dish out some amazing work-appropriate jokes.

Good comedians can read their audience and involve members in the act. After all, the participation is where half the fun is, right? Hosting a few local talents in your happy hour would do them and your workers a world of good.

2.8. Have an Outdoor Party

After being in the office all week, having the chance to relax and unwind in an outdoor space is a fantastic option for your next happy hour. A simple venue change can be quite the upgrade to the happy hour event, and to add to it further - consider adding some additional outdoor decor with happy hour signs - think neon lights, and illuminated greetings (if there is a specific theme for happy hour in office, keep it in line with that).

Whether it's a garden, rooftop, park, or even a happy hour restaurant, the idea is to create a fresh twist to your happy hour while promoting plenty of laughter, relaxation, and great conversations.

2.9. Visit Local Breweries and Wineries

If you want to add a unique twist to your office happy hour ideas, invite the local breweries and wineries of your city to put their offerings on display. There are many advantages to this - the breweries get more attention and increase their customer base, with the entire office going through their menu.

As for your employees, they get to taste newer varieties of wine, or beer and sample the local offerings or happy hour specials. It's the perfect blend of relaxation and exploration, making every sip a toast to great times and good memories.

2.10. Charades

If you are looking for fun and engaging company happy hour ideas for the workplace, Charades can be your best pick. Start by dividing everybody into groups, and players of one group will need to act out some words and phrases while others try to guess what they are. Use a game word generator to come up with words and phrases based on specific categories such as sports, television, books, food, shows, famous places, eminent figures, animals, and birds. It's the perfect recipe for laughter, team bonding, and a memorable happy hour that everyone will be talking about.

2.11. Beer Pong

Transform your happy hour at workplace into a lively and competitive event with the classic game of Beer Pong. Divide your coworkers into teams, arrange 10 to 15 cups on a table in a triangular formation, and take turns trying to toss a ping pong ball into your opponent's cups. When the ball lands, they drink the contents of the cup, like beer, wine, vodka, or gin. The shared experience of laughter, cheers, and friendly rivalry creates a unique bond among team members, making your happy hour a memorable and impactful team-building event.

2.12. Wine Tasting

Not everyone is a fan of beer, so add a bit of variety to your happy hour ideas by offering a wine-tasting session. An expert wine sommelier will guide you and your team to explore the look, smell, and taste of 4-5 varieties of wine. You and your team can also explore the origin, history, and different techniques involved in winemaking, turning the experience into an enriching journey. It’s a chance to break down barriers, build relationships, and create a sense of community among employees in a relaxing and educational way.

If you are in search of virtual happy hour ideas for coworkers, check out our blog on 10 Virtual Happy Hour Games for Remote Work Gatherings. From hosted DIY cooking classes to self-made trivia quizzes, you will find plenty of remote happy hour ideas that ensure your team stays engaged and entertained.

3.FAQs

3.1. What are some office happy hour tips?

Here are some tips to make your happy hour ideas even more fun:

Make the event for office happy hours optional, don’t force your employees to attend the program
Hire a professional bartender or a catering service
Send a work happy hour invite to everyone a week prior to the event for maximum engagement.
Organize happy hour games in person as part of the event
Enjoy a few drinks but put a cap on the number to ensure everyone can have a good time without going overboard.
Spend time with everyone in the office, not just your friend from the next cubicle

3.2. What is a good happy hour drink?

Happy hour liquor tastes can vary from person to person, but these are some of the favorites :

Martinis
Vodka tonics
Gin and tonic
Red wine
White wine
Craft beer

3.3. What do you talk about at work during happy hour?

The main aim of happy hour is to let the employees mingle among themselves and get to know each other. So, you’re not expected to talk about work or project management. However, if someone starts a conversation around work you can slightly chip in, but don’t get very engrossed.

3.4. What are a few office happy hour themes?

Happy hour themes for work can be anything - as long as it is fun and keeps everyone happy. You can theme the work happy hour ideas around the TV show that everyone’s hooked on, like Game of Thrones or maybe The Office. Themes based on movies such as Lord of the Rings and Marvel’s Avengers will also be quite fun for everyone. As long as it can reduce workplace stress and is office-appropriate, everything’s on the table.

3.5. What are some creative themes for happy hour ideas to spice up our team gatherings?

Consider themes like paint and sip, trivia games for happy hour, mixology challenge, lunch happy hour, sports, holiday happy hour ideas or summer happy hour themes. These themes add excitement, engagement, and a touch of uniqueness to your happy hour experiences, fostering a vibrant team spirit.

3.6. What are some creative virtual team happy hour ideas to boost team bonding?

Elevate your virtual team happy hours with engaging activities such as themed trivia nights, virtual escape rooms, mixology sessions, or interactive cooking classes. These ideas not only add an element of fun but also provide opportunities for informal social interactions, strengthening the sense of camaraderie and connection among remote team members.