12 Networking Games for a Corporate Holiday Mixer
Festive, inclusive games that get coworkers talking to people outside their own team before the year ends.
12 Networking Games for Your Corporate Holiday Mixer
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Showing 12 of 12 games
Jam Bingo - Holiday Networking Game
How to play
- 1
Get coworkers meeting people from other departments and offices, so the holiday mixer is more than everyone standing with their own team.
- 2
Before the mixer, create your Jam Bingo game and add holiday prompts ('Find someone who has a holiday tradition you've never heard of', 'Find someone who is traveling more than 500 miles this season') mixed with work prompts ('Find someone from a team you'll work with next year').
- 3
Put the QR code on a screen by the entrance and near the bar. Coworkers scan it with their phone camera, no app to download.
- 4
Each person gets one prompt at a time. They find a coworker who matches, chat, then scan that person's QR code to unlock the next prompt.
- 5
Random prompts pull people away from their usual desk group and toward coworkers they only know from email.
- 6
Show the leaderboard halfway through, then announce the top connectors during the holiday toast.
- 1
How is Jam Bingo Played?
Attendees scan the event’s Jam Bingo QR code (or enter the game code). It runs in the phone’s browser—there is no app to download.
- 2
Conversation Starter
Each person receives a conversation prompt on their phone, like a question to ask someone new.
- 3
Find someone and talk
They find someone who fits the prompt, have the conversation, then scan that person’s QR code (or enter their code) to unlock the next prompt.
- 4
Repeat and connect
Every connection is saved, and the leaderboard shows who met the most new people—perfect for prizes.
Keep prompts inclusive of every tradition ('Find someone whose favorite winter food is from another country'). Everyone can play, whatever they celebrate.
The coworkers who make the most connections on the leaderboard win.
An extra day off in January, a hot cocoa gift basket, or a 'Holiday Connector' trophy for their desk.
The prompt is a built-in opener ('My prompt says find someone who makes a holiday dish from scratch, do you?'), so quieter coworkers don't have to come up with small talk.
Holiday Tradition Swap
How to play
- 1
Ask everyone to pair up with someone from a different department.
- 2
Each person shares one holiday or winter tradition from their family, any culture or holiday counts.
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The listener asks: 'What's the best part of it?'
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When the music changes, find a new partner.
- 5
Run 3–4 rounds, then ask a few people to share the most surprising tradition they heard.
Say up front that any tradition counts, even 'we order pizza and watch the same movie every year'. It keeps it inclusive and gets the best stories.
No winner.
None needed.
It's one-on-one, and everyone has a tradition to talk about.
White Elephant with Questions
How to play
- 1
Everyone brings a wrapped gift and draws a number.
- 2
Tape a question card to each gift ('What's the best gift you've ever received?', 'What's a skill you picked up this year?').
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On their turn, a person opens a new gift or steals one from someone else.
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Whoever opens a gift reads the question and answers it out loud before the next turn.
- 5
Play until everyone has a gift. For bigger groups, run several games in groups of 15–20.
Run separate games for mixed groups, not one per department. The stealing creates instant inside jokes between people who've never worked together.
Whoever ends up with the gift they wanted.
The gifts are the prize.
They answer one short question on their turn, and the gift does most of the talking.
Ugly Sweater Walk and Talk
How to play
- 1
Announce categories: Ugliest, Most Lights, Most DIY, Best Pun, and Best 'I Forgot It Was Sweater Day'.
- 2
Everyone mingles for 10 minutes and asks at least three people the story behind their sweater.
- 3
Coworkers vote by slip or phone poll.
- 4
Winners do a quick runway walk.
- 5
Take a group photo of every sweater, plus the non-sweater crew.
The 'I Forgot' category means people who didn't dress up are part of the fun, not standing on the side.
Most votes in each category.
Tacky trophies, gift cards, or the right to choose next year's theme.
The sweater starts the conversation, and voting is anonymous.
Paper Snowball Fight
How to play
- 1
Give each person a sheet of white paper.
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They write three things: their name, their team, and one fun fact or holiday wish.
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Everyone crumples their sheet into a 'snowball' and, on the count of three, throws it across the room.
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Keep throwing for 30 seconds, then everyone picks up one snowball.
- 5
Each person finds the coworker on their snowball and asks about their fun fact.
Do it twice. The second time, people throw harder and laugh more, and everyone meets two new people.
No winner, just the first pairs to find each other.
Candy canes for the first five matches.
They have a clear mission: find one name. And the fun fact gives them the first line.
Holiday Would You Rather
How to play
- 1
Show a festive 'Would you rather' on screen, like 'Would you rather spend the holidays somewhere snowy or on a beach?'
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Guests walk to the left for one answer and the right for the other.
- 3
Each person turns to someone nearby on their side and explains why in 30 seconds.
- 4
Show the next question and repeat.
- 5
End with a work one: 'Would you rather have a 4-day week or a month off in December?'
Use it as your opener. It gets the whole mixer on its feet and talking in the first five minutes.
No winner.
None needed.
Walking to a side takes no talking, and the chat is with someone who already agrees with them.
Cookie Swap Connect
How to play
- 1
Invite coworkers to bring a batch of cookies with a label: their name, team and the story behind the recipe.
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Set them out on a long table with empty boxes.
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To take a cookie, you have to find the baker and ask them about it.
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Store-bought counts, as long as they bring a story ('This is the only thing I can't burn').
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At the end, everyone votes on the best cookie.
The 'find the baker' rule is what turns a snack table into a networking game.
Most votes for best cookie.
A golden spatula or a baking gift set.
Bakers get approached instead of having to approach, and the cookie is the topic.
Year in Review Circles
How to play
- 1
Form circles of 4–5 people from different teams.
- 2
Each person draws a card and answers it: 'Best moment at work this year', 'Something you learned', 'A coworker who helped you out'.
- 3
After everyone shares, one person moves to a new circle.
- 4
Draw new cards and repeat.
- 5
Run 3 rounds.
The 'a coworker who helped you' card often gets people thanking someone in the room. Encourage them to go say it in person.
No winner.
None needed.
The cards give them exactly what to say, and circles are small.
Name That Holiday Tune
How to play
- 1
Form teams of 4–6 that mix departments.
- 2
Play the first 5 seconds of a holiday or winter song.
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Teams write down the song and artist.
- 4
Add a bonus round of songs from different cultures and decades.
- 5
Score answers and crown the winning team.
Add a 'finish the lyric' round. Watching a table of accountants and engineers belt out the chorus together is the best part of the night.
Highest score.
Holiday-themed speakers or a gift card for each winner.
Team answers are written down, so nobody has to sing unless they want to.
Holiday Movie Charades
How to play
- 1
Split into teams that mix departments.
- 2
One person draws a movie title card and acts it out.
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Their team has 60 seconds to guess.
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Rotate actors every turn.
- 5
Most correct guesses wins.
Add a few cards with 'workplace' twists like 'Home Alone, but it's the office on Dec 24'.
Most correct guesses.
A box of movie snacks for the winning team.
They can be guessers instead of actors.
Gift Tag Match
How to play
- 1
Write famous holiday pairs on split gift tags: Milk and Cookies, Rudolph and Red Nose, Latkes and Applesauce, Hot Cocoa and Marshmallows.
- 2
Hand one half to each coworker as they arrive.
- 3
Everyone mingles to find their match.
- 4
Matched pairs answer one question together: 'What are you looking forward to next year?'
- 5
Shuffle and play again later in the night.
Hand out tags from separate piles at the door so teammates don't end up matched.
First few pairs to find each other.
Candy canes or a small treat.
Their only goal is to find one person, so there's no open-ended mingling.
Holiday Photo Booth Prompts
How to play
- 1
Set up a holiday photo booth with props: Santa hats, reindeer antlers, snowflake glasses.
- 2
Post prompts by the booth: 'Take a photo with someone from another office', 'Take a photo with someone you only know from email'.
- 3
Coworkers post photos in a team channel.
- 4
Encourage people to bring someone new for every photo.
- 5
Show a slideshow of the best photos during the toast.
Remote coworkers can join too: post the same prompts in the channel and ask them to share a festive selfie.
No winner, or award the most-liked photo.
Frame the winning photo for the office.
Photos take very little talking, and props do the work.
How to Run Networking Games at Your Corporate Holiday Mixer
- 01
Open with a quick, all-room game
Start with Holiday Would You Rather or a Paper Snowball Fight to get coworkers moving in the first five minutes.
- 02
Launch your main mixer game early
Put the Jam Bingo QR code on screen in the first 15 minutes, before people settle in with their own team by the bar.
- 03
Keep it inclusive
Pick games and prompts that work for every holiday tradition, people who don't drink, and coworkers who skipped the sweater.
- 04
Save team games for mid-mixer
Run Name That Holiday Tune or White Elephant once people have mingled, with teams mixed across departments.
- 05
Close with the holiday toast
Announce the top connectors and sweater winners during the toast, then share the photo booth slideshow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good networking games for a corporate holiday mixer?
Jam Bingo with holiday prompts, Holiday Tradition Swap, Paper Snowball Fight, White Elephant with Questions and Name That Holiday Tune. They get coworkers talking across departments without anyone feeling put on the spot.
How do I make holiday mixer games inclusive?
Keep the theme 'winter' or 'end of year' instead of one holiday, let any tradition count, and pick games that don't require a costume, a drink or a performance.
How do I get departments to mix at a holiday party?
Assign mixed teams for trivia and music games, hand out matching games from separate piles at the door, and use Jam Bingo prompts that send coworkers to teams they rarely work with.
What holiday networking game works for 200+ employees?
Jam Bingo. Everyone scans one QR code and gets holiday conversation prompts on their phone, one at a time, so the whole company plays at once with no printing.
How long should games run at a corporate holiday mixer?
Plan a 5-minute opener, 20–30 minutes for your main mixer game, and one team game. That leaves most of the night for food, drinks and free mingling.
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