Holiday Party Icebreaker Game

Get guests mingling at your office holiday party, company celebration, or club's end-of-year event.

Why Holiday Parties Need an Icebreaker

Holiday parties are supposed to bring people together, but most guests spend the evening with the same few coworkers or friends. People from different teams, offices, or partners and spouses who don't know anyone end up standing around. A holiday party icebreaker gives everyone a festive reason to talk to someone new.

Jam Bingo sends each guest holiday prompts, like 'Find someone who has a unique holiday tradition and ask how it started.' After each conversation, guests scan each other's QR codes to unlock the next prompt, and a leaderboard adds friendly competition. It works for 20 guests or 2,000, and there's nothing to download.

How?

Jam Bingo is the simplest networking game that gets everyone talking and learning more about each other.

1. during the networking session

Introduce Jam Bingo to get attendees started.

2. Attendees scan to participate

Guests open their phone camera and scan the QR Code.

3. A conversation starter To Connect

Each guest receives a tailored conversation starter.

4. The Exchange: Get People Talking

After chatting, scan the other person's QR Code to mark the connection and unlock your next prompt.

Step-by-step

How to Use the Holiday Party Icebreaker at Your Event

The holiday party icebreaker helps the people at your event meet new people, not just the people they came with. Here’s how to use it:

01
Step 1
Decide How Many New People Each Person Meets
Create a Jam Bingo for your event and choose how many different people you'd like each person to talk with. That's the job of the Holiday Party Icebreaker: getting people past the group they came with and into conversations with people they haven't met yet.
TipNot sure? Start with 5 people each - enough to get everyone past the group they came with.
02
Step 2
Add Conversation Prompts
Pick a ready-made template or write your own prompts. Each prompt gives people a reason to find someone new and a question to start the conversation.
TipKeep prompts about people, not trivia - "Find someone who…" sends people across the room to someone new.
03
Step 3
Display Your Jam Bingo QR Code
Put your Jam Bingo QR code on the big screen, at check-in, or on table cards. People scan it with their phone camera to join - no app to download.
TipExplain it once, in one line: scan, find someone who fits your prompt, talk, then scan each other's QR code.
04
Step 4
Let People Meet New People
Each person gets a conversation prompt, finds someone who fits it, and talks with them. Then they scan that person's QR code to get their next prompt and meet someone else.
TipGive it 20 to 45 minutes during a reception, break, or networking session.
05
Step 5
Everyone Leaves With Their Connections
Every connection is saved, so each person gets a list of the people they met - with the contact info they shared and the conversations they had.
TipRecognize the people who met the most new people at the end - it's an easy way to wrap up.

Ready to Use the Holiday Party Icebreaker at Your Event?

Create a Jam Bingo, add your own prompts, and get a QR code for your event. You’ll be directed to the Create Account page first.

Have questions? Book a 15-minute demo.

Use cases

Where to Use Holiday Party Icebreaker

What is your goal with Holiday Party Icebreaker?

Colleagues from different departments University students coming from different schools Christian singles coming from different cities Delegates from different cities meeting at a conferenceProfessionals at a happy hour/networking mixer

Office Holiday Parties

Get coworkers from different teams talking over the holidays.

Mixes departments and offices
Plus-ones meet people too
Festive and inclusive

Company-Wide Celebrations

Bring a large end-of-year party together with one activity everyone can join.

Works for any company size
No props or printing
Leaderboard adds friendly competition

Club & Community Holiday Events

End the year with members meeting people they haven't talked to yet.

Great for members and guests
Easy for volunteers to run
Festive prompts ready to use

Compare

Holiday Party Icebreaker vs. White Elephant

Feature	White Elephant Gift Exchange	Holiday Party Icebreaker
Who guests talk to	Mostly watching one exchange at a time	Several new people, one-on-one
Works for large parties	Slow with 50+ guests	Any group size at once
Gifts	Everyone buys a gift	No gifts needed
Plus-ones and new hires	Watch from the side	Join as easily as anyone
Setup	Gift rules and wrapping	Pick prompts and show a QR code

Inspiration

Example Prompts for Holiday Party Icebreaker

Taken from the Office Holiday Party template. Use them as a starting point, then adapt them to your group.

Make people move

Start prompts with "Find someone who…" so each one sends players across the room to a new person, not back to their own table.

Mix easy and deeper prompts

Open with quick, observable prompts (something they're wearing, where they're from), then add a few that lead to a real story.

Keep them inclusive

Avoid prompts about money, looks, or anything someone could feel left out of. Everyone should be able to answer at least half of them.

Match the length of your event

Around 12–16 prompts fits a 30-minute game. More prompts than time just leaves people unfinished.

What type of event?

Company Event Networking Night University Club Church Gathering Chamber Mixer

1
Find someone who has a holiday tradition you've never heard of and ask them how it started
2
Find someone from a different team and ask them about the highlight of their year
3
Find someone who is travelling over the holidays and ask them where they're headed
4
Find someone who makes a signature holiday dish and ask them for the secret ingredient
5
Find someone who joined the company this year and ask them what surprised them most
6
Find someone who came with a plus-one and ask their guest how they'd describe your company
7
Find someone who is wearing something festive and ask them about their favorite holiday memory
8
Find someone who has a New Year's resolution planned and ask them what it is
9
Find someone who celebrates the holidays differently than you and ask them what they love about it
10
Find someone who worked on a project you didn't know about and ask them what they're proud of
11
Find someone who has a favorite holiday movie or song and ask them why it's the one
12
Find someone who is taking time off and ask them what they're most looking forward to

See all 15 prompts in the Office Holiday Party template · Browse all templates

Alternatives

Other Platforms Like Jam Bingo

Jam Bingo is designed to help people actually get to know each other, not just exchange names. Unlike icebreaker games that focus on quick interactions or surface-level fun, Jam Bingo is built around meaningful conversations that make it easier for people to open up, find common ground, and build real relationships.

Features	Jam Bingo	Hoogo	SocialPoint.io	Booth Bingo	Eventgamification.com
Paperless (QR Code Digital)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Custom Branding	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Conversation Prompt	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Meaningful & Intentional Connections	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Contact Sharing (Email, Instagram, Linkedin, etc)	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Connect with people who aren't playing (scan their LinkedIn QR code, or enter their name + email or phone)	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Each person gets a list of everyone they connected with, including contact information and conversations they had.	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Introduction Forum	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Auto Introductions ("Introduce Me")	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good icebreaker game for an office holiday party?

One that everyone can join at once and that gets people talking across teams. Jam Bingo sends festive prompts to guests' phones, like 'Find someone who has the best holiday recipe and ask for the secret ingredient,' and each conversation unlocks the next prompt.

How do you keep a holiday party icebreaker inclusive?

Use prompts about 'holiday traditions' or 'end-of-year celebrations' rather than one specific holiday, and avoid prompts about spending money or drinking.

Does it work for large company holiday parties?

Yes. Every guest plays on their own phone, so it works the same for 30 guests or 2,000 with no extra setup.

Can partners and plus-ones play?

Yes. Anyone can join by scanning the QR code with just their name, which helps plus-ones meet people too.

When should we run it during the party?

As guests arrive and before dinner or speeches — the first 30–45 minutes, when people are standing around with a drink.

The Simple Way to Get People Talking

Jam Bingo gets people having meaningful conversations and meeting as many new people as possible.

Guide

Holiday Party Icebreaker Game

Why Holiday Parties Need an Icebreaker