Office Summer Party Ideas for In-Office & Remote

Happy summer! There’s no bad time to throw a company party, but summer is a great time because you can take advantage of great weather. We have compiled the best office summer party ideas and themes so you can make the most of your company summer bash (and a list of digital assets to help you promote them). All you need is sun, fun, and your favorite coworkers.

Fun Summer Office Party Ideas

Do something unique in your area.

Are there any festivals in the area that might be fun to go-to? Or a gorgeous state park people might like to visit? It can be fun to be a tourist in your own town. Don’t forget the sunscreen. 

Throw a remote party.

‍Have employees all over? No problem. Send a party in a box. Curate a custom care package for your employees and send it right to their door. You can include games, swag, snacks, gift cards, and just about anything else you can imagine. You can even include a card that gives employees points on the Awardco platform!

Provide delicious food.

‍If you’re looking for simple crowd-pleaser, food is the way to go. Some ways to do food include:

• Have a BBQ. Nothing feels quite like summer as much as a BBQ.
• Have a local company cater. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship if you support a local food place.
• Try a new restaurant that just opened up. Bonus: No one can say they don’t like it if they haven’t tried it.
• Make a signature cocktail/mocktail for your company. Even if not everyone likes it it’ll be a great conversation starter. 
• Have a taste test. Get desserts, drinks, or other food items from several places and have everyone rank their favorites. You can do it casually or have everyone dress up and treat it like a fancy wine tasting. 

You can send your remote employees gift cards to grab food for themselves or arrange to have food delivered to them. 

Pro tip: Double check with everyone about allergies and other food restrictions.

Host the office/workplace olympics.

‍This can include anything from racing in rolling chairs to paper airplane competitions. There are lots of things you could do for this from crafty to athletic:

• Have each department create a team flag 
• See who can type the fastest or organize files the fastest
• See who can vacuum/mop the fastest with obstacles in their way
• Pen toss/archery 
  

Pro tip: Vary between athletic ideas and ideas that anyone can participate in, regardless of physical ability. Keep it accessible, and if you need more ideas, look around on Pinterest.

Give everyone a free vacation day.

There’s a catch, they have to use it to do something fun, ideally outside. Have everyone report back on how they spent their day so they can share their stories together. 

Bonus: Exercise and fresh air increases productivity and helps people be their best. You can include outdoor games, beach towels, and more. 

Serve in your community.

‍Summertime is a great time to pick up litter. You can clean up a local park or neighborhood. There are some different ways to do this. 

• Give your people VTO: volunteer time-off. As long as the volunteer activity is approved, they get time off to do it.
• Split into groups and compete to see who can pick up the most garbage.
• If your teams are remote, give everyone a day off to go serve somewhere in their community. Let them choose their own service project and have everyone share photos.
• Spring/summer is a great time to declutter and get rid of stuff. Find an organization for everyone to donate clothes to or have them donate to a local charity. If your employees are remote, have them find an organization that takes gently used business attire--since they aren’t using that anymore. ‍‍‍

Create a summer reward catalog.

‍Give your employees points in the Awardco platform to use for summer activities. A summer catalog could include:

1. Paddleboards
2. Badminton sets
3. Picnic baskets
4. Hiking shoes
5. Gift cards to somewhere like REI
6. Water bottles. 
7. Fancy sunscreen 
8. Beach towels 
9. Bluetooth speaker
10. Inflatable pool toys.

Bonus: Many of the items above can be branded with your company logo.

Do an activity scavenger hunt.

‍This kind of scavenger hunt isn’t just about finding things, it’s about doing things. Split into teams and have people film themselves doing the following:

• Recreate famous paintings or scenes from movies
• Say the alphabet backwards as fast as they can
• Get a stranger to pose for a photo
• Sing a specific song and have the rest of the team be backup dancers.
• Find the most interesting sculpture or mural
• Buy a stranger a treat
• Whatever else you can think of!
  

Pro tip: There are apps and companies that can come up with ideas for you and automate the scavenger hunt process. 

These are just some ideas, the most important thing is to plan activities that you know your team will love.