22 Halloween Team Building Activities for the Workplace
With the spookiest day of the year right around the corner, now’s the time to start looking for Halloween team building activities for the workplace. We’ve compiled a list of virtual and in-person Halloween team building games your colleagues will love.
Updated on August 12, 2024
With October quickly approaching, Halloween team building activities for the workplace are another great chance to unwind, celebrate the season, and have some the fun with your team.
Whether your team is working remotely or in the office, here are 22 fun and engaging ideas for how to celebrate the spookiest day of the year together.
- 8 Virtual Halloween Team Building Games for Remote Teams
- 1. Virtual Jeoparty Social: Scary Edition
- 2. Virtual Halloween Howler
- 3. Video Pumpkin Carving
- 4. Virtual Clue Murder Mystery
- 5. Virtual Halloween Happy Hour
- 6. Virtual Scream Pursuit
- 7. Halloween Virtual Trivia Games
- 8. Virtual Escape Room: Mummy’s Curse
- 14 In-Person Halloween Team Building Activities for the Workplace
- 1. Hollywood Murder Mystery
- 2. Haunted House Visits
- 3. CI: The Crime Investigators
- 4. Decorate Your Office and Desks
- 5. Clue Murder Mystery
- 6. The Mummy Wrap
- 7. Halloween Potluck
- 8. Pumpkin Carving Contest
- 9. Costume Relay Race
- 10. Spooky Storytelling Circle
- 11. Monster Trivia Challenge
- 12. DIY Haunted House
- 13. Halloween Office Maze
- 14. Halloween Move Marathon
- 15. Witch’s Brew Tasting Party
8 Virtual Halloween Team Building Games for Remote Teams
For many teams, getting together in person simply isn’t a possibility. But that doesn’t have to stop you from having some Halloween fun together.
Here are eight virtual Halloween team building activities that your team will love.
1. Virtual Jeoparty Social: Scary Edition
If your remote team is eager to socialize, have some fun as a group, and channel their competitive spirit while celebrating the spookiest season of the year, we’ve got just the thing for you!
With Virtual Jeoparty Social: Scary Edition, your team will get to step into their very own virtual Jeopardy-style game show—equipped with a buzzer button, a professional actor as your host, and an immersive Halloween-themed game show platform! Best of all, this game has been infused with an ultra-social (and spooky) twist.
In this activity, your group will break out into teams and compete through multiple rounds of virtual Halloween-themed trivia questions inspired by Jeopardy, winning (or losing!) points for each. And, for some added all-inclusive interaction, players will take part in a unique social mixer challenge between each round.
So, get ready to test your trivia knowledge, hit that buzzer button as fast as you can, help your team win as many points as possible before time runs out, and share some laughs (and scares) between rounds —and then wager a little or a lot in a round of Final Jeoparty to top it all off.
2. Virtual Halloween Howler
Get ready to visit some of the scariest places imaginable, including a creepy castle, a graveyard at midnight, a haunted house, and… a gameshow set. With Virtual Halloween Howler, you and your colleagues will need to put on your bravest faces as you compete through four rounds of terrifying trivia challenges.
3. Video Pumpkin Carving
If you want to make things even more interesting, you can transform this into a contest where employees vote on their favorite pumpkins. You can even give out a spooky prize for the winner.
4. Virtual Clue Murder Mystery
Nothing screams “Halloween” like a murder mystery. And in the virtual version of our Clue Murder Mystery activity, your team will need to solve the murder of a man named Neil Davidson by figuring out who had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit the crime. If you really want to get in the Halloween spirit, you and your team can even get Halloween costumes and dress up as detectives!
5. Virtual Halloween Happy Hour
You can’t go wrong with a virtual happy hour. And for Halloween, we recommend tasking your team with creating the best costume they can possibly think of and turning this happy hour into a costume contest.
And if you or your team are looking for some delicious inspiration, check out this comprehensive list of Halloween-inspired cocktails from Delish. Some of the highlights include:
- Boozy Screamsicle Shakes – Ice cream? Good. Vanilla vodka? Good. Boozy, spooky, creamsicle-inspired cocktails? Very, very good.
- Jekyll & Gin – This twist on a Gin Daisy looks coral-colored in the daylight and glows white under a black light.
- Black Magic Margaritas – Give that classic margarita an eerie upgrade with some black sanding sugar and some dark-colored food coloring.
Just remember, if you’re having drinks, do so responsibly and always ensure everyone has a safe way to get home.
6. Virtual Scream Pursuit
We hope your team isn’t afraid of a challenge! With this eerie Halloween-themed team building activity, they’ll test their nerves and their wits as they work through a series of mental, physical, skill, and mystery challenges, earning points for each completed correctly—all while having some fun, sharing some laughs, and celebrating the spookiest season of the year.
7. Halloween Virtual Trivia Games
Hop on Zoom for some Halloween virtual trivia games with your team. If you’re looking for the best way to do this, this article from Medium offers in-depth, step-by-step instructions, which include:
- Pick a moderator because it’s easier to have one person coordinating all the details
- Choose your tools, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams
- Select your questions, including:
- Which country did Jack-o-Lanterns originally belong to?
- How many pounds of candy corn are produced annually?
- Who was the first actor to play Wolfman?
- For more, you might want to check out this list of 100+ Halloween trivia questions
- Break the group into teams
- Have each team create their own private video conference
- Set the ground rules, such as not using Google, only one answer per team, and the amount of time that teams will have to discuss before submitting their response
- Tally the scores and announce the winner
The amount of time you’ll want to dedicate to this will depend on how many questions you have. We’d recommend allocating a minimum of one hour for 25 to 30 questions.
8. Virtual Escape Room: Mummy’s Curse
Your remote team has been transported into a pyramid cursed by a restless mummy. Now you must uncover the secrets of Ancient Egypt in order to lift the mummy’s curse and return before the portal closes forever.
Your team’s problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills will be put to the test, as they race against the clock (and their peers) to solve the mummy’s complex clues and puzzles.
Does your team have what it takes to lift this ancient curse, once and for all?
14 In-Person Halloween Team Building Activities for the Workplace
If your team works in the office together, or if you’re able to get together in-person, then you’ve got a ton of great Halloween team building activity ideas available to you.
Here are 14 Halloween team building activities.
1. Hollywood Murder Mystery
The case is fresh, but here’s what we know so far: we’ve got an up-and-coming actress who’s been found dead in her hotel room following last night’s awards show.
We have several suspects, but we haven’t been able to put the crime on any of them for sure yet. Now, it’s up to you and your team of detectives to crack the case. Together, you’ll review case files and evidence including police reports, coroners’ reports, photo evidence, tabloids, interrogations, and phone calls as you determine the motive, method, and murderer and bring justice for the victim.
You’ll need to put your problem-solving skills to the test as you share theories, collaborate, and think outside the box with your fellow investigators.
2. Haunted House Visits
3. CI: The Crime Investigators
With this team building activity, you and your group will need to put your detective hats on to solve a deadly crime by gathering evidence, analyzing clues, and cracking the case before time runs out. But it won’t be easy! You’ll need to think creatively and work collaboratively in order to identify the perpetrator.
4. Decorate Your Office and Desks
As individual departments or as a full team, get together to decorate your office in classic Halloween fashion. We’d recommend setting a budget per department and sending your team out in small groups to go buy decorations.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out these awesome ideas from Homedit.
You can also encourage individual employees to decorate their desks and do a tour of the office to check out how everyone did it.
5. Clue Murder Mystery
You’ve probably never heard of Neil Davidson, but in this mysterious team building activity, you and your team will need to work together to analyze clues, review case files, and determine who had the means and the motive to commit a deadly crime.
6. The Mummy Wrap
Want to have a laugh with your team? Play this game you probably haven’t thought about since elementary school!
Break out into teams and elect one person from each team to be transformed into a mummy – by being wrapped from head to toe in toilet paper. The first team that can successfully wrap the mummy wins.
You can also add an extra element of challenge by having your team customize their mummy costumes in a way that fits your brand or company theme.
7. Halloween Potluck
You can’t go wrong with a good potluck. We recommend that you set a modest budget for each member of your team to purchase groceries and let them get creative with their recipes.
If you’re looking for inspiration, check out this massive list of 72 Halloween potluck recipe ideas from Taste of Home. It includes things like:
- So-Easy-It’s-Spooky Bat Cake – Made with a boxed cake mix, this can easily be transformed into a Halloween-themed cake by creating a bat silhouette using cocoa.
- Witches’ Fingers – These sweet-and-salty treats are delicious and easy to make.
- Roasted Pumpkin Nachos – Using delicious fresh fall ingredients, you can make nachos and replace corn with roasted pumpkin or butternut squash for a tasty Halloween treat.
- Mad Scientist Punch – Using kitchen staples like juice concentrate, soft drink mix, soda, and sherbet, you can make this delicious beverage in a boozy or non-boozy version.
- Halloween Party Cutout Cookies – What’s better than sugar cookies? Using an easy recipe and a few colors of icing, you can bake fun and tasty Halloween cookies your colleagues will love.
8. Pumpkin Carving Contest
Get your team’s creativity flowing with a classic Pumpkin Carving Contest. Provide each team with pumpkins, carving tools, and maybe even some safe carving patterns for those who need a little inspiration. Set a time limit, and let everyone’s imagination run wild as they carve their pumpkins into spooky, funny, or downright bizarre creations. Once the carving is complete, line up the pumpkins for a judging round where you can vote on categories like “Scariest,” “Funniest,” and “Most Creative.” Winners can take home a festive prize, and everyone gets to enjoy the display of jack-o’-lanterns lighting up the office.
9. Costume Relay Race
Inject some adrenaline into your Halloween celebrations with a Costume Relay Race. Set up a course around the office or outside, with different stations stocked with Halloween costume items like witch hats, vampire capes, or zombie masks. Teams race from station to station, with each member putting on a new costume piece before tagging the next teammate. The race gets sillier and more fun with each round as team members transform into their Halloween alter egos. The first team to complete the course fully dressed in costume wins, bringing out the competitive spirit and plenty of laughs along the way.
10. Spooky Storytelling Circle
11. Monster Trivia Challenge
Put your team’s spooky knowledge to the test with a Monster Trivia Challenge. Create a list of Halloween-themed trivia questions that cover everything from classic horror movies to ghostly legends. Divide your team into small groups and see who knows the most about the things that go bump in the night. The trivia game brings out the competitive spirit, as teams work together to answer questions and outsmart the competition. The team with the most correct answers wins a Halloween-themed prize, and everyone gets to learn a little more about their favorite holiday in the process.
12. DIY Haunted House
Unleash your team’s creativity with a DIY Haunted House project. Turn different parts of your office into sections of a haunted labyrinth, with each team or department responsible for designing their own spooky zone. Give them props, lighting, and sound effects, and watch as they transform ordinary office spaces into terrifying scenes. Once the Haunted House is complete, take a group tour to see each section in action. The scares, screams, and laughs make for an unforgettable Halloween experience, with each team taking pride in their haunted creations.
13. Halloween Office Maze
14. Halloween Move Marathon
Turn your office into a cozy, spooky theater with a Halloween Movie Marathon. Select a lineup of classic Halloween movies—anything from family-friendly flicks to spine-tingling thrillers. Set up a viewing area with comfy seating, popcorn, and Halloween-themed snacks. You can watch movies back-to-back or spread them out over the day, letting your team take breaks between films to discuss their favorite scenes or grab more treats. To get you started, here are some movie recommendations:
- Hocus Pocus: A cult classic about three witches resurrected on Halloween night.
- Beetlejuice: A dark comedy about a mischievous ghost causing chaos in a haunted house.
- The Addams Family: A quirky family with a love for the macabre, perfect for Halloween laughs.
- Ghostbusters: A team of paranormal investigators battling ghosts in New York City.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas: A Tim Burton classic blending Halloween with Christmas in a unique, spooky tale.
- Casper: A heartwarming story about a friendly ghost trying to make new friends.
- Coraline: A creepy animated adventure about a girl who discovers a sinister parallel world.
- Edward Scissorhands: A Tim Burton film about an artificial man with scissors for hands trying to fit into society.
- Practical Magic: A charming story of two witch sisters dealing with love, magic, and curses.
- Sleepy Hollow: A haunting tale of the Headless Horseman terrorizing a small town.
This relaxed and engaging activity is perfect for fostering a sense of community and allowing everyone to unwind together while getting into the Halloween spirit.
15. Witch’s Brew Tasting Party
Mix up some mysterious concoctions with a Witch’s Brew Tasting Party. Have everyone contribute by bringing in a Halloween-themed drink—whether it’s a classic punch or a creative mocktail. Set up a tasting station where everyone can sample the different brews and vote on their favorites. To inspire your team’s brewing skills, here are some drink ideas:
- Witches’ Blood Punch: A fruity punch made with cranberry juice, ginger ale, and orange juice. Add a splash of grenadine for that perfect blood-red color. For a spooky twist, float some gummy worms on top.
- Black Magic Martini: A striking cocktail made with black vodka, triple sec, and cranberry juice. Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a black sugar rim for a bewitching effect.
- Ghostly Lemonade: A simple yet eerie mocktail made with lemonade and a splash of blue curaçao syrup for a ghostly pale blue color. Serve over ice with a lemon slice and a few blueberries floating on top.
- Vampire’s Kiss: A layered drink with a base of grenadine, followed by a mix of vodka and raspberry liqueur, and topped with a splash of champagne. The layers create a blood-red gradient that’s perfect for Halloween.
- Green Slime Smoothie: A healthy and spooky option made with spinach, banana, pineapple juice, and a splash of coconut milk. Blend until smooth, and serve in a clear glass to show off the slimy green color.
- Pumpkin Spice Mocktail: Mix apple cider with pumpkin puree, a splash of vanilla extract, and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Shake with ice, strain, and serve in a glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar.
- Midnight Mule: A dark twist on the classic Moscow Mule, made with black vodka, ginger beer, and a squeeze of lime. Serve in a copper mug with a black straw for an extra touch of Halloween flair.
- Spider Cider: Heat up apple cider with a cinnamon stick, cloves, and a star anise for a warm, spiced drink. Serve with a gummy spider floating on top for a spooky surprise.
- Candy Corn Cocktail: Layer grenadine, orange juice, and a whipped cream vodka in a glass to mimic the look of candy corn. The sweet layers make this a fun and festive drink.
- Eyeball Punch: Make a creepy punch with green lime sherbet, lemon-lime soda, and pineapple juice. Add peeled grapes or lychee fruit stuffed with blueberries to look like floating eyeballs.
Set up your tasting station with each of these brews labeled with spooky names, and decorate the area with cauldrons, dry ice, and other witchy accessories. After everyone has sampled the drinks, have them vote on their favorites. This activity combines creativity with a little friendly competition and gives your team a chance to show off their brewing skills.
As October 31st approaches, it’s a great opportunity to start thinking about fun and engaging Halloween team building activities for the workplace. Your colleagues will thank you for it!
Do you have any other Halloween team building ideas that we might’ve missed? If so, let us know what they are in the comments section below!
Learn More About Virtual and In-Person Halloween Team Building Activities for the Workplace
For more information about how your team can celebrate Halloween with a fun team building activity, reach out to our Employee Engagement Consultants.
Your blog post was fantastic, thanks for the great content!