San Francisco Holiday Office Party Ideas 

With the holiday season knocking on our doors, office managers and office administrators around the Bay Area are busy planning the best holiday office parties for their organizations. We’re not talking about cake-in-the-conference-room type parties either. We’re talking about parties that you’ll call home about, share on your Instagram, and remember for years to come. So here are 12 San Francisco Holiday office party ideas just for you.

In my time in San Francisco, I’ve been lucky to experience some fantastic holiday parties. From a night in a local speakeasy, floating down the Russian River (this is California after all) and indulging in arcade games at Golden Gate Tap Room, it’s been a fun ride. For those still wondering what to do to ensure a fantastic experience for their coworkers, check out our list of 12 SF holiday office party ideas that won’t break the bank.

Holiday Office Party Idea #1

Painted Ladies: Artisan Brunch Food Tour

• Location: Alamo Square/Hayes Valley
• Capacity: 2 person minimum 
• Price: $85 per person

We’d be remiss not to feature one of our fantastic food tour experiences for your next San Francisco holiday office party. What’s better than getting to know more about our amazing city while tasting delicious food along the way? For the holiday season, we like the Painted Ladies Artisan Brunch tour. 

You’ll get to know three San Francisco neighborhoods (including Alamo Square), try local artisan chocolate, taste the delicious history of San Francisco sourdough, and sample unique seasonal ice creams in hip Hayes Valley. True to this tour’s namesake, you’ll see the Painted Ladies, one of the most photographed locations in San Francisco, and for good reason! It makes the perfect picture postcard moment. There’s no dress code for our tours, but if you want to don your best holiday sweaters, wear your best food-related tees, or rock your corporate swag, we’re in full support. We’re here to make sure you have the best time with your team – get in touch today! 

Photo Courtesy of Alamo Draft House

Holiday Office Party Idea #3

 Ice Skating 

• Location: Union Square Ice Rink 
• Capacity: up to 250 
• Price: Ranges from $2250 – $4050

Ice skating might not be your first thought when thinking about holiday office parties in San Francisco, but the pop-up ice rink at Union Square every year is a fun tradition. Whether your coworkers grew up near an ice rink or it will be their first time seeing a frozen expanse of fun, this is a more active holiday party idea for your larger groups. 

During private events at the Union Square Ice Rink, the facility is closed to the public. As stated on their website, “For a private buyout of the rink, a host may bring décor, food, beverage, entertainment and other party elements as they wish.” So order your office’s favorite food from a nearby restaurant to keep everyone fueled up for skating. If you want to take this to the next level, pick a theme to use for your decor, and encourage people to dress up. An “ugly sweater” party could be an easy choice, and will keep people warm on the ice. 

Courtesy of HandsOn Bay Area 

Holiday Office Party Idea #5

 Scavenger hunt

• Location: The Go Game (varies)
• Capacity: How many you got? 
• Price: Flexible

Want to take your team on an Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt? Play lawn games on a boat? Unleash your inner theater kid on your unsuspecting colleagues? Almost any group game you can imagine, the team at Go Game can bring it to life. They can set up at different locations in the Bay Area (and internationally, if you were curious) and their experiences are 100% customizable to your group’s needs. 

It’s their customization that really sets this experience apart. If you want to work in company trivia to a game, choose a theme based on your product, or have everyone end up at a certain location for drinks or dinner, Go Game will come through. You’re in good hands too, as Netflix, Facebook, Salesforce, Adobe, and more have all used the Go Game for amazing holiday office party experiences. 

Looking for something even more local? Check out the Golden Gate Park Geocache Treasure Hunt Airbnb experience hosted by our friend Jess. She’s organized hundreds of geocaching outings around the world and on this experience in Golden Gate Park will help you hunt for 4 geocaches together while hiking and learning secrets about the park’s history. Her hunts start at $40 a person, and you’ll start and end in Golden Gate Park, so a picnic before or after is a great way to round out your holiday party.

Photo Courtesy of Wine and Design

Holiday Office Party Idea #7

 Bowling 

• Location: We like Mission Bowling 
• Capacity: 17 – 180 people
• Price: Varies

Bowling is a classic company outing, and the experience at Mission Bowling takes things to the next level. It’s a smaller venue (six lanes) which makes it a more intimate experience on a quieter street in the otherwise-happening Mission. The serve delicious American fare as well as some strong cocktails. If your team is full of competitive bowlers, we suggest you take a virgin option until you no longer need your hand-eye coordination. 

They are a community-focused business with a monthly charity partner. They also feature a rotating selection of art from their partnership with Artspan. You’ll get a quality lane and a taste of one of our favorite neighborhoods to bring your office together.

Photo Courtesy of Undercover Tourist

Holiday Office Party Idea #9

Rent a Food Truck (park) 

• Location: We like Spark Social
• Capacity: 70 – 1,000 people 
• Price: Varies based on size, charged per hour

Sometimes food at an office holiday party is an afterthought, why not make it the main event at a food truck party? SoMa StrEat Food Park offers a variety of vendors, Izzy’s Cheesesteak, Lobsta Truck, and Roli Roti are just a few of the classic trucks you can expect. 

The smallest event size starts in the Bus, a real-life school bus converted into a wonderful private party space featuring tables, chairs, and a tv screen. You can get the entire venue too (up to 1,000 people) and choose your favorite trucks to have on-site. With food sorted, you can run your own company trivia, bring games or crafts, and make it a night to remember.

Next Holiday office party idea:

DIY-it

So far we’ve shown you great ideas that are ready-to-go when you sign on the dotted line. However, if you’re looking for something for a smaller office or just want to do something more hands-on, take a look at our DIY ideas below.

10. Cookie Decorating 

There’s nothing wrong with going back to basics for your holiday office party. Purchase some plain sugar cookies, get some frosting and sprinkles, and set up space in your kitchen or bigger meeting room. You can also turn it into a cookie swap if people want to bring in their favorite recipes. 

Be sure to have boxes people can use to take home their sweet creations, get them customized with your company’s branding to make it even more special. If your company has remote employees, send them a cookie decorating kit so they can participate too! 

Image via Pinterest

12. Office Decorating Competition

An office decorating competition can get people into the holiday spirit, and can be tacked on to any of the other ideas above. Give each team or “pod,” however your office is arranged, a budget provided by the company. Then, give them a theme to decorate and hold a competition at the end of one week. Your theme could just be, “holiday,” or you can pick something connected to your brand, your office locations, or something else important to you and your team.

Before you announce the competition, create a set of guidelines for how the judging will work (and be sure to pick your judges!) so that everyone knows what to expect. You could have everyone in the office vote, or just nominate a few people. Depending on how many prizes you want to give out you could award categories like, Best Overall, Best on the Cheap, Best use of recycled materials, or whatever resonates with you! 

Love Stretchy Pants?

If you’re digging what we’re dishing up, your office might like any number of our culinary experiences. In addition to the Painted Ladies: Artisan Brunch tour, we have food-focused walkthroughs of Chinatown, North Beach, and the Mission. Pick your favorite grub and bring the team!

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