Christmas is around the corner, and you need to start planning for the inevitable Christmas party. How to plan a Christmas party is a complex process, one that we’ll walk you through to ensure your event is unforgettable. We’ve got event entertainment that will keep your guests busy until the New Year. In fact, we’ve got Christmas party ideas that will top all others, so prepare to throw the greatest celebration your office has ever seen. 

​It goes without saying, but you can’t leave the plan for a Christmas party to the last minute. The best venues are booked early, and the greatest event entertainment is already appearing at other parties; you can’t afford to hang around. Start as early as possible to ensure everyone can make the date. If you have a large office, it’s likely that someone will be unable to do the date, but if you try and plan a Christmas party as early as possible, there’s more chance everyone can make it. 

We understand it’s easy to host a Christmas party in the office, but is it really a good idea. The office is where your employees, or colleagues, come to work for eight hours a day, five days a week, 50 weeks of the year, so there’s a reason they may not want to celebrate in the same office they do that. If you plan a Christmas party in advance, and pull together all of those excellent Christmas party ideas, you can get a great venue even on a budget. Make sure your venue is easy to get to and, if possible, there’s a nearby taxi rank. You can look to the likes of Design my Night for venues in your local area. 

​If you have to host the work Christmas party in the office, utilise our Christmas event ideas for work. By that, we mean make it as festive as possible, and host the party away from the normal working area. 

​No Christmas party is complete without a Christmas party theme. In fact, it’s almost unheard of for unique Christmas party ideas without a theme. You could even go down the casino route (our personal favourite), with our hugely popular casino theme hire - including roulette wheel hire, blackjack and even poker.

If you are looking to host a winter wonderland party, there is a vast number of options to ensure you throw the perfect party. Christmas is the chance to get creative and have a blast; you can still choose a Christmas theme reflecting your company’s serious market, but you can have a little fun. 

There’s nothing like injecting a healthy dose of competition to your event entertainment. It’s a top tip when it comes to great work Christmas party ideas, as you can be sure a competition will break the ice at an office party. We have a whole range of Christmas party games ideas you can gain inspiration from, or you could even go so simple as to include a ‘best Christmas jumper competition’ to your party. 

​Food and drink should be high on the list of your Christmas event ideas for work. Remember that whatever you do, you need to cater for the whole office for the duration of the party; whether that means day and night. Drinks will be flowing, and no one wants to see a Christmas party run out of food and drink early. 

Find out your budget early to plan for the menu, and include something for everyone in the group. For larger offices, your Christmas party ideas for food should feature a buffet. It’s ideal as most people can eat when they are ready and are not forced to wait for a sit-down dinner that would, most likely, cost more. 

​If you do happen to host an event with a sit-down dinner, arrange a seating plan before the party. To ensure everyone is happy, mix the teams up a little to ensure colleagues are sat with people they may not normally speak to, along with those they do. You could provide the guests with event entertainment during the dinner, by placing games and jokes in the centre of the table. 

You’ve got the basics sorted for how to plan a Christmas party; now you’re onto the fun stuff. Event entertainment is a big part of the holidays, especially corporate Christmas party ideas. Music is all-important to the party. Think of the Christmas classics and add them to the playlist; you know what classics we are talking about. While everyone loves Christmas music, create a playlist that also includes chart-toppers to get everyone up on the dance floor. You could even go so far as to hire a karaoke machine. In fact, you should do that - it’s our top Christmas party idea. 

Now you’ve got the music sorted; you can consider other ways to keep your guests occupied. Event entertainment games are a fantastic option for earlier on in the evening, before everyone has had enough food and drink to keep them on the dance floor until the early hours. We have a load of options that complement any corporate Christmas party ideas. From casino theme hire to carnival funfair games, retro arcade machine hire to even crazy golf course hire - there’s so much to choose from. 

​If you’ve gone to this much trouble of looking into how to plan a Christmas party, don’t forget to take a whole heap of photos; if only to embarrass your colleagues the week after. You could also include the photos in a company newsletter, if you happen to have one, or make a short timelapse video for social media - guaranteed to improve your reach and gain followers. 

Alternatively, you could look into photo booth hire​. Photo booths are popular for Christmas event ideas as they get rid of the hassle of hiring a professional photographer. All you have to do is let your guests take their own pictures, and they’re printed off there and then. Photo booth hire also eliminates any need for party favours, as your guests will be taking the pictures home with them. 

If you would like to discuss how to plan a Christmas party with our event entertainment options, with one of our team, get in touch today. 

In the run-up to Christmas, we are sharing plenty of ideas to keep you on top of the holidays. With all of the planning of the office celebration, Christmas party games ideas often get forgotten. But, you can’t have a party without games… We’re sharing our best Christmas party game ideas (for adults, of course), including games that you could even do yourself for Christmas parties on a budget. Either way, gather your pen and paper and prepare to throw a winter wonderland party.

​All good Christmas party ideas start with nostalgia. There’s no better time to take people back to their childhood than during the holidays. You can do this with retro arcade machine hire - rolling back the days to the 80s and 90s. Our retro arcade machine hire has been making numerous appearances over the past month and is perfect for Christmas party games, corporate and otherwise. You can play the Pac Man arcade machine (our personal favourite) or even travel to the 90s with The Turtles, The Simpsons and Street Fighter. If you want to inject a healthy dose of competition into your Christmas party ideas, consider our retro arcade machine hire. 

​The classic Christmas game that can be used for the smaller work Christmas parties. If you have a little office, and a group of colleagues Pictionary is safe to play with… we can’t recommend this game enough. To add a festive helping to the Christmas party games ideas, get the guests racing to draw popular Christmas carols (or even characters from films). To get the points, they then have to sing the carol or act out a scene from the film. Not only is this Christmas party idea a huge ice breaker, you can also film the game and share across social media.

​Everyone loves a scavenger hunt. Your guests will love a scavenger hunt even more with prizes at the end (and a few glasses of champers to help them on their way). Christmas is a time when most people are, relatively, generous and merry; the perfect time to have some fun and fool your guests. One of our greatest work Christmas party ideas will see your guests split into groups, on the hunt for whatever you have hidden. Pro tip: hide your ornaments (Christmas inspired, of course) in a different room/s to your main venue, to avoid any of your Christmas party decorations being moved. Make sure to time the groups and start the Christmas party game early, to avoid any guests struggling after spending some time at the bar. 

​The Twelve Days of Christmas is one of the funniest work Christmas party ideas, and often a game that many haven’t heard of. This is excellent for offices with staff over 30, and ready to put their acting skills to the test. Group everyone into twelve teams (this is important), and give each group a lyric from the popular Christmas carol, Twelve Days of Christmas. As part of one of the funniest Christmas party games ideas, each team is responsible for that one lyric and must sing, and act out, the verse. It’s hilarious to witness each group’s representations of the carol; be sure to assign someone to filming duty. 

There is also a range of corporate Christmas party games for the huge businesses, looking into event entertainment hire. As specialists in event entertainment (we don’t mean to brag), we offer a range of theme hire to suit any work Christmas party ideas. Casino theme hire is our greatest, with roulette table hire, Blackjack, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker and more available. In fact, casino theme hire is such a best-seller, our casino tables are making an appearance each weekend in December. There are also carnival funfair games options; the carnival isn’t just for summer. You can indulge in some top even entertainment for your business, and place carnival funfair games around the main venue to keep your guests busy throughout the night. 

If you have a venue with an outdoor area or large amounts of space, you could also opt for our brand-new event entertainment hire. The crazy golf course hire involves nine mini golf courses (all portable), boasting obstacles to conquer - especially after that aforementioned glass of champers. Get in touch with one of our team today to discuss your event entertainment options within the North East. 

For even more Christmas party games ideas, check out this excellent 33 Christmas Party Games Just for the Adults on The Balance. They’ll keep you busy until the New Year. 

It’s been a busy past month at Gray Events, especially in the run-up to Christmas. The amount of North East events we have attended has been staggering (we could do with a cup of tea just thinking about it), but there’s no rest for the wicked. We have a huge schedule booked for December, with our event entertainment games part of a vast selection of Christmas party ideas. If you’d like any of our event entertainment - such as casino theme hire, which is proving hugely popular this festive season - get in touch as soon as possible. Otherwise, rest with a cuppa and read up on our best North East events over the past month. 

Starting on the first day of the month, we held a fantastic corporate casino theme hire event at the stunning Ramside Hall. Of course, our roulette wheel hire had an outing and stole the show. As part of a ‘Texas Hoe Down’ (our favourite kind of party and one of the greatest alternative Christmas party ideas), we also hosted a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker session, with our expert croupiers on hand for both games. Ramside Hall is one of the best venues in the North East, and we always love travelling to one of the finest luxury hotels in the region. Not least because it is surrounded by a premier golf course… 

We love a good wedding fair as much as the next person, in particular, the North East events. We have a whole host of wedding reception ideas, so we attended the Belle Bridal Wedding Wondershow to showcase our casino theme hire event entertainment - taking our beloved roulette table. We also had a chance to give visitors a sneak peek at our carnival funfair games that take you straight back to your childhood (trust us; they do every time). We had a ball at the event, meeting plenty of new faces. The Belle Bridal is always an exciting staple in our event entertainment calendar, and we can’t wait for the next one. We hope to see you there. You can find out even more about our day, with our Gray Events at Belle Bridal Wedding Fayre blog. 

​The Assembly Rooms is one of the greatest venues in Newcastle, host to the brilliant Bonbar. We were offered the chance to demonstrate our casino theme hire event entertainment - including our Blackjack table hire and roulette table hire - so we jumped at the chance. The event was a huge success, set in the busy Bonbar. We took along our finest croupiers and three casino tables for the North East event, and we hope to be going back within the new year. 

​Our trip to the Jersey Farm Hotel for a beautiful wedding saw our event entertainment take a huge leap. Our racing simulator hire had an outing, where guests attempt to top the leaderboard and compete for the fastest lap. We also had our casino theme hire along for the ride, as well as retro arcade game hire. We offer the best of the 80s, and 90s retro games for guests - including the nostalgic Pac Man arcade machine hire. We had an absolute blast at the hotel, and we’re happy to say we have even more weddings lined up in December. 

Wedding reception ideas don’t get much better than the carnival funfair games. In fact, you could also use our carnival funfair game hire as part of your Christmas party ideas; the carnival is not just for summer. The Walworth Castle Hotel, set in an 18th-century castle, is exceptional for wedding party ideas, with a vast amount of rooms and scenery as a backdrop for your professional photos. We brought all the fun of the fair with our event entertainment; Tin Can Alley and Test Your Strength. Not only that, but we also had our retro arcade machine hire to keep the guests busy throughout the party. 

The fun of the fair continued with our next North East event, held at the Riverside Leisure Centre in Morpeth. We worked with the lovely folks at Balloon Bedlam to ensure our event entertainment transformed the venue, taking the guests on a journey throughout their childhood. Our most popular and exciting carnival funfair games made an appearance, and the guests had the opportunity to choose from Tin Can Alley, Blackjack Darts, Basketball Shootout and even Test Your Strength. 

Our casino theme hire has continued to prove popular with wedding reception ideas. We travelled all the way to As You Like It; a beautiful restaurant and bar, spread over multiple floors. Our casino theme hire tables sat perfectly as the backdrop to the seriously glamorous wedding, with roulette wheel hire and our Blackjack table to keep everyone busy before they started dancing. There was even a live saxophonist to keep everyone on their feet as they played with our event entertainment. 

Our brand new roulette wheel hire had its first outing at Whitworth Hall Hotel in County Durham. The luxury casino hire package was part of a gorgeous wedding, complete with room lighting hire as well. The casino theme hire is one of the best wedding reception ideas, and the Bride and Groom had plenty of fun competing with each other for the title of ‘top casino player’. Along with the roulette wheel, our Blackjack table also took centre stage (behind the newlyweds, of course). 

Las Vegas arrived at the Best Western Hotel in Hartlepool for a fun, American-inspired wedding reception. Our Las Vegas Grand Entrance, with the addition of a swanky red carpet, led the way to the party inside. We had a roulette wheel and Blackjack table waiting for the guests, and we certainly had plenty of players throughout the night. Our event entertainment can hold multiple players at a time, so they injected a healthy dose of competition to the wedding reception. 

If you would like to speak with one of our team regarding event entertainment, get in touch as soon as possible as our December calendar is filling up fast. 

​Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year (it’s in song, so it must be true). With the holidays comes the Christmas parties. If you don’t have your event planned already, we’re sharing our best Christmas party ideas to get you ahead of the game. 

We can’t stress it enough that we are huge fans of casino theme hire at Gray Events. Casino theme hire at your Christmas party completely transforms your event, taking it from standard to sophisticated. There’s a reason James Bond spends so much time at the casino… Our casino theme hire includes roulette hire (one of our favourites), alongside classics such as blackjack and Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. However, roulette hire is experiencing a serious surge of popularity, with the addition of croupiers to ensure your guests are kept in check. Roulette table hire, along with most of our other casino theme hire games, are also available for multiple players at a time. They are the perfect work Christmas party ideas.  

The carnival is not just for summer. Your winter wonderland party deserves a healthy dose of fun and competition, and there’s nothing that screams excitement more than carnival funfair games. Our carnival funfair games are massive, and we offer a range to get your guests in the festive spirit. Think Tin Can Alley, Basketball Shootout and Roll a Ball and you’re on the right lines. Our carnival funfair games also arrive at your Christmas party with carnival bunting, scorecards to keep track of your progress on the carnival funfair games and a bottle of bubbly for the highest scoring guests. 

What’s a Christmas party idea without photo booth hire? A photo booth is an essential part of all good work Christmas party ideas. There’s nothing funnier than waking up the next day to a picture of you and your boss wearing funny hats and moustaches… You can decorate the booth when you opt for photo booth hire, and cover it in snowflakes, glitter, fake snow; you name it. The opportunities are endless. 

Image via Pinterest

​Christmas party ideas start and end with food. We all love food, and there’s nothing that excites people more than a full-to-the-brim sweet stall at your Christmas party. Forget your typical work Christmas party ideas, especially, and add a touch of childhood nostalgia for your guests with their favourite, all-time sweets. You could include pick-a-mix and the sweets they used to save up for with their pocket money. 

In our years as event hire North East experts, we can guarantee one thing; guests love freebies. To ensure your Christmas party is unrivalled, provide your guests with small gifts to take away. The excitement will leave them with lasting memories, and may even encourage them to share their goodies on social media, thus promoting your services and products; two birds with one stone. You could offer something as little as a slice of cake for Christmas parties on a budget; just leave them with a little something to remember. 

Image Via Pinterest

​Lighting and Christmas party ideas go hand in hand. You can’t rely on your venues lighting when it comes to your Winter Wonderland party. There is a huge number of options when it comes to Christmas lighting; gobo lights, fairy lights, candles, candelabras. The list goes on when it comes to lighting for your event. Take your party from 10 to 100, while even providing a beautiful backdrop to your event photos. 

​A bar is going to be the most popular attraction at your event. If you happen to be throwing an office party, a bar is the best place to start. In fact, there are no greater work Christmas party ideas than a glamorous bar. Christmas party nights, Newcastle or anywhere else, are always better with the addition of a bar, and you can decorate them as you please. String bunting from the counter, line the bar with twinkling lights and delicious food, and you’ve got yourself a successful festive party. 

Image Via Pinterest

​Bonfire night doesn’t have to spell the end of fireworks - certainly not in our eyes. As part of your entertainment at your event, along with our game hire, of course, you could let off fireworks to truly cement your event as the greatest Christmas party. There are not many people who don’t enjoy fireworks and, for Christmas parties on a budget; they are a cost-effective option. 

​Your party starts as soon as your guests arrive, so prepare a beautiful entrance. Your guests will, most likely, be in their finery, and they need to showcase their outfits with a magical entrance. Providing them with this also encourages them to share a little more on social media, helping to promote your party. There are many options you could take with an entrance, but if you are throwing a Winter Wonderland party; consider fake snow and fairy lights. 

​Balloons complement all Christmas party theme ideas, and they’re good fun. Everyone loves a balloon - especially the intricate, helium-filled balloons - and we guarantee they will go down a storm at your party. One of the oldest Christmas party ideas in the book is still one of the most popular, and another way to save money on your event decorations. If you happen to have tables at your party, you could also place the festive balloons in the centre. This way, you no longer have to worry about the centrepiece. 

Get in touch with one of our team today if you would like to discuss our game hire for your Christmas party. 

At Gray Events, we love a good wedding. However, planning your big day can be a little daunting (to say the least). You have to consider the dresses, event entertainment, catering, guests, table decorations; it can be overwhelming. We are sharing our top wedding planning blogs to ensure you enjoy a smooth organisation process before your big day. 

Before the Big Day paves the way for UK wedding planning blogs. Providing ideas for real weddings, DIY, vintage inspiration, decor, event entertainment; anything to do with weddings - Before the Big Day is a one-stop shop for Brides and Grooms. Real Weddings are split into separate categories, depending on your chosen themes, and you can also search for wedding ideas for seasons. Of course, they also share tips and tricks to wedding decor and DIY, alongside fashion. We told you; Before the Big Day features all the wedding information you could need. 

We love a festival as much as the next person - especially with carnival funfair games event entertainment - and Festival Brides is perfect for those who love the outdoors. Festival Brides is your go-to for planning a chic, quirky and outdoorsy style big day, and is one of the best wedding planning blogs for the theme. The site reveals ideas for wedding venues, tipis, yurts, fashion and photography, all wrapped up in a brilliantly beautiful website. 

​The Wedding Girl’s SOS provides emergency help for all Brides. Producing dedicated advice on how to plan your big day, event entertainment, expert advice and even a newsletter; there’s nothing you can’t find out on The Wedding Girl’s SOS. For any woman even remotely struggling with weddings and the planning that comes with it; you can explore all you need to know on the website. 

Plans and Presents is the brainchild of former wedding consultant, Alison Tinlin. The leading lady has seen and done almost everything when it comes to planning a wedding, and shares fantastic inspiration on how to get the most out of your big day. The website draws attention to weddings, styled shoots and suppliers they love, on one easy to use website. We can’t recommend this as one of our best wedding planning blogs enough. 

So you’re getting married and looking for a wedding blog? You’ve stumbled onto the right website. So You’re Getting Married is a fantastic ideas and wedding decoration blog, providing daily doses of essential information from the wedding world. The website even boasts dedicated categories for weddings on a budget, sharing tips to creating a truly luxurious day. The wedding opportunities with SYGM are endless. 

​We are huge fans of alternative wedding ideas; we’ve even dedicated a blog post to the subject. Rock ‘n Roll Bride provides huge inspiration for those looking for a more unique big day, sharing the best ideas, dresses and decoration. Not only is Rock ‘n Roll Bride online, but you can also receive the magazine via post, so you can have it with you at all times. It’s truly essential for all Brides looking for new and innovative event entertainment and inspiration for their wedding day. 

Celebrating all things unusual, quirky and interesting - Mr & Mrs Unique is certainly unique. This website handpicks all the cool and fantastic wedding venues, suppliers, event entertainment, cake makers, florists; you name it. If you are looking for a wonderfully whimsical and creative wedding, this is the website you need to explore. Mr & Mrs Unique has also won some excellent awards to boot. What are you waiting for? 

Fellow locals, Brides Up North, are one of the UK’s best wedding planning blogs in Northern England. Founded by Julia, frustrated at the lack of support for Northern brides, Brides Up North has continued to grow and is now one of the must-read websites for anyone planning their nuptials. You can find information on real weddings, wedding fairs, suppliers and so much more; you’ll need a notebook at the ready. If you need help planning your wedding, you need Brides Up North. 

Boho Weddings is exactly that; boho. The website features a whopping directory of the UK’s best indie suppliers for your bridal plans. One of the more Pinterest worthy wedding planning blogs we have come across (in fact, every page is extremely pinnable), Boho Weddings is the ultimate destination for any indie Bride. 

For wedding fair inspiration, you need The Wedding Fair. At Gray Events, we love attending exhibits with others from the wedding industry, and this website showcases the greatest fairs for every Bride and Groom looking for ideas. Listing the most popular wedding fairs on the top nav, the site provides tips and tricks aplenty. There’s also a wonderful blog section, sharing articles on ‘What to ask your wedding venue’ and ‘How to pick your wedding cake’. 

Let us know your thoughts on your top wedding blogs in the comments section.