A traditional company holiday party gets your team in the mood for family celebrations and is popular at many companies. If you're looking for new ideas, why not give this year's holiday party a theme? In this article, you'll find plenty of theme suggestions suited to the holidays, along with matching food, outfits, decorations, and games.

Themed parties are fun for the holidays too

When people think of themed parties, holidays probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind, birthdays, weddings, and team events are more likely. But even during this festive time of year, a theme can be a real asset and make sure the celebration is remembered by everyone for a long time. Especially if your holiday party looks the same every year and employees want more variety, a themed party might be worth considering.

An easy way to find out what your team wants, and how the idea of a themed holiday party lands, is a survey: what did employees enjoy about the last holiday party, what could be improved? You could also directly ask about a few themes, or hold a vote on which is most popular. Alternatively, colleagues can contribute their own theme ideas.

8 themes for your company holiday party

Of course, there are no rules about which theme is "allowed" or off-limits for a holiday party. Anything you enjoy is possible, and you can certainly give it a creative holiday twist, or not, if you'd rather the party feel as "un-holiday-like" as possible. The following selection is meant to inspire you if you're struggling to come up with ideas.

Decades as a theme

Every decade of the past century had its own distinct music, typical outfits, and political, social, or pop culture moments. The '50s with rock 'n' roll music, quiffs, and petticoats. The '60s with hippie outfits and '60s rock music. The '70s with a wild mix of schlager, punk, reggae, and rock, outfits with wild patterns, ruffles, and bell-bottoms. The '80s with New Wave and punk, "Neue Deutsche Welle," dancing in leggings and puffed sleeves. The '90s with R&B, grunge, '90s pop, or techno, with denim as the dress code. Music and outfit matter most for a themed party; if you want a more holiday twist, you could put together a playlist of holiday songs from the chosen decade to play.

Cabin party

Ski lodge vibes, even in the city, what plenty of holiday market stalls and restaurants pull off works just as well in the office or your company courtyard. Order a holiday-themed food truck or a buffet with Bavarian, Austrian, or Swiss specialties. Anyone who wants to can wear a dirndl or lederhosen, or bring their ski goggles.

Bad taste party

Taste, as they say, is subjective. So don't take it too seriously if a "bad taste party" is announced and some people actually think their outfit looks quite good. It's mainly about wearing especially garish combinations, maybe tied to a specific decade too. For music, everyone gets to pick songs that have always been kind of annoying, and here too: nothing's personal, no arguing over taste. It's mainly a chance to get to know your teammates better. Food can be as unusual as possible, either everyone brings their most outlandish creation, or you ask your caterer to put together something special.

Medieval

The Middle Ages fascinate a lot of people, as shown by the many medieval events and markets across Germany. A knightly or royal look fits the holidays wonderfully, and mead instead of mulled wine, plus music with medieval instruments, can be very festive too. Food can be rustic, but doesn't have to be.

Beach party

Had enough of the cold and snow, or gray winter weather? Bring summer back for one evening and hold a beach party for your holiday celebration, with light cuisine, summery cocktails, beach songs (anything from surf punk to beach party music goes), and light outfits (as long as the venue is warm enough). For entertainment, learn together how to mix the perfect cocktail. Don't forget sunglasses and straw hats!

Fairy tale

It's no coincidence that especially in the run-up to the holidays, TV is full of fairy tales. Why not give your holiday party a fairy tale backdrop and celebrate in fantasy costumes? If you want something reflective and entertaining, you could invite a storyteller or a small acting troupe. The fairy tale theme also works great for games, from guessing fairy tale characters to acting out fairy tales in pantomime to guessing fairy tale quotes.

Movie party

Most people enjoy watching movies or shows. As a theme for your holiday party, anything widely loved works well. Whether you draw on old silent film classics or dress up as characters from a popular show, there are plenty of options. For games, you could guess movies based on scenes or soundtracks, and decorations would naturally follow the film's setting. There's almost no limit to creativity with this theme.

Casino

Of course, we're not encouraging anyone to actually gamble, but a casino backdrop, with elegant evening wear, select drinks, and a game or two, can feel very festive. No real money is played for, of course, it's mainly about the atmosphere. You could even give your holiday party a James Bond theme, Bond at the casino, perhaps?

5 themes for virtual holiday parties

Themed parties aren't limited to in-person events. Maybe current circumstances make a virtual celebration seem more sensible, because there are people in the team who are at higher risk that you want to protect. Maybe many colleagues work remotely and it's hard to bring everyone together given the distances involved. Maybe your team is even spread across different countries.

Whatever the reason, a virtual holiday party can be very festive too, and stay memorable for a long time, and it also works as a holiday-themed party.

Glamour party

Glamour works virtually too, who has the most sparkling outfit? Who has the best glam background? You can add a further theme on top too, Hollywood glamour, for example. Maybe everyone dresses up as a specific star, and the others guess who's who. For food, finger food works especially well, unusual bites like canapés, a luxurious sushi platter, or high-quality cheese specialties. Pair it with high-quality whisky, champagne, or exclusive cocktails. Boxes with treats and drinks get delivered to everyone's home right on time.

Bad taste party, virtually

"Bad taste" works virtually too, an outrageous outfit, a playlist with everyone's collected "guilty pleasures," and unusual food combinations. As a competition, everyone can show off the most tasteless item from their own home, or quirky gifts, of course without naming names. A virtual Secret Santa gift exchange also works well here, items received get either mailed or brought along on the next office day.

Oldies party

Bringing a specific era to life works virtually too. For a virtual holiday party themed "oldies," you'll mainly need matching outfits and music. Bonus points for anyone who matches their background decoration to the decade. If you were already around during that decade, you might want to show off old photos of yourself, or put together an old photo album and guess together who's who in the pictures.

Scandinavian holiday party

Scandinavia stands for coziness, "hygge" is especially valued during the cold season. Wear whatever's comfortable, and decoration should be as homey as possible, with plenty of candles and natural materials. Maybe you bake Scandinavian cookies or specialties like "lussekatter" together, with Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, or Finnish music playing in the background.

Pajama party

If your team knows each other well, everyone's comfortable with it, and you're looking for something special for your holiday party, a pajama party theme might be for you. Over hot cocoa, mulled wine, or coffee, meet up virtually in your coziest pajamas. Vote on who's wearing the nicest pajamas, or play classic party games like charades or "two truths and a lie."

heycater! and your holiday party

We at heycater! want to make your holiday party something special, no matter which theme you choose. We have the best caterers across Germany in our portfolio, and our blog also offers plenty of inspiration and ideas for a successful celebration. For virtual holiday parties, we offer complete packages or cooking boxes. Book a (virtual) cocktail class for your beach party, for example, or a beer tasting for your "hut party." Our event experts bring plenty of ideas and are happy to advise you on planning your holiday party, from catering to the right theme. Feel free to reach out!

Gather holiday party ideas

If you're looking for individual ideas for a holiday party, or the perfect location, we've gathered excellent suggestions across different German cities:

• Holiday party in Leipzig - 11 inspiring locations & ideas for 2025
• Holiday party in Hanover - 11 original locations & ideas for 2025
• Holiday party in Berlin - 17 ideas & locations for 2025
• Holiday party in Munich 2025
• Holiday party in Hamburg - 12 locations & ideas for 2025
• Holiday party in Dresden - 10 ideas for 2025
• Holiday party in Cologne - 11 locations & ideas for 2025