You don’t need a massive pot of money to put on great entertainment for your party guests. We all love a party game, no matter how old we get. They’re a fantastic icebreaker and a fun way of bringing old and new friends together.
‘Musical chairs’ and ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ are timeless wonders for children’s parties, but they’re even better when they’re rehashed for adults! So, without further ado, here’s a roundup of some of our favourite party games to get your guests having fun in no time.
1. Forehead Investigator (AKA ‘Who Am I?’)
All you need is a pack of post-its and a pen! This is a party classic and we love it. Ask your guests to fill out their post-its with the name of a well-known person or celebrity, then stick it on the forehead of the person to their left. Players take it in turn to ask questions with ‘yes/no’ answers only, such as ‘Am I male?’ until they narrow it down enough to work out who they are. Just make sure your party guests don’t walk past any mirrors on their way to the loo in the middle of a game!
2. Get to know your guests with Skittles
No, we don’t mean the bowling-type game. This involves a pack of Skittles and a set of questions. Assign different dares and questions to each colour, then have players blindly take a Skittle and complete the task. This is a great way of getting people who haven’t met before talking and joking.
3. Pass the…
Another classic that never gets old. Get your guests to stand in a circle and attempt to pass awkward objects around without using their hands. You can even spice it up by handing out forfeits to those who drop it or make a mistake. Try using a balloon, ice cube or orange – the means of passing it around the circle are up to you!
4. Hide & Seek
This traditional game is always fun for kids, but why not try this upgraded adult version instead? Instead of the game being up when you’re found, players could try and make their way back to ‘base’ – where the seeker was counting – without being seen. Another version is to get one person to hide while all the others seek. When a player finds the person hiding, they then try and squeeze in with them, like sardines in a tin.
5. Ben Dover
Most people at some point during this game will end up on the floor; it’s inevitable. The aim is to pick up a cardboard box that has had all the flaps removed…with your teeth! Only your feet can touch the floor and each person takes it in turn to try and pick it up. Those who fail are eliminated. What’s the catch? The box is trimmed an inch after each round to make it even trickier. Flexibility and balance is key here.
6. Glow stick ring toss
This is a lovely game to play with children, particularly those who are reluctant to go to bed (as they don’t want to miss the party). We’ve all been there! Simply plant a stick in the ground and try and throw the glow sticks onto the stick so it threads through (glow sticks come with connectors to create circular shapes). Whoever gets rid of all their glow sticks first and successfully hooks them over the stick, wins! Parents could even make a little bet where if they win the children have to go to bed.
7. Jenga for grown ups
Like the standard game, where players take it in turn to remove a brick and place it on top until the tower topples over, but we’ve added a little twist. Why not write a dare on each brick for players to complete before the next person takes their turn?
8. ‘The Pot’ game
You need a dedicated group for this one, so it is probably best placed at a dinner party. Players work in pairs, so you ideally need an even number of people playing. Each person writes the name of three famous people on slips of paper, folds them up and places them in a pot. The couples take it in turn to choose a slip and describe the celebrity (without mentioning the name or versions of) for their partner to guess. Each couple is given one minute to guess as many as possible. Couples play until the pot is empty. You can play additional rounds where players can only use three words to describe or have to act.
9. Eating competitions
Have you ever tried to eat a sugared jam donut without licking your lips? Well, it’s not easy! Other food games include cream pie eating as quickly as you can with your hands tied behind your back or hanging donuts and seeing who can eat theirs first.
10. Heads Up
Now this is where we get all digital. Heads Up is an app brought to you by Ellen DeGeneres and is available on iOS and Android. The game is simple; the name of a celebrity, song or silly accent appears on your phone screen (other categories are available too), with the person whose turn it is holding their handset against their forehead with the screen facing outwards. Guests then act out the words that appear on the screen, in unison, until the timer runs out. The person playing has to get as many correct answers in their time as possible. If the person guesses an answer correctly, they flip the phone up; or they can flip down to pass. The best part? The front facing camera records your guests acting out the word, which can make for some hilarious footage.
