Elsie UdohAre you thinking of hosting an event? The amount of planning that goes into that is no small deal, coupled with the pressure to get everything right and leave a lasting impression.
From deciding on a menu to getting the right playlist, venue, and more, you could get so occupied with putting things in order that you forget to include plans for fun. After all, what makes a great event is definitely more than just the food and drinks.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelGames have been an integral part of livening up an event, whether formal or informal, and they still are. Although some games played at events have become so monotonic and predictable that they are not fun anymore.
But don’t despair yet. There are still creative games that you and your guests can play at your next event to liven up the moment and keep the fun going.
With these games, you do not need to worry about you or your guests not being much of a gamer because everybody can get involved and have an event that people keep talking about.
Let’s dive in right away and see 25 fun games to play when hosting an event.
Game Ideas for Indoor Events
These games are suitable for events that are held in an enclosed space, like work events, a simple get-together, house-warming, or any other indoor event.
Although you will probably be used to some of the games that will be mentioned here, but then, you just might learn new ways to play them.
It is important to keep your audience in mind when deciding on the games to play at your event.
If you have a younger audience, then games that involve physical activities will be engaging for them, but for an older audience, you might consider something less stressful and simpler to play.
Now that we have put that out, let’s get started dishing out some fun games to play for indoor events:
Charades with a Twist
Charade is a quite popular game that is easy to play and caters to any kind of audience. The rule to playing this game is pretty straightforward:
Divide your guests into two equal groups. You can also allow them to pick the person they’d like to have on their team.
When that is done, each group will select a representative who will pick a card which will already contain a piece of information, whether a name, animal or whatever you can think of.
Now at this point, the representative, without looking at the card, will reveal his selection to his group, who will try to describe what is on the card without using words for the representative to guess.
Alternatively, the representative can look at the card without showing it to his group and try to describe it for them to guess. The group with the highest number of correct guesses wins.
The fun part of charades is that the guesses can be tailored to your event to make it more fun and this is where the twist comes in.
For example, if you are playing this game at a work event, then you can decide to write each staff name on the cards for the group or representative to try to describe something about the staff they pick to the other person to guess.
This not only adds extra fun to the event but also helps you see just how well you know your colleagues and gives you something to work on.
Ayo (African Mancala)
This is a fun traditional game that can be played at indoor events. If you don’t already have the wooden board and seeds, then you’ll need to get them or tell your guests to bring them along (if they have them).
Ayo is easy to learn and play; moreover, older audiences will love this game. All you need to do is move your seeds around the board with the aim of capturing the most seeds.
The Question Bowl
This game is also a great way to get to know your guests on a more personal level. It involves filling a bowl with random questions, and each player takes turns to pick and must provide answers to the question they select.
To make it more fun, you could include a task for anyone who gets his/her question wrong to do. For example, you could ask them to forfeit their meat for the player with the highest points with a chance to redeem it back if they do better on the next round.
Another exciting way to play this game is to have a moderator or the DJ play music while the bowl is being passed around. Whoever possesses the bowl when the music stops gets to pick a question and answer.
Balloon Pop Relay
It’s time to get more active! This time around the game involves attaching a balloon to each player’s ankle, and they try popping others’ balloons while protecting their own.
The last player who has his balloon intact will be awarded a prize, which could be an extra meal, drink, or even cash prizes.
You’ll need to brace your ears for the loud balloon popping sounds, but prepare your heart for fun and laughter.
Jenga
The game of Jenga is simple but can be pretty complex at the same time. This is a popular indoor game that is played by stacking up all the Jenga blocks in levels of three placed next to each other along their long sides and at a right angle to the previous level. Like this:
After doing this, the person who stacked the tower goes first by taking a block from any level using only one hand and placing it on the topmost level while other players follow suit.
The game continues until the tower falls and the player who makes it fall loses.
Game Ideas for Outdoor Events
Outdoor events offer more space and a conducive setting to play fun games. Here are some games to play when hosting an outdoor event:
Sack Race
Sack race is also a popular game for outdoor gatherings to make fun memories.
As the name implies, you are racing in a sack. Here, players will hop to the finish inside sacks. The first to get to the finish line wins.
This is a fun game that brings out everyone’s competitive side, and to make it even more competitive, place a prize at the finish line for players to hop to. This will make them more engaged in the game and enjoy it more.
Water Balloon Toss
If you and your guests do not mind getting wet, then this is another fun game that you can try.
Begin the game by dividing your guests into two groups and giving each group the same number of water balloons in a basket.
The goal is to toss the balloons at each other, and the first group to exhaust the balloons in their basket wins.
This game is perfect for a pool party due to the splashes you’ll be getting from the balloons.
Musical Chairs with Afrobeats
This game allows your guest to groove to their favourite afrobeat song while having fun. The overall goal of the game is to not get carried away.
Form a circular arrangement with chairs and have selected players dance around them while the music plays.
The arranged chairs have to be short of one player. This means that if you have six participants, then there should be five chairs. That’s clear, right?
Now when the music stops, the players have to sit down, and the last person who doesn’t get a seat is out. Do this until you are down to two players and one chair, and the last person that manages to sit on the chair is the winner.
Hula Hoop Contest
In this game, players will try to keep spinning hula hoop around their waist, and the player who spins the longest wins.
Party Games for Adults
If your party is for adults only, then here are some games you can play:
Spin and Dare
To play this game, have players form a circle and put a bottle in their middle.
Then someone has to spin the bottle, and wherever it lands on gets a dare. A punishment can also be fixed for anyone who refuses their dare.
This is your chance to get something you might have always wanted from a player, so use your dares wisely.
Nigerian Slang Pictionary
Nigerians never run out of slang in their ‘pictionary,’ but are your guests up-to-date? Find out in a fun way by playing this game.
You can give hints about popular slangs and have your guests guess what they are. The person with the most guesses wins and gets a prize.
Lip Sync Battle
Have a lip sync battle with players choosing from trending Nigerian songs or any other song of choice, and then select winners based on their energy and vibe. Who knows, your party might just be housing the next Davido.
Two Truths and a Lie
In this game, your guests have two say three statements, one of which is a lie while the other two are truths, and then the others take turns guessing the lie.
READ ALSO: How To Organise A Nigerian-themed Party In The Diaspora
Party Games for Kids
If a large number of your party attendees will be kids and you are wondering how to keep them entertained, then there are fun games that can come to your rescue. Some game ideas include:
Musical Statues
This is almost similar to the musical chairs game, except this time, they are not dancing around chairs. Instead, play popular tunes and have the kids showcase their dancing prowess. But, there’s a clause!
The children are expected to freeze when the music ends. Anyone who keeps dancing is out.
To successfully achieve this game, you need to explain the rules of the game as clearly as possible and, if you can, have gifts for everyone to end the game on a positive note.
Treasure Hunt
Hide sweets and other kinds of treats from kids and have them find them with a few clues.
Any child who finds the ‘treasure’ gets to keep it for himself/herself. This game is more ideal for an outdoor event with kids to give them more space for their treasure hunt.
Egg and Spoon Race
Select players and give them a spoon with an egg. The kids will have to balance the egg on the spoon and race to the finish line.
If the egg drops before they reach the finish line, then that’s an out.
Party Games for All Events
Whether you host an indoor or outdoor event, and depending on whom you’re inviting, there are some games that match all occasions and can add the fun you desire to your event. Here are some games in that category:
‘Who Am I?’ Game
This is quite similar to charades, but then the only thing you’re trying to guess now is who a person is.
Write down the names of famous people that the group is familiar with, then tape it to each other’s backs. Everyone has to ask yes/no questions to guess the name they’ve been given.
Guess the Song
For this game, you’ll play the first few seconds of a popular song and then have your guests guess the song’s title and singer.
You can choose to adjust the rules and make it just the song’s title to make it easier for your guests to figure out.
Karaoke Time!
Let your guest pair up in twos or solo if they’ve got what it takes and have a Karoake battle where they have to accurately sing a song.
You can allow your guests to select the song they’ll be singing themselves or make them have a random pick to make it tougher.
Pass the Parcel with a Twist
Give out gifts or souvenirs to your guests in a fun way by playing this game.
Have your guests unwrap gifts with each layer they unwrap containing a dare or fun challenge. If they can do it, then they continue with the gift unwrapping, but if not, then the gift is passed on to somebody else until it lands on who is able to carry out the challenge.
This person gets to unwrap the gift and wins it for himself.
Scavenger Hunt
Just like the treasure hunt, have your guests find items that they get to win if they do. The hunt should be done within a time limit.
Dance Battle
Dance has a way of lifting spirits during events, so encourage all your guests to get involved in the dance battle.
You can have a dance battle between the girls and the boys at your event and reward your winner.
This game can be played close to the end of the event to wrap things up on a high note.
Picture Charades
Just like charades, have two groups with a representative from each who will be given a picture of iconic places in Nigeria, celebrities, or even Nigerian food.
The representative shows this picture to his team, and they have to guess before the time runs on.
Pass It
Have your guests take something from themselves and pass it around a circle as quickly as possible.
While doing this, a timer will be set, and when it ends, whoever has one of the passed items in hand has to perform a quick dance move.
Visit this article again and again to guide your selection of fun games to play when hosting an event.
These games will add to your celebration and help you to achieve a memorable event.
Elsie Udoh is an SEO content writer who specialises in writing engaging stories that resonates with diverse audiences. She studied mass communication at the Lagos State University.
