17 party games for large groups

People bingo

Players

15 to 100

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

8 and up

You need

A people bingo card and a pen for each guest

1. Give each guest a card of squares such as 'likes puzzles', 'enjoys walking' or 'has tried gardening'.
2. Guests move around the room asking each other about the squares.
3. A guest who fits a square signs it. Each person signs any one card only once.
4. The first guest with a full line shouts bingo. Keep going for a full card if the room is lively.

Without a printer: Read ten squares aloud. Guests write them as a list on any paper and collect a different name beside each one.

For this game: Human bingo

Name on your back

Players

15 to 60

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

10 and up

You need

A sticky note with a well-known name for each guest

1. Write a well-known person, character or animal on each sticky note.
2. Stick one on each guest's back as they arrive, without letting them see it.
3. Guests mingle and ask one yes-or-no question per person they talk to, such as 'Am I real?'
4. When a guest works out their name, they move the note to their front and keep helping others.
5. Choose names that most of the room will know.

Silent line-up

Players

12 to 60

Minutes

5 to 10

Ages

7 and up

You need

Nothing

1. Ask the group to line up in order of birthday, by month and day only, with January 1 at one end.
2. Nobody may speak. Players use fingers, nods and gestures.
3. When the line settles, go down it and have each person say their date.
4. Count how many are out of place, then play again with a new order, such as height or the number of letters in their first name.

Team trivia rounds

Players

20 to 100, in teams of 4 to 8

Minutes

45 to 90

Ages

12 and up

You need

Trivia rounds with answers, an answer sheet per team, a score sheet, and a microphone for a big room

1. Seat each team at its own table with a team name and an answer sheet.
2. Read rounds of ten questions to the whole room, each question twice.
3. Teams write one agreed answer per question and hand in the sheet at the end of the round.
4. Helpers mark the sheets while the next round starts, and the host reads the scores between rounds.

Without a printer: Teams write their answers on numbered scrap paper, one sheet per round.

For this game: Trivia night kit: rounds, answers and score sheets

Survey game

Players

10 to 60, in two teams

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

10 and up

You need

Prompts with ranked answers, a whiteboard to show the answers found, and a bell

1. Choose prompts with ranked answers, such as 'Name something packed for a beach visit', or poll friends before the party to make your own.
2. One player from each team steps up. The host reads the prompt, and the first to ring the bell answers.
3. The team with the higher-ranked answer takes control and tries to name every answer on the board, one player at a time.
4. Three wrong answers pass the prompt to the other team, who get one guess to steal the points.

Without a printer: Read the prompts and answers from a phone, and write each answer on the whiteboard as it is found.

For this game: Survey game questions and answers

Relay charades

Players

12 to 60, in teams of 5 to 8

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

8 and up

You need

A list of ten prompts, and a host in the middle of the room

1. Teams gather in separate corners. The host stands in the middle with the prompt list.
2. One player from each team runs to the host, who whispers prompt one to all of them.
3. Each runner goes back and acts the prompt for their team without speaking.
4. When a team guesses it, a new player from that team runs to the host for prompt two.
5. The first team through all ten prompts wins.

Table draw race

Players

20 to 80, at tables of 5 to 8

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

8 and up

You need

Paper and a marker at each table, and a word list for the host

1. Each table picks an artist, who comes to the host to see the word.
2. Artists go back and draw the word for their table, with no letters or numbers.
3. The first table to shout the right word scores a point.
4. Every table picks a new artist for the next word.

For this game: Drawing game word generator

Room bingo

Players

20 to 150

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

All ages

You need

A different bingo card for each player, pens or markers, and the call list

1. Make one card per player with the bingo card maker, on a theme that suits the event.
2. Call each item clearly, twice, and show it on a screen or board for people at the back.
3. A player with a full line calls out and reads the line back.
4. Check it against the called list before the next call. Play later rounds for four corners and then a full card.

Without a printer: Show a list of 40 words on a screen. Players draw a 5 by 5 grid and fill it from the list, then the host calls the words in a random order.

Spaghetti and marshmallow tower

Players

12 to 80, in teams of 4

Minutes

20 to 25

Ages

10 and up

You need

For each team: 20 sticks of dry spaghetti, a yard of tape, a yard of string and one marshmallow

1. Give every team the same supplies.
2. Teams have 18 minutes to build the tallest tower that stands on its own with the marshmallow on top.
3. Nobody may hold the tower when time runs out.
4. Measure from the table to the top of the marshmallow. The tallest wins.

Wink murder

Players

10 to 40

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

8 and up

You need

Folded slips of paper, one per player, with one marked X

1. Everyone sits or stands in a big circle and draws a slip. The player with the X is the winker and keeps it secret.
2. The winker catches people's eyes and winks at them.
3. Anyone winked at waits a few seconds, then drops out with a dramatic fall into their seat.
4. A player who thinks they know the winker says 'I accuse'. A wrong guess puts them out; a right one ends the round.
5. Deal new slips for the next round.

Heads or tails

Players

20 to 200

Minutes

5 to 10

Ages

All ages

You need

A coin

1. Everyone stands.
2. Each player puts both hands on their head for heads or on their hips for tails.
3. The host flips the coin and calls the result. Everyone who guessed wrong sits down.
4. Repeat until one player is left standing. Each flip removes about half the room, so even a big crowd is done in a few minutes.

Rock, paper, scissors followers

Players

16 to 200

Minutes

10

Ages

5 and up

You need

Nothing

1. Everyone pairs up and plays one round of rock, paper, scissors.
2. The loser becomes the winner's fan and follows them, cheering their name.
3. Winners find another winner to play. The loser and all their fans join the new winner's crowd.
4. It ends with two players facing off, each backed by half the room.

This or that walk

Players

15 to 100

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

All ages

You need

A list of either-or choices and room for people to move

1. Name one side of the room for each option, such as mountains by the windows and coast by the door.
2. Read a choice. Everyone walks to the side they pick.
3. Ask a volunteer from each side why they chose it.
4. Keep it quick, about one choice a minute, so the room stays on the move.

For this game: This or that questions

Human knot

Players

8 to 12 per knot; run several knots for a big group

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

8 and up

You need

Nothing

1. Groups of 8 to 12 stand in a tight circle.
2. Everyone reaches in and takes the hands of two different people who are not standing next to them.
3. Without letting go, the group steps over and under arms to untangle into one circle.
4. If a knot is stuck after a few minutes, allow one pair to let go and rejoin.
5. Anyone who would rather not hold hands can guide a knot from outside.

Giants, wizards and elves

Players

20 to 100, in two teams

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

6 and up

You need

A field with a center line and a safe line at each end

1. Teach three poses: giants stand tall with arms up, wizards point a wand, elves crouch with hands as pointed ears. Giants beat elves, elves beat wizards, and wizards beat giants.
2. Each team huddles and picks one pose, then both teams line up facing each other at the center line.
3. On three, both teams show their pose.
4. The winning team chases the losers, who run for their safe line.
5. Anyone tagged joins the other team. Play until time is up or one team has everyone.

Team relay races

Players

12 to 60, in teams of 6 to 10

Minutes

30 to 45

Ages

5 and up

You need

Cones or shoes to mark lanes, pillowcases, spoons and balls, and a score sheet

1. Set up one lane per team and plan four short relays: a pillowcase hop, a ball on a spoon, a crab walk and a plain run.
2. Each player goes to the turning point and back, then tags the next teammate.
3. Give 3, 2 and 1 points to the first three teams home in each relay.
4. Add up the score sheet after the last race.

Without a printer: Keep the scores on a whiteboard or a large sheet of paper taped to a wall.

For this game: Printable team score sheet

Tug of war

Players

10 to 40, in two teams

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

8 and up

You need

A thick rope, a ribbon tied at its middle, and three marks on the ground

1. Mark a center line and a second line a few steps away on each side.
2. Line up the teams at opposite ends of the rope, with the ribbon over the center line.
3. On go, both teams pull. A team wins the round when the ribbon crosses their own line.
4. Play best of three. Balance the teams by size, and remind players never to wrap the rope around a hand or wrist.