You found our list of St. Patrick’s Day activities for the office.
St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17 and sparks celebrations in Ireland, the US, and other countries around the globe. St. Patrick’s Day activities are ways to celebrate the occasion in person with coworkers. The purpose of these games and activities is to encourage fun and camaraderie among teams. This holiday is also known as “St. Paddy’s Day,” and these ideas are also known as “St Patrick’s day activities for work,” and “St Patrick’s day office ideas.”
This holiday is an example of workplace celebrations and is a great opportunity to host an in-office social event.
This post includes:
- St Patrick’s Day scavenger hunts
- St Patrick’s Day treats for the office
- St Patricks Day party ideas for adults
- St Patrick’s Day games for adults
Here are the tips!
St. Patrick’s Day Activities and Games
From cooking classes to dance lessons to happy hours, here is a list of fun, in-office St. Patrick’s Day activities for all ages.
1. St. Patrick’s Day Word Search
Word searches are great St. Patrick’s Day ideas for the office. These fun puzzles challenge participants to find holiday words among jumbles of letters.
We made a St. Patrick’s Day word search you can print and hand out during a team break:
To play, print copies of the word search and distribute them to participants. The first person to complete it wins!
Here are more word games to play at work.
2. St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt
St Patrick’s Day scavenger hunts engage teams by getting players up and moving. To host an in-office scavenger hunt, prepare a list of St. Patrick’s Day-themed items and hide them around the office. Participants race to find the objects and check them off their lists.
We made a St. Patrick’s scavenger hunt template to use for your game:
For a simpler option, you can hide a “pot of gold” in the office with prizes. Then, give your team members riddles to solve to find the pot’s location. If your team are puzzle enthusiasts or highly technical, then you can give complex clues and problems related to your industry. Otherwise, stick with simple riddles.
For more tips, check out our list of office scavenger hunt ideas.
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3. St. Patrick’s Day Word Jumble
Word scrambles are fun educational St. Patrick’s Day games to play with coworkers. These activities make great warmups for meetings or icebreakers for events. Players receive a list of scrambled letters and must make words.
We made a template to get you started. Feel free to add your own words.
For extra fun, turn the activity into a race and see how many words participants can unscramble in one minute.
Check out more letter games.
4. Clover Chain of Kindness
Good luck grows when you share it! For this gratitude game, each team member writes a thank-you note on a paper four-leaf clover and secretly places it on a coworker’s desk. That coworker then passes the luck by writing their own note and leaving it for another team mate. By the end of the day, the office will be full of lucky clovers, and even luckier teammates who feel valued and appreciated.
Check out more gratitude games.
5. Guinness Pouring Contest
Ireland is famous for its stout, but pouring a Guinness takes special technique, otherwise you will wind up with a glass of foam.
A Guinness pouring contest is one of the most creative St Patricks Day party ideas for adults.
We find it is best to do this challenge at the end of the workday. Simply grab a case of Guinness, line up a row of glasses, and tell contestants to take their places. Then, start a stopwatch, blow a whistle, and give the group one minute to pour the beer. When time is up, the glass with the least foam wins.
Be sure to gather the office to cheer on the contestants, and feel free to play spirited music in the background during the contest to set the mood.
6. Irish Dance Class
Irish dance performances are popular around St. Patrick’s Day. One fun way to celebrate the day is to follow a dance tutorial.
Either book a dance instructor to visit the office, or follow an instructional video together.
You can check if there are any Jigs and Swigs instructors local to you too. These fun events take place at local breweries and lead participants through an Irish dance-based workout, followed by a complimentary beer.
7. St. Patrick’s Day Icebreakers
One of the easiest ways to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in the office is to start meetings or lunch breaks with festive icebreaker questions:
- If you found a pot of gold, what would you spend it on?
- What is the luckiest thing that ever happened to you?
- What is your good luck charm?
- What’s a small “lucky charm” or superstition you believe in?
- What’s one thing about your coworkers or team that makes you feel lucky to work with them?
- If a leprechaun granted you three workplace wishes, what would they be?
- What’s your favorite green food, and what’s one green food you refuse to eat?
Here are more icebreaker questions.
8. Irish Cooking Class
Food is an important part of any holiday, and St. Patrick’s Day has plenty of tasty treats. Cooking classes and cook-offs are a great way to share a meal and an activity with your coworkers.
Simply gather in the office kitchen or break room and prepare a dish together. Be sure to show off the finished product!
Here are recommendations for dishes to make for St. Patrick’s Day:
- Corned beef and cabbage
- Shepherd’s pie
- Soda bread
- Stew
You could also go the after-dinner route and whip up a green dessert or a sweet that combines chocolate with Irish cream liqueur or whiskey.
9. Objects of Good Fortune
This activity is a version of show and tell that revolves around luck. Whether it’s a lucky coin, a cherished book, or a friendship bracelet from a past adventure, every teammate has something that represents good fortune in their life. In this activity, teammates take turns showing an object that brings them luck or symbolizes something they are grateful for. The result is a fun, insightful exchange that deepens team connections and reminds your employees that luck is often found in the people and moments we cherish most.
10. Pot of Gold Gratitude Board
You can set up a “Pot of Gold” station where teammates can write notes of appreciation on gold coin cutouts and drop them in a communal pot. At the end of the day, read some aloud or distribute them to spread positivity and luck! For virtual teams, use a digital board where coworkers can post their golden shoutouts.
Here are more gratitude wall ideas for work.
11. Green-Out Challenge
In the US, it is tradition for folks to dress in green on St. Patrick’s Day, or risk being pinched. While we do not recommend pinching as it would likely result in an HR meeting or two, we encourage you to challenge coworkers to take their green-wearing to the extreme.
Encourage your employees to dress in as much green as possible. You can have folks form teams and designate one representative, then create a costume with as much green and Irish flair as possible. Each group will present their creations along with a story.
Be sure to award fun prizes for categories like “Most Spirited,” “Most Creative,” and “Most Unexpected Use of Green.”
12. Spot the Shamrock
This activity turn your workspace into a lucky scavenger hunt by hiding paper shamrocks in unexpected places. For example, taped under desks, inside coffee mugs, or even on the back of a teammate’s chair!
Each shamrock comes with a challenge to complete before claiming it, like “Teach a coworker a dance move in 30 seconds,” “Share a wild-but-true fun fact about yourself,” or “Reenact your reaction to the best email you ever received.”
The more shamrocks your teammates find, the better their chances of winning a big prize. Be sure to encourage players to take photos and videos of the challenges along the way!
13. Irish Fable Story Time
Ireland is famous for its folklore. One great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is to read Irish fables aloud.
Here is a collection of Irish fairy tales.
To make story Time more interactive, ask listeners to write their own tales together afterward or illustrate the story.
You could also turn the activity into a fun acting game where players have to re-interpret the stories with modern day versions or funny themes.
14. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Parades are a staple of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. You can get the office into the spirit by organizing your own parade. Participants can break off into teams or departments, with each group designing their own “float.” The base of the float can be an inexpensive children’s toy truck that you pick up from a thrift store or dollar store. Then, each team can design an elaborate holiday display on top of the toy, and the whole office casts votes on who made the best float.
15. St. Paddy’s Movie Party
If you prefer a low-key celebration, then host a shamrock-themed movie screening in the break room. Simply choose a festive movie or show and provide snacks.
Here are movie and show suggestions:
- Luck of the Irish
- Leprechaun
- Boondock Saints
- Brooklyn
- Derry Girls
- Peaky Blinders
- Leap Year
- The Secret of the Kells
You can also play St Patrick movie charades, where players act out prompts based on movies about Ireland or St Paddy’s Day.
16. St. Patrick’s Day Treats for the Office
Many offices like to celebrate holidays with sweets. Here are St Patrick’s Day food ideas for work or treats to boost employee morale on St. Patrick’s Day.
- Lucky Charms Snack Mix: A crunchy, colorful blend of Lucky Charms cereal, pretzels, white chocolate, and green M&Ms. Bonus points if you add edible gold sprinkles! You could also make Rice Krispie treats out of Lucky Charms.
- Pot of Gold Cupcakes: Chocolate or vanilla cupcakes topped with green frosting, rainbow candy strips, and a gold-wrapped chocolate “coin” for a festive touch.
- Shamrock Sugar Cookies: Classic sugar cookies shaped like shamrocks and decorated with green icing and sparkly sugar crystals. Extra fun if you set up a DIY decorating station!
- Irish Cream Brownies: Rich, fudgey brownies with a hint of Irish cream flavor (or a non-alcoholic Irish cream glaze for a workplace-friendly treat).
- Mint Chocolate Chip Dip: A sweet and creamy dip made with whipped cream cheese, chocolate chips, and a hint of mint, served with graham crackers or pretzels for dunking.
- Leprechaun Popcorn: Popcorn drizzled with green candy melts and mixed with mini marshmallows and gold sprinkles. A perfect grab-and-go snack!
- Rainbow Fruit Platter: A refreshing display of fruit arranged in a rainbow, with a bowl of whipped cream or yogurt as the “clouds” and chocolate gold coins at the end.
- Matcha Latte Bar: Set up a self-serve matcha latte station with milk, honey, and fun toppings like cinnamon or vanilla. A cozy, caffeine-friendly way to celebrate!
- Gold-Dusted Donuts: Classic glazed donuts brushed with edible gold dust to make them look like they came straight from a leprechaun’s treasure trove.
These festive treats will keep your team feeling lucky and well-fed all day long!
Conclusion
St. Patrick’s Day is a social holiday that encourages folks to gather for parades, parties, and drinks. An in-office celebration brings teams together for quality bonding time and shared fun. The holiday is a much-needed pick-me-up at the end of winter, and celebrating can boost morale and camaraderie.
For more tips, check out our posts on office parties or ways to boost employee engagement.
