Skip navigation

10 Halloween team-building ideas for work

Halloween is a perfect opportunity to boost team spirit, encourage creativity and give everyone a break from their day-to-day routines.

A Jack-o-lantern sits on the counter of an office break room that is decorated for Halloween.A Jack-o-lantern sits on the counter of an office break room that is decorated for Halloween.

Table of contents

Insights from Ellen Raim, Founder of People MatterWe focus more on solving than preventing People problems.

Halloween is a perfect opportunity to inject fun into your workplace. It’s a chance to boost team spirit, encourage creativity and give everyone a break from their day-to-day routines.

Here are ten Halloween team-building ideas that will get your employees into the spooky spirit:

1. Costume contest

Encourage employees to dress up in costumes and host a contest with different categories, such as "most creative," "funniest," or "best DIY." Make it inclusive by offering both individual and group categories. Employees can vote on their favorites, and small prizes add excitement.

2. Virtual haunted house tour

A virtual haunted house tour is an online experience where participants explore a haunted house or spooky environment together via a virtual platform. This can be a fun way for remote teams to get everyone involved.

3. Pumpkin decorating competition

A pumpkin-decorating competition can unleash creativity and friendly competition. Provide pumpkins and decorating supplies. For remote teams, allow digital entries where employees design virtual pumpkins or share pictures of real pumpkins they’ve decorated. Then vote on the best designs.

4. Halloween trivia

Host a Halloween-themed trivia game where employees test their knowledge of spooky facts, horror movies and classic Halloween traditions. Break teams into small groups to encourage collaboration, or keep it individual for quicker competition. Offer prizes for top scores to add a competitive edge.

5. Spooky storytelling session

Host a spooky storytelling session to create an eerie atmosphere. Each team member can share a short, fun ghost story — a personal, fictional or classic tale. Spooky storytelling is great for remote teams and can build connections as people open up and share something creative.

6. Escape room challenge

Set up a Halloween-themed escape room in your office or virtually for remote teams. Teams must solve puzzles and work together to escape a "haunted" scenario. This is a fantastic way to encourage collaboration, problem-solving and communication in a fun setting.

7. Trick-or-treat scavenger hunt

Organize a scavenger hunt where employees search for hidden Halloween-themed items around the office. Give clues or riddles that lead them to the secret "treats," including small prizes, candy or even team-building vouchers. Remote or hybrid workforce? Hide some “treats” throughout your intranet!

8. Halloween potluck

A Halloween potluck allows your team to showcase their culinary creativity. Have employees bring Halloween-themed treats like spooky cookies, pumpkin-flavored snacks or monster cupcakes. Hold a virtual "show-and-tell" for remote teams, where people can share their Halloween dishes from home.

9. Murder mystery party

Turn your office or virtual space into the scene of a spooky crime with a murder mystery party. Assign roles to employees and have them work together to figure out "whodunnit." This is a fun way to improve team interaction and can be tailored for in-person or virtual setups.

10. Haunted office/desk decorating

Give employees the chance to decorate their workspaces with Halloween decorations. Prizes can be awarded for "spookiest," "most creative" and other fun categories.

These ten Halloween team-building activities will create a memorable experience for your team while building connections, encouraging creativity and creating a little bit of friendly competition.

What’s even better than team building on Halloween?

Creating opportunities for your team to bond and grow all year long.

Learning together is one of the best ways to strengthen team connections and collaboration. With live learning experiences from Electives, your team can engage in dynamic, interactive sessions that go beyond the ordinary.

Learn live. Adapt faster.

Looking for more holiday calendars? Click the month you want to see:

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | Full-Year Overview | Downloadable Calendar

Latest resources

Learn more about creating a culture of learning throughout our resources below.

Make performance season count: A smarter way to prep your people
Electives team
 
Sep 12, 2025

Make performance season count: A smarter way to prep your people

Performance season is a chance to raise the bar. Here’s how targeted training turns reviews into real development and managers into better coaches.
Leadership + management
What high-performing teams need from training right now
Electives team
 
Sep 11, 2025

What high-performing teams need from training right now

LMS content alone won’t move the needle. High-performing teams need live, relevant learning that builds skills—and drives action.
Learning best practices
Before budget season: How to prioritize your learning investments
Electives team
 
Sep 10, 2025

Before budget season: How to prioritize your learning investments

Budget season is coming. Learn how to prioritize training investments by aligning learning with business-critical competencies.
Learning best practices
Make November count: How to turn Career Development Month into real momentum
Electives team
 
Sep 4, 2025

Make November count: How to turn Career Development Month into real momentum

Use November to spotlight growth paths, activate managers and give people the tools to move forward.
Culture + collaboration
Mobility matters: How to grow careers internally (even when promotions are limited)
Electives team
 
Sep 3, 2025

Mobility matters: How to grow careers internally (even when promotions are limited)

Internal mobility boosts retention, engagement and agility. Here’s how HR can supercharge career growth—without expanding headcount.
Culture + collaboration
Workplace holidays to celebrate in October
Electives team
 
Sep 1, 2025

Workplace holidays to celebrate in October

We’ve curated a list of workplace holidays to celebrate in October. Plus download our annual holiday calendar.
Culture + collaboration

View all posts

ENJOYABLE. EASY. EFFECTIVE.

Learning that works.

With live learning + AI simulations, Electives is a learning platform that makes it easy to design, execute and measure effectiveness.

Request a demo

Request a demo

Learn more

Learn more