From weddings to fundraisers to company holiday parties, should you incorporate games or interactive activities into your special event? As DJs and Emcees, we know how important it is to keep your guests engaged in your event and create a memorable experience. Interactive activities can help keep the energy up and your guests involved in the party.

An inTUNE emcee interacts with the crowd at an event — Photo by: Fedora Media

Activities During Dinner

Start your event off on the right foot with some fun activities during dinner. Many events have speeches and announcements during dinner, but a game can keep the energy up so that your event transitions smoothly into dancing after dinner.

Giveaways

Giveaways often happen during or right after dinner. This can be simple, like a draw or giving a prize to the guest at each table whose birthday is closest to the event date. But we also have lots of interactive game ideas that work well for giveaways, such as trivia, name that tune, or salt and pepper (a fun passing game that’s similar to musical chairs). Looking for a fun giveaway game? We have more ideas, so reach out to us to chat about it!

Kissing Games

Many weddings incorporate a kissing game - something that your guests need to do during dinner to get you to kiss. Many venues won’t allow your guests to clink their glasses, so providing a game is a great way to incorporate this tradition without any broken glassware!

We find that having guests offer a piece of marriage advice is always a hit. For more interactive ideas, you could have guests answer a trivia question about your relationship, sing a song with love in it, or roll a die (each number means something different, like the couple kisses or the guest has to kiss someone at their table). You can find more kissing game ideas here.

Activities After Dinner

After dinner and before the dance floor opens is a great time to have a game or interactive activity. This is a good time for a silent auction, a gift exchange, or entertainment.

Outside Entertainment

Are you bringing in outside entertainment? We’ve done events that have brought in things like live musicians, comedians, or someone to facilitate bingo or casino-stye games. Depending on the theme of your event, outside entertainment can help you create the right atmosphere for your guests. We most often see this entertainment after dinner. Once it’s over, the DJ can smoothly transition into dance music if you’re having dancing, or cocktail-style music if your guests are going to be mingling.

After Dinner Games

If you’re doing a giveaway game, you could do this after dinner. This is also a good time for activities such as trivia or a scavenger hunt. At holiday parties, gift giveaways or exchanges often take place after dinner. This could be simple, like drawing names, or more interactive, like a passing game.

For weddings, the most common after dinner activities are centrepiece giveaways, the shoe game, and the photo dash. The shoe game is a fun newlywed game to see how well you know each other. The photo dash involves you trying to get a photo with each table of guests during the length of one song. Get more game ideas here!

Guests enjoying a special event with an inTUNE DJ — Photo by: Lauren Valvasori Photography

Games to Start the Dance Floor

For some special events, the guests really like to dance, and for others it can be more of a challenge to get everyone on the dance floor. An interactive activity can get your guests up and moving, so that transitioning into dancing is more natural. At some events, gathering everyone on the dance floor for a group photo is a good way to gather them together. Some more upbeat ideas include a limbo contest, spot dances, or a circle game. We’ve got lots of ideas to get the party started!

For weddings, another popular game is an anniversary dance. During this dance, all of the couples gather on the dance floor for a song and are gradually eliminated based on how long they’ve been together until the couple that has been the longest is left. You could give them a prize, or just a fun shout out.

Activities During Dancing

Sometimes it’s better to wait until the dance floor is busy to introduce an activity, or use one to get people dancing again if things get quiet. Things like a limbo contest or spot dances can work well for this. Or at a wedding, an hour or two into dancing is a great time to do a bouquet toss.

Activities like a giveaway draw, fetching an item, trivia, or the shoe game don’t work as well once dancing has started. These types of activities usually involve stopping the music to get everyone’s attention, which can impact the energy of the dance floor. We recommend doing these activities earlier in the evening and then allowing your guests to enjoy the party for the rest of the night.

A happy couple playing the shoe game with an inTUNE wedding emcee — Photo by: Fedora Media

Some Things to Keep in Mind

There may be guests who don’t want to participate - and that’s okay! Whether a guest is shy, not into dancing, or has mobility issues, there are a number of reasons why a guest might not want to participate in an interactive activity. Creating an inclusive atmosphere where guests are free to join in or sit this one out ensures that everyone will enjoy your event.

If you are doing an activity like a trivia game, mini putt, pulling a Hershey’s kiss out of a bag, etc., keep in mind that it’s up to you to supply questions or materials. Make sure this fits into your planning time and budget for your event.

You don’t have to incorporate games into your event if you don’t want to! While many of these activities can be a fun way to inject some energy into your event, they are definitely optional. If you do decide to add some games, one or two go a long way. Adding too many activities can make your event overwhelming for your guests, so choosing the right activities and scheduling them at the right time is important. We’re happy to provide input and recommendations.

Incorporating Games & Interactive Activities into Your Special Event