Games for Events

We have a lot of games and ideas that are fantastic for events of all kinds including: weddings, anniversaries, stag dos (that's Bachelor parties for our American friends), fairs, parties, games nights and corporate events. First off, it's important to decide what sort of event you want to hold. We've classified events into four types:

Games to accompany and enhance an event

e.g. for weddings, family parties, pre-dinner entertainment or the office Christmas party

Limbo Giant Four in a Row Some people want to have an event where games are not the central theme but are just scattered around for peripheral entertainment.

This is a fairly low maintenance way of organising entertainment for your event and works well for events such as wedding receptions or adhoc parties in your back garden. You will need to pick games that can be left unattended in suitable places around your garden or hall where the event is taking place. For more information on games that look enticing and are easy for people to have a go at without assistance, see Games to Accompany Parties, Weddings and Events.

Games nights, themed tournaments, pub game Olympics

Sometimes, the games are the core part of the event's entertainment. Perhaps you are organising a games evening or want to encourage participation in various mini-competitions. Some people have organised pub games night or a pub games Olympics or Pentathlon - these can make for a memorable day indeed!

In this case, a measure of organisation will be required - someone will need to be on hand to adjudicate and manage the gaming part of the event. Complicated games should still be avoided but some games might need a bit of explanation so the organiser and/or helpers will need to be on hand for instruction and questions.

If it's a wider competition involving multiple games then an explanation of how that will work will be required and someone is going to need to take charge of recording and compiling the results and resolving any disputes (these things can get quite competitive in certain circles!).

For people interested in the pub games night idea, please peruse our Pub Games FAQ page.

Fairs, summer fetes and fund-raising

The sort of games needed forvillage fairs and similar events require certain attributes: they need to be pretty simple to understand, require quick turns and usually to have some kind of immediate result so that a prize can be allocated- or not -depending on the result.

We've compiled a list of games that are perfect for fairs - including both well known fair games, such as hoop-la, and less well known games that will help to spark a bit of interest at your fair. We manufacture certain equipment such as coconut shy posts and hoop-la blocks ourselves as sometimes this stuff is not so easy to obtain. For more information see our Fair Games and our Fair Games Advice page.

Casino nights

Casino nights are a special type of gaming event that require unique arrangements because games such as Poker, Blackjack and Roulette need croupiers to manage the tables. Most people get round this by hiring a specialist firm who bring all the tables and equipment required, as well as staff to manage the games and the overall event.