21 Fun Group Activities For Adults in 2023

You found our list of fun group activities for adults.

Group activities for adults aim to bring folks together for socialization and fun. For example, scavenger hunts, board games, and happy hours. These ideas can work for team building outings, friendly gatherings and other social activities.

These ideas are similar to connection games, relationship-building activities, and community-building ideas. You can also use these activities as part of corporate family fun days or National Fun at Work Day.

This list includes:

• fun activities for adults
• fun group activities
• social activities for adults
• small group activities for adults
• large group activities for adults
• entertainment activities for adults
• group outing ideas for adults

Here we go!

List of fun group activities for adults

From LEGO art to dragon boat racing, you can engage everyone in your group with these fun adult activities.

1. Ice Cream or Gelato Classes

You do not need an ice cream maker to make delicious ice cream or gelato. One of the fun indoor group activities for adults is machine-less ice cream or gelato-making classes. You can purchase an online course, take an in-person class, or DIY.

Some resources for online classes:

• Professional Gelato Making Classes and Consulting
• Udemy

For in-person classes, Google “local ice cream or gelato-making classes.” I found creameries and culinary schools that offer group classes in my area.

If you decide to DIY, many websites teach you how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker like:

• Barefeet in the Kitchen
• Handle the Heat
• Foodiecrush.com

Some fun ice cream flavors that your group can experiment with include German chocolate cake, key lime pie, and mint chocolate chip.

2. Themed Puzzle Night

Puzzles are great activities for large or small groups. One fun puzzle idea is to create a giant crossword puzzle based on a theme—for example, a cocktail theme with a crossword puzzle highlighting international mixed drinks. You can purchase large, blank crossword puzzles online and fill in your topic. Or, you can work with a print shop to print a massive version of a custom puzzle.

A few themed puzzle ideas:

• wine
• TV shows
• art
• pop culture
• strange stories
• original names
• superheroes

You can either purchase a giant crossword puzzle online or create your own using different websites like mycrosswordmaker.com.

Check out more team building puzzles.

3. International Indoor Picnic

You can hold a picnic rain or shine with an international indoor picnic. First, pick a country and coinciding cuisine.

Some ideas include:

• Italian with Caprese salad, prosciutto and brie sandwiches, and Italian cookies
• French with quiches, tartlets, and French wine
• German with Reuben sandwiches, German potato salad, and strudel

Then, create a picnic ambiance with blankets, candles, and flowers. You can also partner with a luxury picnic company to set up a glamorous spread at your venue of choice.

Check out this list of fun company picnic ideas for work.

4. LEGO Art Night

You do not have to be a child to create LEGO masterpieces. A LEGO Art night is where your group can create works of art with a childhood favorite. To set up your night, gather supplies like:

• LEGO bricks and kits
• art canvases
• tacky glue
• sketching pencils
• different stencils

Then, instruct your group to sketch a design on the canvas freehand or use a stencil to map out a plan. Next, prompt participants to bring the blueprints to life by making the structures. Finally, let the creativity flow!

5. Wheel of Fortune Games

Wheel of Fortune is a favorite classic game show that makes for a great group activity. To create a Wheel of Fortune Game for your group, purchase a prize spinning wheel, or find a digital wheel online. Then, make labels for each wheel piece like “Lose a Turn,” “Bankrupt,” and monetary numbers. Next, pick categories for your word puzzles.

For example:

• people
• places
• famous quotes
• food and drink

Finally, choose prizes for the players with the highest scores.

Check out this list of virtual game show ideas.

6. Mario Go-Kart Racing

Mario Go-Kart racing is a combination of classic go-kart racing and Mario Kart. In our version, your group races at a Go-Kart track but dresses up as characters from Mario Kart.

If you do not want to wear full costumes, there are places where you can buy character masks online.

7. Live Candyland

Candyland is a timeless game that appeals to both adults and children. A fun idea for small group activities for adults is Live Candyland, where the game comes alive with full-sized game pieces and characters. To set up the game, purchase needed supplies.

Ideas for supplies:

• 134 educational marker squares in yellow, purple, blue, orange, green, and red
• props for the different locations like Candy Cane Forest and Gumdrop Mountain
• laminated character cutouts
• lawn stakes
• Candyland playing cards from the game
• red, blue, yellow, and green t-shirts

To set up the game, lay out marker squares and props, closely following Candyland’s board pattern. Next, you can glue character cutouts on lawn stakes and add them to the appropriate location props. For example, place Princess Lolly in the Lollipop Forest. Then, give each player a t-shirt. Each t-shirt color represents a game piece. Next, pick someone to be the cardholder and have each board player draw a card. Finally, the player who reaches the end first wins!

8. Mock Polo Game

One of the unique large group activities for adults is a mock polo game. Inflatable horses and spongee polo sticks replace real horses and mallets in this game.

Items needed for the game:

• spongee polo sticks
• inflatable horses
• spongee balls
• lawn stakes

To play the game, set up an area 300 yards long and 200 yards wide. If you do not have this much space, you can pair it down to 200 yards long and 100 yards wide. Then, divide into groups of four. Next, use stakes to set up goalposts on both ends of the field. Finally, establish the rules of the game.

Rules for Mock Polo:

• the object of the game is to score as many goals as possible
• there are four chukkas (plays), each seven minutes long
• teams change ends each time a goal occurs
• players are allowed to “bump” other players and try to get the ball from them

You can add authenticity to the event by encouraging players to wear their finest polo shirts and khakis.

9. Live Clue Game

Clue is the beloved whodunit game. In Live Clue, characters come to life.

To set up your game:

1.  Send invitations to your group with specific character assignments and encourage guests to dress as their characters.
2. Collect your Clue props like a lead pipe, wrench, candlestick, revolver, knife, and rope.
3. Designate the guilty character, murder weapon, and the room where the crime occurred, then separate these cards in an envelope.
4. Set up Clue rooms like the kitchen, study, conservatory, hall, dining room, billiard room, lounge, library, and ballroom. If you do not have nine rooms to work with, combine the rooms and label them.

To play the game, give each guest an envelope with a character card, weapon card, room card, Clue sheet, and writing utensil. For the victim, add a note explaining that they need to fall to the ground and pretend to be dead when lights go out. Then, bring everyone to the room where you want the game to begin. After the lights are turned off and back on, ask the first group member to guess the murder weapon, room, and guilty character. From here, the accused player reveals his cards. The game continues with players accusing and eliminating characters, rooms, and weapons.

This activity puts a nostalgic spin on murder mystery games.

10. Roaming Dinner Party

Dinner parties are a fabulous way to bring a group together. In a roaming dinner party, four to five hosts provide different courses at their homes. For example, Host A provides the appetizers and cocktails, Host B provides the soup and salad course, Host C provides the main course and side dishes, Host D provides the dessert, and Host E provides a variety of wines and spirits.

You can add class and convenience to the evening by renting a limo to transport your group from house to house.

11. 5K Fun Run

One of the fun outdoor activities for adults is a group 5K. These races have fun themes and spins that make running more fun. If there is a member of your group who does not like running, then you can sweet-talk them into walking.

Some fun 5K ideas:

• Bubble Runs where you run through waves of bubbles
• Boozy runs where you can sample wine or beer at different race points
• Sweet runs where different stations offer chocolate, candy, and other desserts
• Color Runs where you get doused with colored powder at different stations
• Zombie Runs where you are running from zombies

To find a 5K run in your area, you can either Google “local 5Ks” or use websites like active.com.

12. Sandcastle Competition

You do not have to live near a beach to host a sandcastle competition. However, if you are near that shore, that is a bonus!

To set up a sandcastle competition on a beach, locate a suitable beach. I recommend you pick a time like late afternoon or early evening to avoid large crowds. If it is in the early evening, then you can use LED lanterns to help builders see their work! Then, send out invitations. Next, purchase sandcastle building equipment. Children’s toys will do the trick and are available in bulk on sites like Amazon. Finally, pick judges and prizes for the winners.

To set up a sandcastle on a non-beach, locate a large area outside as the activity can get messy! I would also recommend laying tarps down in the work area. Then, purchase materials to make sand at local hardware stores or big box stores like Home Depot. Next, gather sandcastle building equipment like shovels and buckets. Finally, pick judges and prizes for the winners.

13. Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing is a 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition that has become popular in the United States. Like a regatta, dragon boat racers compete in boats that seat 22 people for the fastest time.

To find a race near you, you can Google “dragon boat racing near me” or use dragonboatsport.com to find a local dragon boat racing club.

Here are more team workout ideas.

14. Stargazing

You can bring the galaxy to your group with a stargazing evening. Many venues offer glimpses of the stars like planetariums, observatories, astronomical societies, and hotels.

Sites where you can find stargazing events:

• International Planetarium Society
• Go-astronomy.com
• hotels like Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa
• astronomical societies like the American Astronomical Society

To set up the event, go to the venue of your choice and determine what days work for your group according to the venue’s hours of operation.

15. Japanese Kite Building and Picnic

Pairing a Japanese kite building activity with a picnic elevates outdoor dining experiences with culture and hands-on crafts. To set up this event, first, gather supplies for your group’s Japanese kites. I recommend buying pre-made kits online, as this step will save organizers and participants time and money! Next, plan your picnic menu.

Some menu ideas:

• sushi
• ramen
• Japanese egg sandwiches and Japanese potato salad
• banana sushi

You can complete your group’s experience with Japanese blankets and LED tea lights.

15. Trampoline Park

Trampoline parks are not just for children. To get your group jumping, book a private session for your attendees. First, find a trampoline park near you. You can either Google “trampoline parks near me” or utilize websites like trampolineparkguide.com. Then, decide a time for your group to go. Finally, jump, spin, and tumble like you have no worries!

16. Arcade Day

I grew up on old arcade games like Space Invaders. Although I have not played in years, the game still brings back fond memories. You can rekindle your group’s arcade memories with an arcade day. You can host the event at a local arcade or DIY a gaming lounge.

If you decide to DIY, you can buy an inexpensive projecting game like ProjeX. Then, to set up the space, you can use a wall or projector screen.

17. Glass Blowing

One of the fun social group activities for adults is glassblowing. Although the practice may sound intimidating, many museums, art institutes, and studios offer group classes for beginners. With these lessons, you can make everything from decanters to ornaments to lights!

To find a glassblowing venue near you, either Google “glass blowing near me” or search on websites like Yelp.

18. Seasonal Baking

Baking has become a popular hobby for many folks. You can channel teammates’ inner chefs by hosting a seasonal baking group activity.

To do this activity, simply select a recipe, gather your ingredients, split the group into teams, and whip up your creations. For a competitive spin, make the event a timed bake-off and recruit a panel of judges to pick a winner based on taste and presentation.

Some seasonal baking ideas:

• Fall: salted caramel apple galettes, maple candy, and pumpkin streusel coffee cake
• Winer: eggnog cheesecake, cranberry-orange cupcakes, and peppermint bark
• Spring: Cadbury Egg brownies, lemon Bundt cake, and raspberry-pistachio cake
• Summer: lemon strawberry thyme shortcake, blueberry clafoutis, and peach crisp

You can also search for local cooking classes in your area or pay for an online course that you can take as a group.

Here is a collection of online group cooking classes.

19. Wood Burning Classes

Farmhouse and rustic chic decorations are all the rage! You can get on this bandwagon by organizing a wood burning class for your group. With wood burning, you burn fun designs into wooden signs and pieces of wood.

If there is not a class near you, you can find pre-recorded wood burning classes on websites like woodburncorner.com and purchase basic wood burn kits online.

20. Food Tours

To please the foodies in your group, you can set up a food tour in your city. Food tours have become popular and there are many types to choose from like walking, cruising, biking, and driving tours.

Some unique food tour ideas from around the country:

• Savannah Taste Experience
• Foods of NY
• Sicily food and wine
• Thai Foodie Tour

To find a food tour near you, Google “food tours near me” or “private food tours.” You could also DIY your own tour by reaching out to local tour companies and restaurants.

21. Water Sports

Water sports make fun group activities for adults. Examples of these activities include sports-jet skiing, kayaking, canoeing, rowboats, and sailboats. You can have loads of group fun zipping around waterways!

There are many companies that tailor to group activities by renting out water sports equipment like atlanticwatersports.com or charter companies.

Conclusion

Life gets busy and many folks have trouble keeping connected. Fun group activities are a way to bring friends, family, and coworkers together regards of group size. The key to planning a group activity is planning an idea that the group is enthusiastic about as a whole. One way to ensure this is to give your group three activity options, then put the selection to a vote. Another important consideration is that activities don’t have to be time-consuming or expensive to be a hit. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most impactful.

Next, check out these lists of company offsite ideas and trivia night ideas.