Party GamesParty games for a large group (over 20 people)
With more than twenty people the problems are hearing and waiting. Choose games in which everybody plays at once, or split the crowd into teams of five to eight with a visible score. For very large functions, pick games that are fun to watch from a distance, played on a stage by a few volunteers. Show the rules instead of explaining them, and have a helper for each team.
Quiet and seated games 5
- Hum That TuneOne player hums a song.4 to 30, in teams players · 20 min · quiet
- The Couple QuizCouples sit back to back and answer questions about each other at the same moment, without seeing the partner's answer.2 to 8 couples plus audience players · 20 min · quiet
- How Well Do You Know the Bride?Before the function, the bride (or the birthday person, the retiring colleague, the grandparents) answers twenty questions about herself.6 to 40 players · 15 min · quiet
- Wink DetectiveOne player is secretly the "sleep-sender", who puts people to sleep by winking at them.8 to 25 players · 15 min · quiet
- Newspaper TowerEach team gets a pile of old newspaper and a roll of tape and must build the tallest tower that stands by itself.6 to 40, in teams of 3 to 5 players · 20 min · quiet
Active games 9
- Kokla ChhapakiA circle game from Punjab, loved across north India.8 to 25 players · 10 to 15 min · active
- Dog and the BoneTwo teams face each other across a space with a "bone" in the middle.8 to 30 players · 15 min · active
- Fire in the MountainA running-and-grouping game from Indian school assemblies.10 to 40 players · 10 min · active
- Wrap the MummyTeams race to wrap one of their members from neck to ankle in toilet paper, so that the result looks like an Egyptian mummy.6 to 30, in teams of 3 or 4 players · 10 min · active
- Newspaper DanceEach pair dances on a sheet of newspaper.6 to 30, in pairs players · 10 to 15 min · active
- Balloon StompEvery player has a balloon tied to one ankle.6 to 30 players · 5 to 10 min · active
- Pass the HoopThe group stands in a circle holding hands, with a hula hoop hanging on one pair of joined arms.8 to 40 players · 10 min · active
- Human KnotA group stands in a tight circle, everyone grabs two different people's hands across the middle, and the tangle must be undone into a circle without anyone letting go.8 to 12 per knot players · 10 to 15 min · active
- Musical HatsPlayers stand or sit in a circle, each wearing a hat except one.6 to 30 players · 10 min · active
How to choose from this list
Start with one quiet game while guests arrive, then alternate: an active game, a seated one, another active one. Plan one game for every fifteen minutes and keep a spare. The time on each card is for one game with a typical group; with more players, allow longer or play in heats. Open a game for what you need, the steps, and a safety note.
Ready-made party plans
- Birthday party, ages 4 to 6
- Birthday party, ages 7 to 10
- Teenagers' party
- Family get-together, all ages
- Sangeet and mehndi evening
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Other lists
New to hosting? Read how to host party games.