Drinking party crowd-pleasers: party and banquet games
A lot of people are probably thinking about simple games to play at banquets, right?
Whether it’s a wedding after-party, a New Year’s party, a year-end party, or a welcome/farewell party, having a game that helps everyone bond and adds a touch of flair to the event makes it more fun.
That said, it can be hard to choose a game for a banquet with multiple participants, since there are so many considerations, don’t you think?
So in this article, we’ll introduce banquet games you can enjoy in a variety of situations!
We’ve picked out a wide range—from timeless classics to slightly unique games—so please use this as a reference.
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Drinking-Party Hits: Banquet and Party Games (21–30)
after-the-fact rock-paper-scissors
We’ll play rock-paper-scissors where you choose after seeing what the caller says.
If they say “lose,” you throw your hand after them so that you lose.
If they say “win” or “tie,” you do the same accordingly.
It sounds simple, but it can be quite hard when the pace is fast.
The last person remaining wins.
Guess the price of the dish
The popular segment on the variety show Gurutete Ninety-Nine, Gourmet Chicken Race: Gochi ni Naru! In that game where you order dishes without knowing their prices and try to hit the exact preset total, how about trying a “guess the price of the dish” game at a drinking party? In the original Gochi, the person who ends up farthest from the target amount pays for everyone’s meal out of pocket, but since this is a fun get-together, it’s better to keep it simple as a quiz to guess the prices.
That said… if it’s a group of really close friends, going full-on Gochi is definitely an option.
First Impressions Game
One person poses a prompt like, “Who’s the most ◯◯ among us?” Everyone points to the person they think fits the prompt best.
The person who gets pointed at the most loses.
For example: “Who seems like they’d be the most popular?” It’s a game where winning and losing are a bit vague, but it sparks conversation and really livens things up.
One-stroke drawing game
Can you all draw pictures in a single stroke? Even for shapes you can instantly visualize—like a soccer ball, an umbrella, or a car—drawing them in one continuous line is surprisingly difficult.
So why not turn this into a game to liven up a party? You could have people draw the assigned prompt in a single stroke within a time limit, with the best result winning, or try a single-stroke illustration version of the telephone game.
The drawings come out more unique than if you drew them normally, so it’s sure to lighten the mood!
Balloon Game
https://www.tiktok.com/@eva_tokyo/video/7398483109626383623This balloon game is guaranteed to get everyone hyped to the max at a party.
In turn, players call out either “big balloon,” “small balloon,” or “regular balloon.” When someone calls one, everyone—including the caller—strikes the corresponding pose.
For “big balloon,” make a small circle with both hands.
For “small balloon,” spread your arms wide to make a big circle.
For “regular balloon,” touch both shoulders, then raise both hands straight up.
Because the actions are the opposite of what’s being said—or completely different—you might get mentally mixed up as the game goes on.
You also have to shout “Yes!” while posing, so give it your all and keep the energy high!
Yamanote Line game where only one person doesn’t know the theme
The Yamanote Line Game is a game that’s often played at parties, but how about trying a variation called “The Yamanote Line Game Where Only One Person Doesn’t Know the Topic”? In this version, one person on the team isn’t told the topic, and they have to try to join in based on the answers given by the people before them.
The others should play as a team by giving answers that make the topic easy for the uninformed player to guess, indirectly conveying the theme to them.
It might be difficult if there aren’t many participants.
Word Wolf
Do you know the game Word Wolf? One person is the Wolf and everyone else is a Citizen, and only the Wolf receives a different prompt.
Since the Citizens all start talking about a shared topic, the person playing the Wolf has to keep talking while pretending to follow that topic.
At the end, everyone points to who they think the Wolf is; if they’re wrong, the Wolf has a chance to earn a high score.
Even if someone points to the Wolf, the Wolf can still earn a high score by correctly guessing the Citizens’ prompt.
Rating Check Game
https://www.tiktok.com/@artbellangenagoya/video/7484572781951061256We’d like to introduce the “Ranking Check Game,” a perfect party activity to test participants’ discerning eye! The host prepares two options, and players simply choose which one they think is the real deal.
If you’re correct, you stay top-tier; if you’re wrong, your rank drops—a simple yet thrilling set of rules.
Anyone can join, and the unexpected results are sure to spark laughter! It’s great as a team competition too, and the moment you reveal who remained “first-class” at the end is always a highlight.
Give this game a try to instantly liven up your event!
Tasting Game
Kirin, Asahi, Suntory—just hearing those names is irresistible to beer lovers, right? So instead of a sake tasting, how about a beer tasting or even a juice tasting competition to liven things up? Even the same orange juice can taste subtly different depending on the brand.
And that canned coffee you sip without thinking—if you taste it seriously, you’ll find it’s completely different from others.
At a party with lots of dishes, you could even do blindfolded tastings and try to guess the foods—that’s sure to get everyone excited.
If you usually act like a gourmet, make sure not to show any uncool moments!
Kappa Plate Ball-Carrying Race
It’s also great to use paper plates at the party venue for an obstacle-course-style game! If you’ve got a large space, the excitement doubles.
Balance a paper plate on your head, hold it in place with your hands, and put a ping-pong ball on top.
The winner is the person who finishes with the most ping-pong balls still on their plate after clearing all the obstacles.
Simple obstacles made from tables and chairs are plenty.
Even just doing one lap around the venue along the walls works well.
You can customize the obstacles in many ways—like greeting the department head or playing rock-paper-scissors with a junior colleague.
Don’t forget to prepare classic sports day-style background music to play during the game!