By Tiffany FungIn this story:
- Start with a creative escape
- Make lunch the main event
- Go big with a seriously Melbourne experience
- Plan a crafty afternoon in the city
- Give the coffee crowd their moment
- Choose something that comes to you
- Make it a drinks outing without making drinks the whole outing
- Take your team somewhere unexpected
- Finish with a Melbourne favourite
A work Christmas outing is your excuse to turn the end-of-year celebration into a proper Melbourne day out. Instead of booking a table and calling it done, give your team a reason to explore, make, taste and try something different together.
Whether you have a few hours to fill, a whole afternoon to play with or a bigger group to organise, these Christmas party ideas in Melbourne can be shaped around your team, your budget and your appetite for adventure. From pottery and perfume to dumplings and glassblowing, here’s how to make the most of your day out.
1. Start with a creative escape
If your team spends most of the year staring at screens, give them something tangible to work with. A creative workshop can be the perfect first stop on a Christmas outing, especially when you want everyone to switch gears without making the activity feel overly structured.
Try a beginners wheel throwing workshop and get your hands into some clay, or book a tufting class where everyone can design and make their own mini rug. Melbourne also has plenty of options for painting, mosaics, stained glass and other crafty experiences.
Best for: Teams who want to make something they can take home.
Why you’ll love it:
“We attended the wheel throwing class for a staff mid-year gathering and we were surprised at how quickly we all learnt how to use the wheel to make a little clay creation. Our teacher was clear and gave good instructions as well as being very patient for us beginners. We definitely recommend the class...it is so much fun and a great way to bring a group together!” - Dianna D. P.
Combine creativity with festivity when your team makes their own Christmas decorations!
2. Make lunch the main event
Why organise lunch after the activity when lunch can be the activity?
Turn your Christmas outing into a foodie adventure with a hands-on cooking class. You could spend the afternoon folding dumplings in Abbotsford, making pizza in South Yarra or learning Japanese cooking in North Melbourne. Discover a wide range of Melbourne cooking experiences, including Thai, Spanish and Italian workshops.
What do we recommend? A dumpling cooking class is a particularly fun choice for groups, with plenty of time for chatting while you prep, cook and eventually eat your delicious results.
Make it a day: Book a late-morning class, then keep the celebrations going with drinks or dessert afterwards.
3. Go big with a seriously Melbourne experience
Some Christmas outings call for something a little more memorable. If your team has already done the restaurant-and-drinks routine several times, choose an experience that feels like an occasion in itself.
How about trying glassblowing in Coburg North or West Footscray? Or get stuck into a blacksmithing class in Cheltenham and learn the basics of working with metal. There are also glass fusing, leadlight and lampworking workshops for teams keen to try something completely outside their usual routine.
These experiences work particularly well when the workshop itself is the big-ticket event on your itinerary.
Best for: The team that has already tried everything.
4. Plan a crafty afternoon in the city
Not every outing needs to last all day. For smaller teams or busy workplaces, a creative afternoon can give everyone enough time to celebrate without eating into the entire working week.
Start with a perfume making workshop, where everyone can choose their favourite scents and create their own fragrance. Or try a fluid art workshop or ceramic painting session for a creative twist.
There are Melbourne workshops across neighbourhoods including Docklands, Richmond, Fitzroy, Brunswick, Abbotsford and South Yarra, so you can choose an experience that fits neatly around whatever you have planned before or after.
Tip: Make the workshop your anchor activity, then leave some breathing room for coffee, cocktails or dinner afterwards.
5. Give the coffee crowd their moment
Every office has one. The colleague who knows the difference between every brewing method, talks about beans like wine and somehow always knows where the best coffee is.
Make them happy with a coffee-focused Christmas outing.
A barista coffee making and latte art class in North Melbourne gives your team a chance to learn practical coffee skills, while latte art workshops offer a more focused option.
Got a team full of tea lovers? Head to a tea blending workshop in Abbotsford, let the group experiment with different ingredients and create their own blend.
Best for: Daytime outings, smaller teams and anyone who considers coffee or tea a personality trait.
6. Choose something that comes to you
Getting 20, 30 or 40 people across Melbourne at the same time can be an outing in itself and not necessarily the fun kind.
If logistics are getting complicated, bring the experience to your venue instead. Melbourne has mobile options including perfume making, painting, bonsai, jewellery and cooking workshops.
This is especially useful if you have a team that wants the fun of an experience but doesn't want to spend half the day coordinating transport.
Best for: Bigger teams, hybrid workplaces and anyone in charge of organising the Christmas calendar.
7. Make it a drinks outing without making drinks the whole outing
You can still include a festive drink without building the entire Christmas celebration around a pub.
Try a paint and sip experience or go for something a little different with a wine tasting or gin making masterclass.
There’s also the option of a pottery workshop with a sip-friendly format (it’s called clay and sip!), giving your team a chance to chat over a drink while getting creative.
The idea: Make the drink part of the experience, rather than the experience being simply a drink.
8. Take your team somewhere unexpected
Christmas is a good time to choose the experience nobody would think to book on a normal Tuesday.
Try a modern kintsugi workshop, make a pressed flower lamp in Docklands, learn water marbling in Kensington or try your hand at spoon carving in Coburg North. There are so many fun crafts to try with your team!
Why it’s perfect: They're ideal when your team has a mix of personalities and you want the outing itself to become something people talk about afterwards.
9. Finish with a Melbourne favourite
The workshop doesn't have to be the whole itinerary. Think of it as your starting point.
Choose an experience in the morning or afternoon, then head somewhere nearby for a long lunch, drinks, ice cream or dinner. You could spend the day exploring a neighbourhood your team rarely visits, or simply make the Christmas outing feel like a mini escape from the usual office routine.
The best part? You don't need to cram every activity into one day. Pick one great experience, give everyone time to enjoy it and let the rest of the outing unfold naturally.
2 years in business
Runs regularly
North Melbourne
/ Mobile
1 to 30 guests
$175 - $285
