The Best Group Activities for Adults
Some of the best, most hilarious, fun and exhilarating experiences are those you do in a group. Group activities for adults invariably involve the magic ingredients of laughter, chat and good times.
But getting everyone in the group to agree on the plans can be as frustrating as the Greek alphabet in a time of Covid variants. The solution is to pick a handful of tried-and-tested brilliant group activity ideas and suggestions and get consensus. With buy-in from the group before the booking is made, you’ll be sure to get great attendance and an excellent and memorable event.
Who knows, you might just be setting up an annual tradition of fun and frivolity that makes it into the group’s character and history.
So grab a handful of inspirational ideas from this list below and hit up the social media voting options.
Active group activities for adults
Get in the groove with a dance class
Whether you’re going for salsa or hip hop, a dance class is a great way to get everyone on their feet laughing and having some fun. Ok, so you’ve got two left feet, but at least you’re providing amusement for your group.
You never know, you just might cast a glance across the dance floor and feel the spark with someone you’d previously overlooked - that or your hopes of love cha-cha-cha out the door.
Bubble football
Don a huge great ball of air and take to a field with your buddies. Ball on the ground between you and much hilarity later, you can say you’ve had a go at bubble football. And yes, you will find yourself compulsively bouncing off your fellow players like Tigger on his best day.
Take to two wheels on a bike ride
Whether you’re a MAMIL (Middle Aged Man in Lycra) or haven’t ridden a bike since you were 12, there’s something really fun about getting out together as a group and going for a pedal. Unless you’re all Chris Froome, choose somewhere relatively flat and where you can hire bikes.
Seafront promenades work well, or Forestry Commission sites. Plan the route and have your own two-wheeled adventure.
Dodgeball mayhem
Even those who absolutely loathed PE at school would see a grin stretch across their face when it was time for a game of dodgeball. It’s a fun but competitive game that works brilliantly with groups. Hire a hall, pull out the benches, and relive your school days. This time, you can go to the pub afterwards too.
Bounce to a trampoline park
Who said trampoline parks are just for kids? Did you know that they are often open in the evenings and take on a different adult-only vibe? Bounce from bed to bed, launch yourself into a foam pit and see who can fling themselves furthest. You even get groovy grippy socks to keep. What’s not to love?
Try your foot at footgolf
Is it golf? Is it football? Do you need to like either? The answer to all three questions is an emphatic No. Footgolf sees you take a football and your goal is to kick it around a course with holes and challenges, like in golf.
There are elements of both sports, but we’re talking the best stuff only. And because it’s a relatively new craze, there’s no danger that Bob the Brilliant will be good at it. You can all be useless together. That’s half the fun.
Social group activities for adults
Strike it lucky at bowling
Ok, let’s face it; bowling has been the default option for far too many group outings. BUT, there’s a good reason. It’s always a hit, there’s always a bowling alley nearby, and even the most socially-reluctant sign up for something when they know what they are getting.
We reckon bowling actually gets a bad rap and it has a definite place as a group favourite.
Silent disco
One of the problems with organising a social event for a group is that everyone has different tastes. When it comes to music, the easiest way around that is to opt for a silent disco. Everyone will get to pick what they want to listen to and dance to. Make sure you lift your headphones to laugh at everyone dancing in silence at some point.
Bring your own blankets, balls and beverages
Pick a spot and encourage everyone to rock up with blankets, balls and beverages for a relaxed and informal get together where fun just blossoms. Some of the most enjoyable group activities for adults arise out of loosely made arrangements, rather than organised amusement. Set the scene and see what happens.
Bring the answers to quiz night
Let the geeks have their moment, and go head to head with a group quiz night. Make it themed around your interests. You could have birdwatching 101 or an 80s music throwback, whatever floats your boat. The best quizzes include different style rounds e.g. pictures or drawing.
All get on board with a party bus
How often do you organise a night out, nearly ageing a decade as you try to pin down a date everyone can do, only for the group to disperse over the evening. A bunch of the ladies haven’t emerged from the bathroom and three got turned away at the club door for having the wrong shoes.
It doesn’t matter why, but it’s enough to leave you despairing. Prevent it from happening by organising your get together on a party bus. Cruise the streets like VIPs, enjoy the cheesy on board entertainment like laser shows and fibre optics, and simply have some fun together doing something different.
Bingo Bonanza
There’s a darn good reason why Great Aunt Ethel was to be found in the Bingo Hall on a Thursday night and it’s not just that she had a crush on the spritely 57 year old caller. No, it’s just straightforward good fun. The anticipation. The competition. The little stampers. It’s good stuff.
Quirky group activities for adults
Don your detective caps together
However you know your group, whether you’re best buddies or work colleagues, our detective days are some of the best and most universally appealing of group activity ideas for adults. Groups have great fun when facing a challenge together. You get to explore a new area too.
You can find an event near you, or why not book a detective day just for you guys?
Learn to give each other massages
Ok, so it’s not going to work with the dynamics of every group, but get the right bunch and you could be in heaven learning to give the most amazing massages. Just think of it like a bunch of apes and the group bonding that takes place as they ferret in amongst the fur of their buddies looking for a tasty mite or two. Ok, maybe don’t.
Make a mockumentary
Has your group been taking themselves too seriously? Do they need to lighten up and have some laughs? Set them the challenge of making a mockumentary. It’ll help them identify what’s fun about the group, and see themselves with a more forgiving eye.
Even better, when it comes to the viewing, you can guarantee everyone will be in stitches. You may just have the next Jim Carey in your midst.
Build something for someone
Groups bond over shared projects and there are plenty of projects you can complete in just a day. Build an outdoor theatre for the local primary school, build a wheelchair ramp for someone newly disabled in your community, or put up some rope swings and create dens in the local woods.
The feel-good factor you’ll all get from coming together and building something that lasts for someone else will give you all the fuzzies.
Do things differently with hot tubs
Again, you’ll want to pick your group wisely. After all, sharing a hot tub with Fred’s fungal toe nail is going to be a grizzly experience. However, with a bunch you’re happy to take a dip with, you can now hire hot tubs in remarkable places.
Many cities even have floating hot tub boats on which you can experience the city from the river!
Take to the ice with curling
It’s a funny sport which involves everyone looking slightly odd, but in the process it’s a lot of fun. More and more places now offer a curling experience and it’s one of those things that not many people will have tried before. Quickly you’ll be hooked and probably start your own curling league… or something.
Sedate group activities for adults
Get out the paints at an art class
You don’t need to be artists to enjoy an art class. From having a go at pottery to making decorations for the next festivity in the calendar, an art or crafts class can be a wonderful way of unleashing creativity together. Indeed, enjoying an art class as a group is probably one of the most inclusive group activity ideas for adults that you can come up with.
Don’t get bored with board games
We’re calling it sedate, as long as that overly-competitive player doesn’t flip the Monopoly board or chuck the Articulate cards in a pique of board game induced rage. Board game nights can be brilliantly fun group activities.
From a group of 6 battling it out over Catan or Cluedo to a huge group in a hall doing a Beetle Drive, there’s lots of fun to be had.
Solve who dunnit with a virtual murder mystery
Covid may have brought us too little freedom and a new vocabulary including words like furlough, lockdown and variants, but the result was some really awesome virtual games being created. You can still benefit from that by enjoying a virtual murder mystery party online together.
Go on a city tour
Look at which cities are within an hour or two of where you are and go and explore. Choose a hop-on-hop-off bus and go and discover somewhere new together. Even if this is your regular stomping ground, there’s always something to be said for seeing the sights with a different bunch of people.
Grab the popcorn for a movie night
Whether your group is small enough to squeeze into someone’s lounge, or you need to hire a projector and a hall, a movie night is always a favourite. From classics at Christmas with mulled wine and mince pies, to a summer night Mamma Mia sing-a-long with popcorn, you can’t beat a classic movie night.
Enjoy a show at the theatre
Did you know that you get brilliant deals when you go for a group booking at many theatres? Go highbrow with some Shakespeare (read a synopsis first!), or stand in the aisle and dance at a bopping musical, but a night at the theatre is sure to appeal to many.
Going to the theatre feels like a real treat, so you’re sure to get good uptake.
Foodie group activities for adults
Cook up a feast at a cooking class
From bushcraft cooking where you channel your inner Bear Grylls to whip up a feast from coastal whelks and foraged veggies, to a masterclass in Tuscan delights, there are cooking classes to suit everyone.
Think about your group and if they will be happier trying their hand at tempering chocolate or bashing out their angst whilst kneading some pizza dough and then take a look at what’s available.
Go classic and go for a meal
Perhaps the most obvious of fun group activities for adults is to simply pick a restaurant and go for a meal. Of course, actually picking a restaurant can end up as complex as picking a different activity, once you’ve pitted a self-declared Mexican-food aficionado against a spice-hating zealot.
Indulge in afternoon tea
Who doesn’t love a spot of pampering with an afternoon tea? If you think your group would love to step back in time to a more genteel way of enjoying the daintiest delights, then a shared afternoon tea could be just the ticket. You can even debate how you say ‘scone’.
Mixology lessons
Whether you’ve got teetotallers or those who drink like fish, bartenders at mixology classes are brilliant at catering to the group they’ve got. From a mocktail mojito to a cocktail Cosmopolitan, everyone can learn to shake up the tipple of their choice.
Keep them happy with craft beer tasting
You’ve heard it said: beer is the glue of social occasions. Well, not all group activity ideas for adults need to contain amber gold, but if it’s your thing, then your group will get excited over a craft beer tasting session. It’s a chance to broaden your horizons whilst staring at the bottom of a glass.
Come Dine With Me
Remember that TV show? Fabulous evenings can be had by recreating a Come Dine With Me experience. Take turns to host, or do a course per home, and even go so far as voting for a winner. If you’re a bunch of foodies, you’ll love trying to outdo each other and you’ll certainly get to enjoy some tasty fare in the meantime.
When it comes to organising group activities for adults, make sure you think carefully about the people involved, the size of the party, budgets and what sort of things have worked well before. Get people excited before the event and have a great time together.
