Organising the perfect office Christmas party can be a daunting task, especially with everyone else booking for the same month! The pressure to secure the best venues and create a memorable event often leads to last-minute compromises. But what if there was a way to avoid the holiday rush and still give your team a fantastic celebration? Enter the January Christmas party! A trend that's gaining traction for its numerous benefits. Here's why it might be the ideal solution for your next office festivity.
More flexibility with dates
The end-of-year period is notorious for its high demand on venues and suppliers, making it challenging to book the perfect date. However, January offers a quieter period with more availability. With the increased desire for in-person gatherings, the competition for November and December dates has intensified. January, on the other hand, sees much lower demand, allowing you to book that elusive dream venue. Bailey Whitnell, Business Development Manager at Swingers London, has noted a rising interest in January parties too:
"October has seen our enquiries surge astronomically! This is great, but frustrating, as we would love to be able to host for everybody if we could! With this in mind, I anticipate that it will only be a matter of time until we see January Christmas party enquiries come through in a big way."
That venue you know your team would love, but that’s been fully booked for Christmas parties since March? Now’s your chance to snap it up!
Better pricing
Christmas is arguably the busiest time of the year for parties and celebratory events, which makes it an expensive time of year too. Venues and suppliers are extremely busy and in demand, so they can charge higher rates.
Certain days of the week become more expensive too, which means organisers often have to compromise on dates due to their stretched budgets. Thursdays are particularly high in demand for corporate parties, whereas Fridays and Saturdays can get pricey for public or non-corporate events.
January, on the other hand, is a much quieter month for bookings. This means venue and supplier costs aren't as high and organisers can lock in their preferred dates and times for a fraction of the cost in December.
Did you know? Hire Space have strong relationships with venues and suppliers in all corners of the industry and can negotiate the best deals around for planners. Get in touch to speak to one of our Hire Space 360 team about how we can help you.
Less time pressure
November and December are extremely busy periods for all of us, in both our professional and personal lives. Those who work in the events/hospitality industry are particularly swamped and won't necessarily have time to attend a party whilst planning everyone else's! We chatted to Amy Williams, Head of Sales at Fairgame, who told us that most of their Christmas parties booked in for January are currently mainly for hospitality businesses, so it seems event planners are indeed starting to favour January for their celebrations.
Even if you're not in the hospitality industry, a January party takes the pressure off and means that your attendees have one less thing to make time for in the busiest season of the year! It also gives you more time to organise, too.
If you're still feeling the pinch to get your party sorted in time, let us help.
Less January blues
It's very common to experience feelings of sadness and low mood after the action-packed Christmas period, which is usually filled with family, friends, and festive plans. When January rolls around (including Blue Monday, which in 2025 will be on the 20th of January), bank balances are stretched, the nights are dark, and everyone's feeling a little, well, deflated.
So what better way to cheer up your team than to bring them down for a night of fun at one of London's top venues?! It will give your team something to look forward to and add a little sparkle to the 'most depressing month' of the year. Read our top tips for a fun party to really push the boat out.
Take it digital
While in-person events are making a comeback, virtual parties remain a popular, budget-friendly option. The rise of remote work and cost constraints make virtual events a viable alternative. Companies like Wildgoose offer innovative virtual and hybrid games, perfect for team bonding and lifting spirits in January. Check out all our virtual event content for some inspiration on how to plan a virtual Christmas party that's actually fun.
Our top tip? Our friends at Wildgoose run awesome, innovative virtual and hybrid games and activities, from ‘Murder on the Slopes’, to ‘Festive Around the World’ tours, which are fun, easy ways to bring your team together, wherever they are. These activities are perfect for some team bonding any time of year (take it from us, our team are still talking about our Wildgoose experience!), but they’re especially great as a January pick-me-up and can be given a festive twist!
If you're sold on the idea of a January Christmas party, get in touch below, check out our top planning tips, and have a browse of our top Christmas Party venues to get some ideas for your dream festive backdrop!
If you need some help planning your Christmas party and other events you have up your sleeve, Hire Space 360 is a great solution which offers everything the modern event planner needs to create memorable events, in-person and online.
Author
Gemma Baker
Gemma loves all things social media and keeps busy by creating lots of Hire Space content. When she’s not creating content, you'll find her shopping, exploring or at the gym!
