I love hosting a dinner party. It gives everyone a chance to slow down, enjoy some lovely food and catch up without having to compete with the noise of a busy restaurant. If you haven’t yet hosted one, it’s time to and I have some lovely fun dinner party entertainment ideas which you can borrow to make your party even more memorable.
I have found that food alone doesn’t always make a dinner party memorable. A simple activity, amusing table game or unexpected bit of entertainment during the night can really mix up your gathering. It works really well if some of your guests haven’t met before; it sort of puts people at ease.
I find the trick is not to schedule every minute. You should simply choose one activity to break the ice and have another ready for later if conversation begins to flag. Take note of your guests and see what they are up to. If everyone is mingling and chatting away, leave them to it and don’t crack out your fun dinner party entertainment ideas.
That being said, if you do need some inspiration, here are 21 of my favourite dinner party entertainment ideas that work for all types of dinner parties.
Fun Dinner Party Entertainment Ideas
1. Create a Question Bowl
This one can be set up before your guests arrive. You just need to write a selection of interesting and amusing questions on pieces of paper and place them in a bowl or container.
Once your guests are ready to take part, you simply pass the bowl around the table and let each person answer one. Questions could include:
- What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
- Which famous person would you invite to our dinner party?
- What is your most useless talent?
- Which decade would you most like to have lived in?
- What is your favourite ever holiday?
- What would your dream dinner-party menu include?
Avoid questions about money, politics or anything too personal unless you know your guests extremely well. The aim is to start conversations, not interrogate people. It’s all about having fun, not about anything too serious or heavy.
2. Play Who Am I?
This is a really popular one, and one we play a lot. You simply write the name of a well-known person or fictional character on a Post-it for each of your guests. Go around and place one on everyone’s forehead without allowing them to see it.
Everyone has to take turns asking questions that can only be answered with yes or no. The first person to identify their character wins, or even better you can just carry on until everyone has guessed their person. This is a lovely icebreaker because people can play while holding a drink and chatting.
3. Try Two Truths and a Lie
This is another simple one but one that always goes down well. Each person shares three facts about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is made up. The rest of your dinner party has to decide which one is the lie.
This works best when guests don’t know each other that well. You should also encourage people to choose believable statements rather than making the false one impossibly obvious.
4. Arrange a Blind Food Tasting
I like a tasting activity, as it fits naturally into a dinner party because the food becomes part of the entertainment.
You could blind-taste:
- Different varieties of chocolate
- Crisps with unusual flavours
- Cheeses
- Supermarket and premium versions of the same food
- Hot sauces
- Olives
- Soft drinks
- Alcohol-free spirits
Number each sample and ask guests to identify it or rank their favourites. You don’t need expensive ingredients; comparing budget and luxury versions can be a good way to do things as well.
It’s a good idea to check with your guests about allergies and dietary requirements before choosing items for the blind taste test.
5. Hold a Wine-Tasting Challenge
This is another one of those dinner party entertainment ideas which always goes down well. Choose several bottles, cover over their labels and ask everyone to identify the grape, country or price category. Provide a tasting sheet with spaces for aroma, flavour and an overall score.
There is no need for anyone to be a wine expert. In fact, confidently incorrect tasting notes are often half the fun.
You could compare two popular red wines and use my guide to Malbec vs Merlot to help introduce the tasting. You could if you wanted to include an alcohol-free wine, grape juice or botanical drink so everyone can take part.
6. Play the Alphabet Game
We often play this one in the car and not at a dinner party, but it works for both. You have to choose a category such as food, films, travel destinations or famous people. The first person names something beginning with A, the next person answers with B, and so on.
If someone cannot think of an answer within ten seconds, they lose that round. Alternatively, keep it cooperative and see whether the whole table can reach Z.
It sounds incredibly simple, but the letters towards the end of the alphabet, plus things like a Q can actually make it quite challenging.
7. Organise a Mini Dinner-Party Quiz
Create three short rounds with five questions in each. Possible rounds include general knowledge, music, food and drink, pictures or facts about the guests.
A personalised round can be especially funny. Ask questions such as “Who once missed a flight because they were in the wrong terminal?” or “Which guest has appeared on television?”
I’d suggest keeping the quiz short enough that it doesn’t take over the evening. You’ll find that about 20 minutes is normally plenty.
8. Try a Music Introduction Challenge
Prepare a playlist and play the first few seconds of each song. Guests earn one point for naming the song and another for identifying the artist.
You can theme the playlist around a decade, film soundtracks, number-one singles or songs connected with your guests. Split a larger gathering into teams so nobody feels put on the spot.
Once the game finishes, the playlist can become your background music for the rest of the evening.
9. Play Reverse Charades
Traditional charades has one person acting while everyone else guesses. In reverse charades, the whole team acts out the clue while one person guesses.
It is energetic, ridiculous and much less intimidating for guests who dislike performing on their own.
Prepare simple clues in advance and move furniture or breakable objects before you begin. This is definitely better suited to after dinner than to a table filled with glasses.
10. Attempt a Blind Drawing Challenge
Give every guest a piece of paper and a pen. One person describes an object, picture or scene without saying exactly what it is, while everyone else attempts to draw it.
For example, they might describe “a tall shape with four legs, a very long neck and two small horns” without using the word giraffe.
Compare the drawings at the end and award a prize for the most accurate—or the most spectacularly wrong.
11. Play Fortunately, Unfortunately
One person begins a story with a sentence starting “Fortunately…”. The next person continues it with “Unfortunately…”, and the group keeps alternating.
For example:
“Fortunately, I won a luxury holiday.”
“Unfortunately, it was on a desert island with no hotel.”
“Fortunately, I had packed a tent.”
The story will normally become increasingly ridiculous. This requires no equipment and can be played around the table while you wait for the next course.
12. Have a Puzzle Race
Divide guests into small teams and give each team the same short puzzle. This could be a riddle, word search, rebus puzzle or printed brain teaser.
If your group enjoys number puzzles, you could also print identical Sudoku challenges and see which team completes one first.
Choose something that can be finished within about ten minutes. A dinner party should not begin to feel like an exam!
13. Make a Predictions Jar
Ask each guest to write a light-hearted prediction for every other person or for the group as a whole.
Predictions might include:
- Who will visit the most countries?
- Who will take up an unexpected hobby?
- What will everyone be talking about next year?
- Which fashion trend will return?
- What food will suddenly become popular?
Place the predictions in an envelope or jar and agree to open them at your next gathering. This works particularly well for a New Year’s Eve dinner or an annual get-together.
14. Set Up a Photo Scavenger Hunt
Give your guests a short list of photographs to capture during the evening. They might need to photograph:
- The best-dressed guest
- Someone laughing
- The prettiest plate
- An unexpected object
- A recreation of a famous film scene
- The entire group fitting into one photograph
Keep the list short so people remain present rather than spending the whole evening looking at their phones. You can share the results after dessert.
15. Create a Tabletop Escape Challenge
You can buy boxed escape-room games, but it is also possible to make a simple version yourself.
Hide several clues around the dining room and let one answer lead to the next. The final clue could reveal the location of dessert, a prize or the evening’s after-dinner drinks.
Test every clue beforehand. Something that seems obvious when you wrote it may be completely baffling to everybody else!
16. Host a Murder Mystery Dinner
A murder mystery turns the entire evening into an activity. Each guest receives a character, background information and clues to reveal at particular points during the meal.
You can buy a ready-made game or create one around people and places familiar to your group. Send characters in advance so guests have time to decide whether they want to dress up.
Serve each new clue between courses. This gives the evening structure without interrupting dinner or forcing everyone to stay in character continuously.
17. Run a Come Dine with Me Evening
Invite a group of friends to take turns hosting dinner over several weeks. After each meal, guests privately give scores for the food, hosting and entertainment.
You don’t need a large cash prize. A homemade trophy, bottle of something nice or permission to boast for the rest of the year will do.
Keep it affectionate rather than fiercely competitive. Nobody should feel that they need to spend a fortune or produce restaurant-standard food.
18. Put on a Casino Night
A casino theme can look glamorous without involving real gambling. Use play money and set up simple games such as blackjack, roulette or poker.
Ask guests to dress in black tie or cocktail wear and offer a small prize to the person with the most pretend money at the end.
If some guests don’t enjoy card games, add a photo area, music and canapés so the theme isn’t entirely dependent on playing.
19. Hold a DIY Cocktail or Mocktail Competition
Provide a small selection of juices, mixers, garnishes and spirits or alcohol-free alternatives. Divide guests into pairs and ask each pair to invent a signature drink.
Everyone can score the results for appearance, flavour and name. Use small tasting portions rather than full drinks and supply plenty of water.
For a lower-effort version, give each team the same recipe and see who can produce the best presentation.
20. Book Some Unexpected Entertainment
For a particularly special celebration, bring the entertainment to your home. Depending on your space and budget, you might book:
- A close-up magician
- An acoustic singer
- A caricature artist
- A cocktail-making class
- A cheese or chocolate expert
- A private chef
Having someone else prepare the meal can free you to enjoy the party. Services such as a private chef in Manchester may also be worth considering when celebrating a milestone or hosting a larger group.
Check what space, access and equipment the entertainer needs before confirming the booking.
21. Finish with Playful Awards
At the end of the evening, present informal awards based on what happened during the party.
Possible categories include:
- Best detective
- Most creative answer
- Most competitive guest
- Best accidental joke
- Most convincing bluff
- Best cocktail creation
- Most enthusiastic dancer
The prizes can be chocolates, novelty certificates or simply the honour of winning. Keep every award positive—this is not the time to identify the person who told the longest story!
How Many Activities Should You Plan?
For most dinner parties, two activities are enough:
- A five- or ten-minute icebreaker as guests arrive.
- A longer optional activity after the main course or dessert.
You can prepare a third game as a backup, but don’t feel obliged to use it. You’ll find that flowing conversation is as good dinner party entertainment ideas.
For a themed event such as a murder mystery, the theme itself provides the evening’s entertainment, so additional games are rarely necessary.
Dinner Party Ideas for a Small Group
With four to six guests, choose games that allow everyone to participate in the same conversation. A question bowl, blind tasting, Two Truths and a Lie or Fortunately, Unfortunately all work well.
Avoid dividing a very small group into competing teams. A collaborative challenge usually creates a warmer atmosphere.
Entertainment for a Larger Dinner Party
For eight or more guests, use team games so quieter people aren’t constantly singled out. A quiz, music challenge, photo hunt or reverse charades will keep everybody involved.
Consider using place cards to mix people who share an interest but may not already know one another. However, don’t separate couples or nervous guests merely for the sake of an elaborate seating plan.
How to Keep Dinner-Party Entertainment Relaxed
The best dinner party entertainment feels optional rather than compulsory.
Mention the idea casually and see how your guests respond. If everyone is deeply involved in conversation, let the evening carry on as it was and park your dinner party entertainment ideas. If there is a lull, that is the perfect moment to introduce your dinner party entertainment ideas.
I would also prepare as much food as possible beforehand and choose dishes that don’t require constant attention. You’ll find that a dip, grazing board or easy appetiser can occupy hungry guests while you finish in the kitchen. My artichoke dip recipe is one option that can be served for sharing.
Most importantly, choose entertainment that suits the people you have invited. Your board-game-loving friends may relish a complicated challenge, while other guests will be far happier with good music and a bowl of entertaining questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Can Adults Do at a Dinner Party?
Adults can play table games, answer conversation questions, take part in a tasting, complete a quiz or enjoy a themed activity such as a murder mystery. Choose something that fits naturally around the meal and doesn’t make reluctant guests perform on their own.
What Are Some Dinner Party Games That Need No Equipment?
Two Truths and a Lie, the Alphabet Game, Fortunately, Unfortunately and verbal charades require no special equipment. A question game can also be improvised by allowing each guest to ask the next person an interesting question.
How Do You Entertain Guests Between Courses?
Use a short activity that can stop as soon as the next course is ready. Conversation cards, riddles, quick quiz questions and the Alphabet Game are all easy to pause without disrupting the evening.
How Do You Make a Dinner Party Memorable?
Add one element your guests weren’t expecting. It might be a blind tasting, personalised quiz, beautiful table setting, unusual theme or funny award ceremony. You don’t need an elaborate schedule or an enormous budget.
Should Every Dinner Party Include Games?
No. Games can help guests relax and get to know one another, but they shouldn’t be forced. Prepare an activity and introduce it only if it suits the mood of the evening.
A brilliant dinner party is not about producing the most complicated menu or planning entertainment for every minute. It is about creating an atmosphere in which people feel comfortable, included and able to have fun.
Pick one or two ideas that suit your guests, do as much preparation as you can beforehand and remember to enjoy your own party too.