8 Enter­tain­ment Ideas for Cor­po­rate Sum­mer Parties

Make this year’s cor­po­rate sum­mer par­ty unfor­get­table with enter­tain­ment ideas that wow, ener­gise, and con­nect your team.

Sum­mer is almost here, and that means it’s time to plan your com­pa­ny’s annu­al sum­mer bash! But let’s be hon­est – find­ing fresh, excit­ing enter­tain­ment that won’t make your team groan is get­ting hard­er each year.

As an enter­tain­ment agency that’s helped hun­dreds of UK busi­ness­es cre­ate mem­o­rable sum­mer events, we’ve seen what works (and what def­i­nite­ly does­n’t). The days of awk­ward team-build­ing exer­cis­es and bor­ing DJ setups are over.

Let’s dive into some enter­tain­ment ideas that will have your col­leagues talk­ing about your event for months to come.

2. Food Expe­ri­ence Stations

Enter­tain­ment does­n’t always mean per­form­ers – inter­ac­tive food expe­ri­ences cre­ate nat­ur­al social­is­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties while sat­is­fy­ing every­one’s appetite.

Options that work bril­liant­ly include:

• Choco­late mak­ing workshops

• Cocktail/​mocktail masterclasses

• Live cook­ing sta­tions with chef competitions

• Blind wine or craft beer tast­ing challenges

These expe­ri­ences give col­leagues nat­ur­al con­ver­sa­tion starters and shared activ­i­ties with­out forced interaction.

4. Pro­fes­sion­al Magicians

Noth­ing breaks the ice at cor­po­rate events quite like the aston­ish­ment of a great mag­ic trick. Pro­fes­sion­al close-up magi­cians can min­gle with guests, per­form­ing mind-blow­ing illu­sions right before their eyes.

What makes magi­cians par­tic­u­lar­ly effective:

• They cre­ate nat­ur­al gath­er­ing points where col­leagues from dif­fer­ent depart­ments interact

• The shared expe­ri­ence of amaze­ment cre­ates instant connections

• They work well in var­i­ous set­tings – from for­mal seat­ed din­ners to casu­al gar­den parties

• Dif­fer­ent styles suit dif­fer­ent com­pa­ny cul­tures (com­e­dy magi­cians, men­tal­ists, clas­sic sleight-of-hand)

Brief your magi­cian about com­pa­ny inside jokes or spe­cif­ic employ­ees to involve for per­son­alised moments that feel spe­cial­ly craft­ed for your team. 

If you’re look­ing for a top-notch magi­cian to ele­vate your cor­po­rate event, Collin is an excel­lent choice. As a pro­fes­sion­al close-up magi­cian, he brings per­son­alised mag­ic that per­fect­ly blends with your com­pa­ny cul­ture, whether it’s a for­mal din­ner or a more laid-back gar­den par­ty. Add a touch of mag­ic to your next event with Collin, and ensure an unfor­get­table expe­ri­ence for your team.

6. Vir­tu­al Real­i­ty Experiences

Set up VR sta­tions where teams can explore vir­tu­al worlds, com­pete in games, or even work togeth­er to solve puz­zles in a dig­i­tal environment.

What makes VR par­tic­u­lar­ly effective:

• Appeal across dif­fer­ent age groups (espe­cial­ly with tech-focused teams)

• Cre­ates share­able, mem­o­rable moments

• Offers both indi­vid­ual and team-based experiences

• Pro­vides a nov­el expe­ri­ence many haven’t tried extensively

7. Com­e­dy Shows

Pro­fes­sion­al com­e­dy shows remain one of the most uni­ver­sal­ly enjoyed enter­tain­ment options. For cor­po­rate events, we recommend:

• Clean come­di­ans who under­stand busi­ness audiences

• Improve groups that can incor­po­rate com­pa­ny inside jokes

• Com­e­dy magi­cians who com­bine laughs with astonishment

Always brief come­di­ans thor­ough­ly about your com­pa­ny cul­ture and any top­ics to avoid.

8. Pro­fes­sion­al Pho­to Experiences

Cre­ate last­ing mem­o­ries with:

• Fes­ti­val-style pho­to booths with props

• 360-degree video booths

• Pro­fes­sion­al por­trait sta­tions for LinkedIn profiles

• Green screen setups with com­pa­ny-themed backgrounds

These pro­vide both enter­tain­ment dur­ing the event and valu­able con­tent for inter­nal com­mu­ni­ca­tion afterwards.