Here is our list of the best virtual St. Patrick’s Day team building activities.
St. Patrick’s Day occurs on March 17 each year to commemorate the death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Virtual St. Patrick’s Day team building activities are different ways to celebrate the holiday with coworkers in a remote setting. Examples include team cookbooks, trivia games, and virtual field trips to Ireland. The purpose of these activities is to boost team building, bonding, and fun when employees work from home.
These ideas are similar to examples of Chinese New Year ideas, virtual Christmas games, Cinco de Mayo activities, and online team building events.
This list includes:
- St Patrick’s Day virtual event ideas
- virtual St. Patrick’s Day games for teams
- virtual St. Patrick’s Day ideas for work
Let’s get started!
List of virtual St. Patrick’s Day team building activities
From trivia competitions to whiskey sampling, here is our list of the top virtual St. Patrick’s Day team building activities.
1. St. Patrick’s Day Word search
Word searches are the perfect activity to bring your team together for a fun challenge. The objective of a word search is to find a list of specific words among a scramble of letters.
Here is a template:
We suggest using these words to create a word search template. Then, assign one team member to schedule a Zoom meeting and share their screen. On the Zoom call, the meeting host can annotate and mark up the template, highlighting words that the team finds. Be sure to encourage team members to work together to solve the entire puzzle.
2. St. Patrick’s Day Word scramble
The objective of a word scramble is to uncover a series of words from a list of scrambled letters. This activity is a great way to put your team members’ minds to the test. As you put your activity together, be sure to choose words that represent St. Paddy’s Day.
Here is a quick template to help you get started:
If you want to add an element of competition to the game, then incorporate a two-minute time limit. The player who unscrambles the most words within the timeframe wins.
3. Leprechaun names
If you want to give your team a good laugh this St. Patrick’s Day, then we recommend leprechaun names. As part of this activity, all team members receive a festive leprechaun name for the day. We suggest using a leprechaun name generator to come up with creative options.
Be sure to refer to teammates only by their leprechaun name for the entire day. This interactive activity is a great way to get all team members to laugh and participate.
Check out this leprechaun name generator.
4. Lucky leprechaun
Lucky leprechaun is a fun team building game where employees can learn about their coworkers’ experiences outside of work. This game is similar to Never Have I Ever, as players respond to different prompts and statements based on life experiences.
To begin the game, ask each participant to hold two fists in the air. Next, have the host read a series of statements one by one. Then, instruct players to raise a finger for each statement that applies.
Here are a few prompts to get started:
- Won more than $10 on a scratch-off lottery
- Met your favorite actor
- Sat front row at a concert
- Got a meal for free at a restaurant
- Found a $10 bill on the sidewalk
- Were upgraded to a nicer hotel room at no charge
- Bought the last item in stock
- Arrived at an important event right on time
Lucky leprechaun is a fun way to see which team member has the most luck in their life.
5. St Patrick’s Trivia game
Trivia is a great way to help your team learn about Irish history and traditions on St. Patrick’s Day. To create your virtual trivia game, load 10 to 15 questions on an online trivia platform like Kahoot! Then, share the link with teammates to begin your game.
Here are some fun trivia questions and answers:
- What is another name used to refer to St. Patrick’s Day?
- Answer: The Feast of Saint Patrick
- In what year did St. Patrick’s Day become an official Irish public holiday?
- Answer: 1903
- Which US city dyes a river green every St. Patrick’s Day?
- Answer: Chicago
- What is the English translation of Erin Go Braugh?
- Answer: Ireland forever
- During which major Catholic holiday does St. Patrick’s Day occur?
- Answer: Lent
- Who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland?
- Answer: St. Patrick
- What shade of green is also the name of a liquor?
- Answer: Chartreuse
- Approximately how many pints of Guinness are served each St. Paddy’s Day?
- Answer: About 13 million pints
- Why is St. Patrick’s Day on March 17?
- Answer: The date commemorates St. Patrick’s death on March 17, 461
Kahoot! allows players to follow along with a leaderboard, making it easy to see the first-place winner as well as second- and third-place champions. We recommend sending digital gift cards to each winner.
6. Folklore story time
One of the best ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is by sharing Irish fables and folklore with teammates. To organize this activity, set up a Zoom meeting on your desired date and time. You can also encourage attendees to use different backgrounds related to a fairy-tale theme. Be sure to remind employees to come to the event with their favorite fairy tales and fables. Alternatively, you can also choose a few stories from an online collection of Irish fairy tales. Then, play some quiet traditional folk music, and take turns telling stories!
A folklore story time activity is a great way to encourage creativity and imagination as team members connect.
7. Green volunteer activity
Volunteering is a great way to unite your team for a good cause. We recommend hosting a “Go Green” virtual volunteering activity focused on environmental causes for your team’s St. Paddy’s Day celebration. Litter pick-ups are a great option for remote teams.
To organize your virtual litter pick-up, invite team members to get outside and collect litter around their neighborhoods for 45 minutes to one hour. Be sure to schedule a Zoom meeting where employees can join from their phones as they walk around their towns completing the activity.
A virtual litter pick-up is a great activity to get your team up and moving while cleaning their local neighborhoods.
8. Green gift baskets
One of the best ways to excite employees for your virtual celebration is by mailing green gift baskets to their homes. Team members will love receiving a gift in the mail before the company’s celebration.
Here are a few items to include in your gift basket:
- Stationery
- Stickers
- Commemorative shot glass
- Beer and whiskey samples
- Chocolate coins
- Candy
- Party hats
When choosing and packaging your items, remember to stick to a green theme. Sending out green gift baskets is a fun and interactive way to build employees’ excitement.
9. Cooking class
An Irish-themed cooking class is a unique way to get your team up and moving in a remote work environment. To set up your virtual cooking class, find a local chef or cooking expert to join your team via Zoom. Then, have the instructor guide your team through a traditional Irish recipe, such as shepherd’s pie or soda bread.
Remind teammates to take the call from their kitchens so they can follow along with the recipe in real time. You should also encourage participants to leave their cameras on to boost engagement and participation. Of course, the best part of a cooking class is showing off your finished product and enjoying a homemade Irish meal.
10. Team cookbook
If you are looking for an activity where all team members can contribute, then we recommend creating a team cookbook. Putting together your cookbook requires contributions from various team members, making this activity one of the most engaging virtual St. Patrick’s Day ideas for work. To organize the activity, ask employees to submit their favorite Irish recipes and photos of their meals.
Here are a few festive and traditional recipes to include:
- Potato soup
- Corned beef and cabbage
- Cured or smoked salmon
- Shepherd’s pie
- Boxty, an Irish potato pancake
- Bread pudding
- Irish soda bread
- Shamrock shake
Putting together a team cookbook is a fun and collaborative activity for all employees to enjoy. Plus, team members will enjoy trying out new recipes in their kitchens.
11. Virtual field trip
One of the most exciting St Patrick’s Day virtual event ideas is a virtual trip to Ireland. With a virtual field trip, your opportunities are endless. For example, you can visit the city of Dublin, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Blarney Castle, and the Cliffs of Moher.
To begin your digital field trip, start a Zoom meeting, and designate one team member to share their screen. Then, type your location into Google Earth. From there, you can virtually walk around your chosen location using the arrow keys. Additionally, you can check if any local museums in Ireland have digital exhibits that your team can explore together.
Although you may not be able to take an actual trip, a virtual field trip to Ireland is the next best alternative for team building.
12. Whiskey sampling
Whiskey sampling is a great way to let loose and have fun with your team during the holiday. To set up your activity, mail a gift box with a variety of sampled-sized Irish whiskeys. Be sure to include a commemorative glass with your company’s name along with light snacks, such as nuts or crackers. If you cannot mail a gift box to each employee, then share a list of drinks for participants to purchase on their own. You can reimburse team members for the drinks after the event.
Next, meet with your team via Zoom to taste the beverages together. We suggest inviting a local expert to guide your tasting tour. The guide should share historical facts about Ireland as well as fun facts about each drink.
An online whiskey tasting is a great activity to add some fun to your St. Paddy’s Day celebration.
13. Riddle me this
St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to get mischievous like a leprechaun. Sharing riddles and brain twisters is one way to get tricky with teammates. We suggest creating a few riddles to share with coworkers throughout the day.
Here are a few riddles to get started:
- Yellow and blue combined you’ll see. On St. Paddy’s Day, be sure to wear me! What am I?
- Answer: The color green
- What instrument does a show-off play on St. Patrick’s Day?
- Answer: Brag-pipes
- What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a four-leaf clover?
- Answer: A rash of good luck
- What did the leprechaun say when the video game ended?
- Answer: Game clover
- When is an Irish potato not an Irish potato?
- Answer: When it’s a french fry
- What type of music do leprechauns love?
- Answer: Sham-rock and roll
- Why do leprechauns recycle?
- Answer: They like to go green
Once you have your list of riddles, feel free to share these brain twisters with coworkers during the day via Slack, email, or over the phone. Your teammates will scratch their heads trying to figure out the answers.
14. Online parade
Parades play a big part in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Luckily, thanks to video conferencing platforms, you do not need to miss out on parades in a virtual setting. For this activity, we recommend searching for news networks that broadcast local parades online. Then, bring your group together on Zoom to watch the broadcast together.
To boost festivity during your online parade, encourage team members to dress up in green and decorate their home offices for the occasion.
15. Dance competition
A dance competition is one of the best virtual St. Patrick’s Day games for teams. To host your virtual dance competition, invite a dance instructor to join a Zoom call with your team. Be sure to find an instructor specializing in cultural dancing, such as Irish step dancing. Alternatively, your team can follow a YouTube tutorial to learn the steps.
At the end of the class, open the virtual dancefloor for a friendly dance competition. During this time, invite team members to show off their best moves. Once the contest is over, award the title of the winner to the employee with the best moves. Dance competitions allow employees to have a great time together while getting up and moving.
16. Mixology class
If you are looking for fun virtual St. Patrick’s Day ideas for work, then we recommend hosting a mixology class. To organize this activity, recruit a local bartender to lead the class via Zoom. Then, have your team vote on a cocktail they want to learn.
Here are a few festive St. Paddy’s Day cocktails to get you started:
- Appletini
- Green beer
- Baileys Irish floats
- Drunken leprechaun
- Irish coffee
- Irish margarita
- Shamrock shake shots
- Hot toddy
- Guinness float
- Baileys mint martini
Hosting a mixology class is a great way to involve your entire team in a fun group activity. Of course, the best part of this activity is tasting your cocktail creations at the end of the class.
Conclusion
St. Patrick’s Day honors St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, on March 17. Another name for this social holiday is St. Paddy’s Day. St. Paddy’s Day is ideal for bringing your remote team together through fun games, virtual events, and team building activities. Celebrating with colleagues through virtual St. Patrick’s Day team building activities can help boost team building and bonding while working from home.
Next, check out online mixology classes, virtual cooking classes, and online happy hour ideas. You can also explore our list of online wine tasting classes.
