Crisp air, colorful leaves, and calendar chaos are on the horizon. Fall is a magical moment between summer vacations and end-of-year crunch time, the sweet spot for bringing your team back into alignment. Whether your crew is hybrid, remote, or in the office, fall gives you the perfect excuse to pause, connect, and recharge together.
We’ve rounded up nine of the best fall team building activities that blend play, purpose, and collaboration. These fall work activities aren’t just filler; they’re catalysts for camaraderie, connection, and creativity. From Halloween-inspired games to meaningful give-back missions, these ideas make your entire team fall in love with autumn and team bonding.
9 Fall Themed Activities to Try This Season:
1. Fall Bake Off
Fall flavors + competitive flair = instant engagement. Hosting a Fall Bake Off is a delicious, low-barrier way to boost team spirit. Ask employees to bring in their best fall desserts, like pies, bread, cookies, or anything pumpkin-spiced. Want more variety? Turn it into a Salsa Showdown or Apple Crumble Cook-Off. Yes, it gets intense, and yes, it’s worthwhile.
Looking for more structured competition? Try a Team Chili Cook-Off. Each group starts with basic ingredients, but you can complete mini challenges to earn extras that add a flavorful punch. It’s part cooking, part strategy, and all deliciousness. These food-focused fall celebration ideas work great in the office or remotely with photo submissions and online voting.
2. Give Back
Fall is the season of gratitude, and one of the best times to engage your team in meaningful, mission-driven action. Whether celebrating success with October team building activities or preparing for the holidays, these fall themed activities bring purpose into your play.
Pick one or mix and match:
- Foodbank Showdown. Teams compete to build care packages for families in need.
- Little Team Library. Build a Little Free Library Kit and co-write an adventure-packed children’s book.
- The Donation Station. Collect and assemble clothes, toys, or hygiene kits for local shelters.
- Cooking for a Cause. Prepare meals for a local shelters and food banks.
- Paws for a Cause. Assemble dog beds and cat scratch pads for animal rescues.
- The Big Give. Create toys and care items for kids and donate them to local charities.
These are fall office activities with heart, and a great way to align your workplace culture with kindness.
3. Pumpkin Carving
It’s not fall without pumpkins. Pumpkin carving is one of the most iconic fall team building activities, especially during October. Break into small teams and give everyone a gourd, tools, and a time limit. Vote on categories like Spookiest Pumpkin, Most Creative, and Best Pop Culture Reference. You can also do the virtual event option!
Looking for more fall games adults will enjoy? Try Pumpkin Catapulting! Launch your decorated pumpkin and compete for distance, accuracy, and style. These fall event ideas bring out childlike wonder with just enough adult engineering.
4. Costume Contest
Adults love Halloween as much as kids do. A Halloween Costume Contest is the perfect blend of creativity, competition, and fun. Invite your team to dress up and introduce themselves in character, then vote on winners for categories like:
- Best Team Costume
- Most Creative DIY
- Scariest Costume
- Most Likely to Be Worn Again at Target
Want a themed twist? Try Trick or Trivia, a Halloween-inspired quiz showdown, or go all out with Corporate Project Runway: Halloween Edition, where teams have 20 minutes and one roll of toilet paper to design a look.
These are fall office activities that let personalities shine (and selfies fly).
5. Fall Tastings
Seasonal sipping is a fall tradition we fully support. Host a fall tasting to celebrate the flavors of the season. This is especially popular among hybrid and remote teams looking to unwind.
- Wine Making or Wine Tasting. Explore rich reds or try a hands-on wine blending activity.
- Mixology Lessons. Learn how to make apple bourbon cocktails or spiced cider mocktails.
- Hot Beverage Flights. Offer coffee, cider, or hot chocolate tastings with flavor cards and marshmallow mix-ins.
These flavorful fall themed activities can be paired with other events or stand alone as a reward. Think of it as a classy happy hour.
6. Pumpkin Racing
Ready to rev up the energy? Pumpkin Racing is one of the quirkiest, most creative fall celebration ideas out there, and it’s always a hit. Each team decorates and engineers a rolling pumpkin “car,” complete with wheels, paint, and a spoiler.
Race them down a trick, award prizes, and don’t forget to take pictures for the team newsletter and social media pages. This is a perfect pick for National Pumpkin Day (October 26), and one of the few fall games adults will get absurdly competitive about.
7. Escape Rooms
If your team could use a reminder that communication is more than just replying-all, an escape room may be the most hands-on solution. These immersive, puzzle-packed challenges are ideal fall team building activities because they rely on teamwork, critical thinking, and the occasional “aha!” moment under pressure.
Whether locking your crew in a conference room or keeping things digital, escape rooms are easier than ever to run, especially with virtual options. Choose your fall-flavored adventure, like the Virtual Haunted House Escape Room for those who like puzzles with a side of paranormal, or the Rogue Agent Virtual Escape Room for teams who want a spy-thriller twist with corporate sabotage on the line.
8. Fall Scavenger Hunts
Few fall event ideas deliver the same combination of adrenaline and team bonding as a fall scavenger hunt. With cool air, colorful scenery, and a noticeable boost in morale after summer’s lull, it’s the perfect time to take the team outdoors—or online—and send them on a mission. Today’s scavenger hunts aren’t just paper lists and random objects; they’re high-tech, app-based experiences full of twists, storytelling, and customized challenges.
Looking for excitement? Try Zombie Rising, where your team works against the clock to stop an undead outbreak before it spreads. Want fast-paced fun? Monster Mash Dash has teams racing across the city, chasing monsters and solving wild challenges. Prefer to add a little heart to your hunt? Healthcare Heroes is a purpose-driven adventure focused on supporting frontline workers as they prepare for the colder months.
These scavenger hunts can be tailored to your team’s personality, your location, and even your company’s values, making them one of the most versatile and energizing fall team building activities out there.
9. Murder Mysteries
Fall’s early sunsets and cooler nights set the perfect tone for a good mystery, and few fall themed activities captivate a team quite like a murder mystery. These immersive, theatrical experiences are part performance, part puzzle-solving, and 100% team building. They challenge groups to communicate, collaborate, and think critically as they unravel a storyline filled with secrets, suspects, and suspense.
Whether your team prefers dinner and deception or a race-against-time challenge, there’s a format to match. Murder Mystery Dinners let participants dress the part, enjoy a catered meal, and solve a crime before dessert is served. The Sherlock Holmes Murder Mystery Escape Room offers a cerebral, story-rich experience steeped in Victorian intrigue and logic. And for those who like their team building active, Sleuth: The Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt blends clue-hunting with real-world exploration, making every step part of the case.
Murder mysteries turn passive participants into curious collaborators. They’re fun, challenging, and remarkably effective at drawing out creativity and problem-solving skills, making them one of the most memorable fall team building activities your company will ever host.
Start Planning Your Fall Office Activities
Fall isn’t just sweater weather; it’s together weather. Whether you’re organizing a quick office pumpkin carving contest or planning a full-blown wine tasting escape room murder mystery (yes, that’s a thing), these fall team building activities will help your group reconnect and recharge before the year wraps up.
Contact TeamBonding for the right mix of fall celebration ideas that build real bonds and worthwhile memories.
