WhosFreeWhen?

The free work Christmas party planner

Plan your work Christmas party without the group-chat chaos

Someone in the office drew the short straw. This year it's your turn. Find a December date the whole team can actually make, then get on with the fun stuff.

100% free to use
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You'll get a shareable link. Drop it into your team Slack, WhatsApp, or email. Everyone taps their available December dates in 20 seconds. You see instantly which date works for the most people.

No account for participantsWorks on any phoneAny team sizeReady in seconds

It doesn't stop at the date

Once the date's locked in, the rest of the planning lives on the same page, so nothing gets lost in a group chat that scrolls past everyone.

JS
Can we pick somewhere veggie-friendly?
AM
Good shout, adding it now

Comments

Venue ideas, dietary needs and plus-one questions all get answered on the event, not buried in the group chat.

Which venue?

The Alexandra64%
Rooftop bar36%

Polls

Settle the venue, the menu or the Secret Santa budget with a quick vote everyone can see the result of.

availability.csv

Export data

Download the full availability grid as a spreadsheet to hand to finance, HR or whoever's booking the venue.

View all features

Picking the date is the hardest part

Everyone tells you it's about the venue, the food, or the theme. It isn't. Every disappointing Christmas party starts with a date half the team can't make. Get the date right and everything else falls into place.

Easy

Each teammate opens the link and taps the days they're free. No account, no download, no faff.

See the best date instantly

A colour-coded calendar shows which December dates have the strongest coverage. No maths, no counting.

Done in a day

Beats a week of chasing people in the group chat. Lock in the venue before the good ones are gone.

How it works

  1. 1

    Create your Christmas party event

    Name it, pick a December date range (we suggest the whole month), and you're done. Ten seconds.

  2. 2

    Share the link with the office

    Drop it into Slack, WhatsApp, Teams or email, anywhere the team hangs out. Colleagues don't need an account to open it.

  3. 3

    Everyone taps the dates they're free

    Twenty seconds per person on the tube home. Works beautifully on mobile.

  4. 4

    Lock in the winning date

    Pick the December date with the strongest coverage, book the venue that afternoon, and start enjoying being a Christmas hero.

Start planning now

The 5-minute Christmas party plan

The whole plan boils down to seven steps, in this order. Follow them and you'll throw a party your colleagues genuinely enjoy.

  1. 1
    Get the date locked in. Poll the team. First two weeks of December, Thursday or Friday, is the sweet spot.
  2. 2
    Agree the budget. £30-£100 per head is normal. Add 15% for extras and taxis. Decide if plus-ones are in.
  3. 3
    Book the venue around the date. Private dining rooms, cocktail bars, and dedicated party venues all work. Check dietary needs and accessibility.
  4. 4
    Sort the food & drink. Send menu choices 2-3 weeks out. Take dietary needs seriously. Have proper non-alcoholic options.
  5. 5
    Send invites 6-8 weeks in advance. Include time, address, dress code, and a hard RSVP deadline. One clear reminder two days before the deadline.
  6. 6
    Plan the run-of-show loosely. Arrivals drink, one or two anchor moments (Secret Santa, short speech), a defined end time.
  7. 7
    Handle the awkward stuff early. Alcohol expectations, getting home safely, inclusion for non-drinkers and new starters, opt-out for photos.
Read the full step-by-step guide →

Which December date should you pick?

Not every week in December is equal. Here's the honest ranking:

Late November

Underrated. Venues cheaper, team fresher, availability better. Call it “End of Year Party” if December branding feels early.

Dec 1 – Dec 12

The sweet spot. Festive but not chaotic. Book Thursdays and Fridays in this window months ahead.

Dec 15 – Dec 22

The default choice, and therefore the crowded one. Prices peak, venues stretched, energy dips. Book here only if you must.

Dec 22 onwards

Dead zone. Half the team is off, everyone is knackered. Avoid.

Thursdays and Fridays consistently get the highest attendance. Wednesday is underrated for lunches. Monday is the hardest sell.

Common mistakes that ruin the office Christmas party

  • Booking the venue before checking availability

    Almost every disappointing Christmas party starts here. Do it the other way round: date first, then venue.

  • Leaving it until November

    Good venues and dates are gone. You end up with mediocre options. Start in September or early October.

  • Assuming everyone drinks

    More colleagues each year are not drinking. Real non-alcoholic options aren't optional any more.

  • Sending three date options by email

    Half the team never replies, you chase for a week, and still end up guessing. A shared availability poll fixes this in a day.

  • Ignoring dietary needs and accessibility

    A vegan limp salad, a coeliac with nothing to eat, or a wheelchair user who can't reach the bar sours the whole evening.

  • Long speeches

    Under three minutes. Always. Nobody wants a keynote at the Christmas party.

Christmas party planning guides

Frequently asked questions

When should I start planning the work Christmas party?
Ideally in September or early October. Venues fill up quickly for the first two weeks of December, and dates in team calendars fill up almost as fast. Even mid-August is not too early for teams larger than 20 people.
What's the best date for a work Christmas party?
A Thursday or Friday in the first two weeks of December is the sweet spot. It's Christmassy enough to feel festive, but avoids the burnout window in the last two weeks before Christmas.
How do I pick a date that works for everyone?
Use a shared availability poll. Send everyone a single link, they each tap the dates they're free, and you pick the date with the strongest coverage. WhosFreeWhen does this for free, with no sign-up required for participants.
How much should we spend per head on the Christmas party?
Anywhere from £30 to £100 per head is normal in the UK. Modest budgets get a nice lunch or drinks-and-canapés; mid-range budgets get a three-course meal; generous budgets get a full evening with entertainment.
Should we invite plus-ones?
It depends on your company culture and budget. Plus-ones roughly double your headcount, so they can be expensive. If you do include them, communicate it clearly in the invite. If you don't, be equally clear.
How do I handle people who don't drink or don't celebrate Christmas?
Frame the event as an end-of-year party rather than a religious celebration, make sure your non-alcoholic drinks are genuinely good, and take dietary needs seriously. Small changes make a big difference to inclusion.
How far in advance should I send out invites?
Send invites 6-8 weeks before the party. That's enough notice for people to plan around it, and enough time to collect menu choices and RSVPs before the venue's cutoff.
What if some people can't make any date?
There will always be a few. Book the date that works for the highest number of people who matter most. Individually invite anyone who can't make it to a smaller catch-up if you can.

Ready to make this the best Christmas party yet?

Lock in the date in under 24 hours. Free, no sign-up, no app for your team to download. Just a shareable link.

Start your Christmas party poll →