40 Holiday Party Photo Scavenger Hunt Prompts | Gather Shot Blog

A holiday party photo scavenger hunt gives guests a reason to capture and share the moments you would otherwise miss. Instead of hoping people remember to send their photos later, you give them a mission during the event. Here are 40 prompts to get your holiday gallery started.

Why Photo Scavenger Hunts Work at Holiday Parties

Holiday parties are already playful. Guests are in a good mood, the decorations provide built-in photo subjects, and people want something to do beyond small talk. A photo scavenger hunt channels that energy into content you can actually use.

Turn Passive Guests into Active Photographers

A holiday party photo scavenger hunt gives shy guests a low-pressure reason to mingle and interact with the space. Because everyone has a camera on their phone, it becomes an easy, inclusive activity that gets people moving and talking.

Instead of relying on one photographer to be everywhere at once, a guest photo game turns the whole room into your photo team. You capture inside jokes, tiny details, and reactions a single photographer would never see.

Entertainment That Doubles as Content

Party photo scavenger hunts fill downtime between formal moments like dinner and speeches. They keep energy high when the party might otherwise lull.

After the event, those photos become ready-made content for social media, internal newsletters, or client recaps. When you collect everything in one place with smart tagging and downloads, pulling together a highlight reel takes minutes instead of hours.

Christmas Party Photo Scavenger Hunt Prompts

These 15 prompts work especially well for Christmas parties with festive decor, holiday outfits, and seasonal treats. They are easy to understand at a glance and do not require staging or special props.

Ugly Sweater Champion: Capture the most outrageous Christmas sweater you can find.
Tree Treasure: Snap a close-up of the most unique ornament on the Christmas tree.
Secret Santa Swap: Photograph someone mid-laugh during a gift exchange.
Cookie Monster: Catch someone reaching for a holiday cookie.
Red and Green Squad: Take a group selfie with at least three people wearing red or green.
Santa Sighting: Get a photo of someone dressed as Santa, Mrs. Claus, or an elf.
Mistletoe Moment: Capture a sweet or silly moment under the mistletoe.
Hot Cocoa Cheers: Photograph a cozy drink in someone’s hand.
Wrapped Wonder: Find the most beautifully wrapped present and snap a close-up.
Festive Footwear: Take a photo of someone’s holiday socks or shoes.
Holiday Karaoke Star: Capture someone singing or dancing to a Christmas song.
Naughty or Nice? Photograph a mischievous moment like someone sneaking dessert.
Holiday Duo: Get a photo of two people in matching Christmas outfits.
Coziest Corner: Find and capture the coziest spot at the party.
Holiday Selfie Station: Take a selfie using any props or decor as your backdrop.

Mix solo, pair, and group prompts to encourage mingling. Include prompts that require guests to find someone new, like photographing “someone in a Christmas sweater you don’t know yet,” to help break the ice.

Office Holiday Party Photo Prompts

Corporate holiday parties benefit from prompts that match your company culture while staying playful. These 10 prompts help coworkers connect beyond small talk and give you authentic content for internal communications.

Department Mash-Up: Snap a group photo that includes people from at least three different teams.
Branded and Festive: Capture someone wearing both company swag and a holiday accessory.
Boss in Holiday Mode: Take a candid photo of a manager laughing, dancing, or playing a game.
Desk-to-Dancefloor Glow-Up: Capture a coworker “office normal” versus “party ready.”
Team Tradition: Photograph a team doing their unique holiday ritual.
Most Festive Workspace Story: Find a coworker who decorated their workspace and snap them showing it off.
Holiday Sock Showdown: Take a picture of the wildest pair of holiday socks you can find.
Potluck MVP: Capture the dish that disappeared the fastest.
Company Values in Action: Photograph a candid moment that shows one of your company values in real life.
Office Throwback: Recreate an old office photo with the same people and pose.

When photos are collected in one shared album, marketing and HR teams can quickly pull images for social posts, recaps, or next year’s recruiting materials. Add co-hosts so multiple team members can help manage the gallery.

General Holiday Party Photo Game Ideas

These 15 holiday party photo scavenger hunt prompts work for any holiday party style, whether it is a New Year’s Eve bash, Friendsgiving, Hanukkah gathering, or general winter celebration.

Cheers to the Night: Capture a toast or clinking glasses moment.
Best Duo: Snap two guests who clearly coordinated their outfits.
Signature Drink: Photograph the most creative drink of the night.
Dance Floor Energy: Capture someone mid-dance move.
Most Unexpected Guest: Take a photo of the most surprising attendee.
Sparkle Shot: Find and capture something glittery at the party.
Before and After: Photograph the snack table at the beginning and again when it is nearly empty.
Photo with a Stranger: Take a selfie with someone you did not know before tonight.
Cozy Vibes: Capture anything that feels warm and cozy.
Game Time: Snap a moment from any other game or activity happening.
Most Creative Accessory: Photograph the most interesting accessory you can find.
Host with the Most: Capture the host in action.
Candid Laugh: Take a photo of someone in a full, unposed laugh.
Unexpected Color Pop: Find and photograph a bright color that stands out.
Group Selfie Challenge: Take a group selfie with at least five people in the frame.

These holiday party photo game ideas scale from small house parties to large events. With Gather Shot, 10 guests or 300 guests can all scan a QR code and start completing prompts instantly. No app or account setup required.

How to Run a Holiday Photo Scavenger Hunt with Gather Shot

Setting up a photo scavenger hunt takes minutes when you use the right tools. Here is how to run one with Gather Shot’s Interactive Scavenger Hunts feature.

Choose Your Prompts

Pick up to 15 prompts that match your event. Use Christmas-specific prompts for a Christmas party, office-focused prompts for corporate events, or mix from the general holiday list. Gather Shot supports up to 15 prompts per scavenger hunt, so choose the ones that fit your crowd.

Set Up Your Event

Create a new event in Gather Shot, add your date and basic info, then enable Interactive Scavenger Hunts. Type in your chosen prompts so guests see a clean, guided list when they join.

Gather Shot generates a unique QR code for your event. Add it to your invitations, print it on signage, or display it on screens at your venue. Guests scan once and start playing immediately in their browser.

Kick Off the Hunt

During your welcome remarks, explain that you are running a holiday party photo scavenger hunt and show guests where to find the QR code. Announce a small prize or bragging rights for people who complete the most prompts to boost participation.

Let Gather Shot Handle the Photo Chaos

As guests play, every photo uploads into one shared album. You can use Smart Media Management to hide duplicates, moderate anything off-brand, and tag photos by activity.

With flexible upload schedules, guests can keep adding photos for up to 60 days. Download everything in bulk for social media, recap decks, or next year’s promo materials.

Get Started with Your Holiday Photo Scavenger Hunt

A holiday party photo scavenger hunt transforms your event from a one-night party into a gallery full of memories. Pick your prompts, set up your QR code, and let your guests do the rest.

With Gather Shot, you can create a holiday party photo scavenger hunt in just a few minutes. Add your prompts, turn on Interactive Scavenger Hunts, and share your event QR code. Once guests start playing, every photo lands in one organized gallery that is ready for recaps and social posts.

Ready to get started? Create your holiday party photo scavenger hunt in Gather Shot so your guests can start sharing photos with a single scan.

For more guest photo game ideas, check out our guide on guest photo games and scavenger hunts.