A Christmas party photo booth is one of the easiest ways to get everyone in the festive mood, even the colleague who swears they don't do parties. Hand them a Santa hat and a sprig of mistletoe and they soon loosen up.
Here are some ideas for props, backdrops and templates, plus the one thing you really need to know about December. Book early.
Festive props that look good in photos
Christmas props are easy to find, but some work far better on camera than others. Go for chunky, bright items over tinsel and shiny baubles, which catch the flash and come out as glare.
- Santa hats and elf ears
- Reindeer antler headbands
- An oversized Christmas jumper that a few people can squeeze into together
- Big cardboard baubles and candy canes
- Mistletoe on a stick, for the brave
- Signs like Naughty list, Nice list and Who ate all the mince pies
Christmas party photo booth backdrops
A backdrop sets the scene straight away. Popular choices include a red sequin wall, a snowy winter scene, a gold glitter wall or a fireplace hung with stockings. For a smarter office party, a deep green or burgundy backdrop with a few warm lights looks classy without shouting Christmas.
Ask what's available when you book. Choice varies from booth to booth, and custom designs usually cost more.
Templates with a festive twist
The print template is a chance to have some fun. Snowflakes, holly or a hand-drawn tree, with the company name or family name and the year. For the office do, pop the logo in a corner and keep it subtle.
Putting the year on also turns the photos into a little time capsule. A few Christmases from now, someone will dig them out and laugh at who was sat with whom.
Ideas for the office Christmas party
Work parties benefit from a few games. Try a team photo challenge, or ask each department to recreate a scene from a famous Christmas film. A Secret Santa reveal in the booth can be funny too, as long as the gifts are safe for work.
Remote staff can join in as well. If the photos go into an online gallery, people working from other offices get to see the night, and anyone who missed it gets a good laugh on the Monday.
Run a live slideshow on a screen near the bar, and send photos to phones so people don't have to queue for prints. Our corporate photo booth hire page has more on booths for work events.
Family and friends' Christmas parties
For a family get-together, keep the props easy for kids and grandparents. Soft hats, big signs and nothing with small parts. A booth at a Christmas Eve gathering or a Boxing Day party gives you a whole set of family photos without anyone having to herd everybody into the group shot.
Our party photo booth hire page covers booths for private parties.
Christmas jumper day and themed nights
If your party has a dress code, build the booth around it. A Christmas jumper night calls for a backdrop plain enough not to clash with all that knitwear, and a sign for the worst jumper of the night. A winter wonderland theme suits white and silver, faux snow and a few fur stoles.
For a black tie Christmas ball, swap the novelty props for masks, top hats and glittery signs, and think about a magic mirror instead of a classic booth. It suits the dressier crowd and looks the part in a ballroom.
Timing on the night
At most Christmas parties, the booth is busiest once dinner's finished and the music starts. Opening it during the welcome drinks gets people warmed up, but there's little point running it while everyone's eating.
If your party runs late, keep the booth going until near the end. The last hour usually brings out the silliest photos, and the antlers are wonkier by then too.
Book your Christmas booth early
December is a busy month for photo booths, with office parties stacked up on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The popular nights go early, and prices are usually at the higher end. Our price guide explains why.
So if a Christmas party is in the diary, ask for a quote now rather than in late November. Tell us your date, venue and the kind of booth you like, and a real person will get back to you, usually the same day.
