39 Most Fun Spirit Week Ideas for Work & School in 2024
Most adults have fond memories of getting ready for a dress-up day at school, which meant you were either up all night with your mom thinking of spirit week ideas or panicking in the morning before the bus came.
Maybe you’re a parent now, filled with excitement to help your child get decked out with high school spirit week swag, or maybe you manage a team of adults in the business world and you’re looking for fun employee engagement ideas. Whatever your situation, this list will inspire you with tons of creative spirit week ideas for kids and adults of all ages.
Planning a spirit week is a great way to break up the routine and strengthen the culture of your organization, according to National Career Development Center. College spirit week ideas and company-wide spirit days or weeks alike encourage people to get into the creative mindset and show off their personality.
Part of the fun of holidays like Halloween is being able to dress up as something other than yourself, so why limit that fun to just one day a year? Look no further the next time you’re asking yourself, “What should I dress up as for spirit week?” or if you’re looking to plan your own spirit week.
Jump to Section
- Spirit Week Ideas for Work
- Spirit Week Ideas for Adults
- Spirit Week Ideas for High School
- College Spirit Week Ideas
- Unique Spirit Week Ideas
- Holiday Spirit Week Ideas
Spirit Week Ideas for Work
1. Compete in Fun Cooking Competitions
Reward your team with a day out of the office doing something fun like taking cooking classes near you or online cooking classes. This interactive spirit week event is the perfect combination of building team skills and communication but it feels like an adult field trip.
Check out cooking classes in Minneapolis, cooking classes in Houston, cooking classes in Baltimore or cooking classes in St. Louis. Your team will enjoy using their hands, tasting new foods and bonding with co-workers, making this a perfect team building activity.
2. Take an Art Class
Similar to getting out of the office and learning how to throw down in the kitchen, taking a pottery class in NYC, pottery classes in Houston or pottery classes in the Bay Area makes for a cool experience that includes a take-home souvenir. Wherever your company is based, there are pottery classes near you that your team will love.
3. Game Day
Scheduling an afternoon off for games is a great spirit week idea that will definitely be a highlight of the week for everyone in the office.
Virtual game nights, virtual scavenger hunts and even virtual escape rooms await your team. There are tons of online trivia games that make for a laidback and special Friday afternoon at the office.
4. Decade Day
Especially if you work in an organization that has a wide range of employee ages, Decade Day is a really great spirit week idea that everyone can get into.
You never know who is holding onto a piece that was ultra-fashionable 20 years ago…and now they have the perfect excuse to wear it! Employees or students get to choose a decade and rock the fashion of that time.
5. Tropical Day
Depending on your office environment, the standard cubicles can start to feel pretty drab. Infuse some sun and fun into the workplace with awesome spirit week ideas like Tropical Day. Big beach hats, Hawaiian shirts and skirts and more can transport your office to a sandy beach.
6. Food Drive
Great spirit week ideas can be about more than getting your team united in the spirit of fun — it can be about doing good, too. Hosting a food drive throughout the week is a great way to give back to your community, and let’s be honest, almost everyone has some cans in their pantry that they would be fine parting with.
7. Company Swag Day
What better way to feel like part of a team than with a company swag day for a spirit week idea? This is especially great if your typical work uniform is something more formal or just less comfy.
Make it fun and consider offering a prize for the best-dressed or most company logo items on one person and hand out a hat, quarter zip or coffee mug.
8. Decorate Your Desk
The people in the office aren’t the only ones dressing up! Encourage employees to decorate their desks for a fun spirit week idea that lets them show off their personalities. Offer prizes for the most creative at the end of the week.
9. Bring Your Pet to Work Day
Bring your kid to work day has made an appearance in TV shows and movies, and maybe even your company in real life. Take it up a notch and bring your pet to work for a cute spirit week idea that is sure to make everyone’s day a little better.
Spirit Week Ideas for Adults
10. Paint and Sip
For many adults, they haven’t had the opportunity to be creative since they were little kids. This fun spirit week idea is changing that with arts and crafts for adults. Check out paint and sip classes near you for a fun afternoon activity that lets you take home your beautiful artwork as a keepsake.
There is paint and sip in NYC, paint and sip in Los Angeles and paint and sip in San Diego awaiting your team for the ultimate paint party for adults.
11. Happy Hour
Adding a fun spirit week idea to the list of activities doesn’t have to be fancy or overwhelming. Most employees would love to get out of the office early and have a beverage and a snack with their co-workers.
Plan a company-wide happy hour on a Friday afternoon and let everyone kick off the weekend early. Or, host a virtual wine tasting with industry experts and you just might learn something cool.
12. From Outer Space
This wacky idea encourages people to dress up like their favorite sci-fi character or creature. They can go as simple and comfortable as an astronaut suit or NASA zip-up or get all the way into character by dressing up as an alien or something from a movie.
13. Tourist Day
While it may be slightly self-deprecating, tourist day is a fun and relatively easy spirit week idea for adults. Chances are good a lot of men in the office have one or all of the classic tourist items: Hawaiian shirts, cargo shorts, bucket hats, socks and sandals, fanny packs…the list goes on.
14. Volunteer Day
Many of us grew up with built-in volunteer days added to our high school curriculum, but as an adult, volunteering isn’t always a priority. Take the day away from the office or from home and volunteer in your community.
Organizations like Feed My Starving Children are super accommodating to large groups and are always in need of volunteers. This is an awesome spirit week idea for adults that doesn’t have to involve wearing a costume.
15. Go Golfing
Depending on your industry, there’s a lot of business to be conducted on the golf course. Plan a golf outing for a relaxing spirit week outing that feels like a reward for everyone. There are tons of fun games and formats to play in if you’re looking to make a little competition out of it, too.
Spirit Week Ideas for High School
16. Dance Classes
Some schools used to offer ballroom dancing classes as a gym unit, but that’s not very common anymore. With multiple school dances each year, including one at the end of most spirit weeks, this seems like a no-brainer for an activity that ties everything together. Make it fun by adding a bit of dress up like the best disco attire and 70s outfits.
Online dance classes or dance classes near you showcase talented dance instructors that will guide your students every step of the way. Check out dance classes in Las Vegas, dance classes in NYC and dance classes in the Bay Area to teach your students some valuable life-long skills.
17. Book Character Day
Everyone gets to dress up as their favorite book character for this fun spirit week idea. Fiction and non-fiction characters are welcomed. This is a great way to spark conversations about what students have read recently and maybe get some recommendations for yourself!
18. Meme Day
This idea is sure to get some great participation from students of all ages — meme day. The world of memes is always changing so from year to year you’ll definitely see new ideas come out. A lighthearted and funny way to kick off spirit week ideas in high school.
19. Scrabble Day
Students coordinate with their group of friends so they each wear a letter on their shirt spelling out a word. Without a doubt, tons of new word combinations will come out of this spirit week idea!
20. Ambition Day
Also known as dream job day, this idea gives students a chance to dress for the job they want. Students will come to school channeling doctors, fashion designers, chefs and anything else they aspire to be. It doubles as a great way to get kids thinking about the future and believing they can be anything they want to be.
21. Talent Show
Fun spirit weeks usually center around dressing up and getting in the mood for a big event like Homecoming. The pep rally is usually the big finale and everyone gets together to watch and laugh and have a good time.
But adding a talent show to the pep rally, or another day that week, is another way to get everyone in the same room and focused on the same thing. Students often have amazing talents that may never showcase themselves during a regular school week, so the chance to show them off is exciting.
22. Age Day
This newer spirit week idea lets students dress up as any age they see fit. Channeling elementary school kids with colorful and possibly mismatched outfits all the way to channeling a grandparent with a knit sweater and orthopedic shoes.
College Spirit Week Ideas
23. Mix Science and Drinking
While most college kids are drinking cheap beer or bottom-shelf liquor on a Friday night, offering an online mixology class is a cool way to showcase the art and science behind the perfect cocktail.
This fun spirit week event is ideal for young adults and especially science majors who may find a new passion in cracking the code behind a perfectly balanced beverage.
24. Super Villain Day
The classic Superhero Day gets a fun twist with this Halloween spirit week idea. Granted, it doesn’t have to be Halloween to do this, but the market for good costumes might be better at that time.
Students can dress up as their favorite supervillain, and hopefully, some creativity shines through here and you might see ideas like the shark from Jaws!
25. Dress Like Your Major
The college version of Ambition Day, Dress Like Your Major Day is a lowkey spirit week idea great for college campuses because it’s suitable for all years and types of students.
Chemistry and biology majors might show up in lab coats or scrubs, while English majors may want to dress like a teacher or their favorite writer.
26. Patriot Day
College campuses tend to be melting pots from all over the world, so encourage students to dress up and show some pride for their nation with this fall spirit week idea.
It can be done anytime, but fall is ideal because everyone is coming back to campus while others are arriving on campus for the first time. It really helps paint a picture of the diversity at your school.
27. Olympians
Few things unite us in the same way as the Olympics do, so why not incorporate this into your school spirit week? People can dress up as a specific type of Olympic athlete from any country they would like.
Bonus points for real Olympic swag! Especially if your school has competitive sports teams, you never know who may have gone to the Olympic trials or even the real Olympics.
Unique Spirit Week Ideas
28. Learn Creative New Skills
Sometimes searching for a fun spirit week activity can be just as simple as learning a new and useful skill. No matter where you are or the size of your group, offerings like virtual flower arranging classes, sewing classes, woodworking classes or even glass blowing classes are a great way to break up the normal routine of the week and maybe even unlock some hidden interests or skills.
29. Ninjas vs. Pirates
Some high schools did nerds and jocks for one of their spirit week ideas, but ninjas and pirates sound more fun. Students and adults can get into this one with cool, creative costumes. Bonus points for talking like a pirate or sneaking around like a ninja!
30. Crazy Hair or Crazy Hats
This spirit week idea is a classic for both kids and adults, plus there’s just something funny about wearing your regular clothes with something wacky happening on your head. Crazy Hair Day ideas are pretty straightforward and relatively simple to implement, in that it doesn’t require the labor involved in planning a head-to-toe outfit. But they can get pretty intricate.
31. Disney Character Day
Whether you grew up on Disney classics like Fox and the Hound or new masterpieces like Coco, this is a spirit week idea we can all get into. Disney characters are about as diverse as you can imagine, so expect a fun and colorful mix of characters.
32. Fashion Faux Pas
Another fun spirit week idea calls for everyone to sport their favorite (or least favorite) fashion faux pas. This day always gets a few laughs as some people see things that don’t seem so bad, like double denim. Other great ideas include stained clothing, socks with sandals or double patterns.
33. Spirit Award Ceremony
Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and this spirit week idea is a great way to give people an extra pat on the back that they deserve.
Host a little ceremony over lunch or at the end of the day awarding different spirit awards to people in your office or home room. Think about your organization’s key values and then vote on who you think best represents each one and why.
34. Trend Day
This spirit week idea is pretty open to interpretation and participants can call attention to a fashion trend, music trend or anything else that they’d like. New and old trends alike are fun to recall, and maybe you’ve got some items in your closet you’ve been holding onto hoping for this exact day.
Holiday Spirit Week Ideas
35. Pajama Day
Almost everyone is familiar with pajama day and it’s a fan favorite as far as spirit week ideas go. During the holiday season, when everyone wishes they were home on holiday break and motivation may be running low, it’s a great time to incorporate a pajama day and everyone can let their guard down a bit and have a more relaxed day at work or school. This is also perfect for a holiday work party so no one feels pressure to dress up.
36. Formal Day
On the opposite end of the spectrum from pajama day you have formal day, and this spirit week idea encourages people to show up totally decked out. Some people like to dress up for the holidays, others not so much, but it’s fun to give people a chance to show off their new Christmas tie or a beautiful dress or sweater in the workplace or at school.
37. Gift or Toy Drive
Spirit week doesn't have to be all about dressing up and goofing around. Your company or school can do good, too. Host a gift or toy drive at the office and at the end of the week, take a field trip to make that donation together to the charitable organization of your choice.
38. Holiday Day
Everyone has a favorite holiday and for most people, it’s something they feel passionate about. Encourage your office or your class to dress up like their favorite holiday for a fun spirit week idea that you can do no matter what time of year it is.
39. Baking Contest
This spirit week idea is especially appreciated during the Christmas season, but it can certainly take place any time of year. This works in businesses, college classrooms and high school homerooms.
Each person has the option to bake up their favorite recipe and bring it to work or school for everyone to enjoy and ultimately vote on the best bakery creation. You can get creative here and turn it into something savory, like best chip and dip combo, or you can have everyone make their favorite cookie.
Whether you’re looking for work Christmas party ideas or graduation party ideas, spirit week is always a good time. For many, it brings them back to high school homecoming or some other fun, youthful time in their life.
Engaging in spirit week activities fosters a sense of community at your office, your neighborhood and your school. It feels good to be a part of something bigger, and breaking up the quarter or the semester with a week out of the normal routine is exciting!
For even more fun event ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
