16 Best Labor Day Activities to Celebrate Your Team

Labor Day is one of the few workplace holidays dedicated entirely to employees. It’s the perfect opportunity to step away from deadlines, recognize your team’s contributions, and head into the long weekend feeling appreciated. So before everyone signs off for the long weekend, take a moment to recognize and celebrate them with fun games, interactive activities, or gift hampers. 

In this article, we have listed 16 of the best Labor Day activities for remote, hybrid, and in-person teams to mark the occasion. The list also includes bonus ideas for a more thoughtful celebration. Read on. 

Table of Contents

What is Labor Day?

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the U.S., celebrated on the first Monday of September, that honors the contributions and achievements of American workers. The holiday was marked during the late 19th-century Labor Movement to recognize the role of workers in shaping the country’s economy. Over time, modern workplaces have started organizing themed celebrations and employee appreciation events to recognize their team members. 

Why Host a Team Celebration for Labor Day? 

While a long weekend is certainly a highlight of Labor Day, hosting a celebration with themed activities can make your team’s day. Whether it’s a friendly game tournament, a team lunch, an award ceremony, or a casual happy hour, these experiences make team members feel appreciated and reassure them that their contributions don’t go unnoticed. Plus, it gives everyone a chance to connect outside of work, celebrate shared achievements, and create lasting memories in a relaxed setting. 

Which Labor Day Activity Is Right for Your Team?

How We’ve Found Teams Get the Most Out of Labor Day Celebrations

After hosting Labor Day events for distributed teams, we’ve noticed a few simple practices consistently lead to higher engagement:

• Keep celebrations between 60 and 90 minutes.
• Start with appreciation before games.
• Mix collaborative and competitive activities.
• Include food whenever possible.
• Let employees choose between two or three activities instead of assigning one.
• End with prizes or surprise gifts.

16 Best Labor Day Activities for Teams

Check out the 16 best Labor Day activities to celebrate the day with your remote, hybrid, and in-person teams. The list includes social events, games, creative workshops, and wellness sessions, so you can find something that matches your team’s interests. 

Team Social Ideas for Labor Day

Dive into some engaging Labor Day activities to bring teams together through fun culinary experiences. 

1. Backyard BBQ Party

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, making a team backyard BBQ party a great way to celebrate together. Teams grill classic favorites like hot dogs, burgers, grilled vegetables, and enjoy them with refreshing drinks in a relaxed outdoor setting. 

You can also include lawn games, play classic rock or country music to set the mood, and set up a dessert bar to elevate the experience. If you have a remote team, have everyone prepare their favorite BBQ dishes at home and enjoy a virtual lunch together, or join an online bourbon-and-BBQ tasting to recreate the experience. 

From the Labor Day events we’ve hosted, BBQ-style celebrations consistently encourage longer conversations than formal appreciation lunches because employees naturally move between food stations and lawn games. 

2. Ice Cream Social

Treat your team to a fun ice cream social so they can chill together before Labor Day weekend begins. Set up a sundae bar with a variety of ice cream flavors, toppings, syrups, and cherries so everyone can create and enjoy their favorite ice cream combo. Team members can even name their creations after a shared win or personal milestone and join an appreciation circle to recognize each other’s achievements. 

You can also include fun games like Guess the Flavor,  Ice Cream Trivia, or Two Truths and a Scoop to further dial up the fun. Also, if your team loves live polls, wrap up the session by voting for the ultimate favorite flavor, topping, or sundae combination. 

3. Happy Hour 

Raise a toast to your team’s achievements and appreciate them for a job well done with a Labor Day Happy Hour. Team members enjoy refreshing cocktails and mocktails in a laid-back sundowner setting while engaging in casual conversations. 

Play feel-good music and set up hangout corners with board games, conversation card decks, and snack stations so everyone can mingle at their own pace. For a more interactive experience, bring in an expert mixologist to help teams mix classic drinks like Whiskey Sour, Margaritas, and Mojitos while exploring fun bartending tricks along the way. 

Here’s a tip: If you have a remote or hybrid team, send mixology kits with instruction cards so everyone can mix and enjoy their drinks together from afar. 

4. Food Truck Fiesta

Planning a team lunch as part of Labor Day activities? Set up a food truck at the workplace to treat your team to freshly made-to-order meals. You can serve crowd favorites like tacos, burgers, wood-fired pizzas, or burrito bowls, based on your team’s preferences, all while supporting local vendors. 

Include a ‘make your own drink’ station, a cookie-decorating bar, and lawn games like cornhole or giant Jenga to add some interactive elements to the event. If your team is remote, send meal vouchers so everyone can order meals from a local restaurant and enjoy a virtual team lunch together.

Try this: If you don’t prefer setting up food trucks at work, host a picnic-style catered lunch in an outdoor area for a relaxed team social.

Competitive Team Games for Labor Day 

Keep the energy high during your Labor Day celebrations with some fun games that teams can enjoy while engaging in a lighthearted competition. 

5. Human vs AI Challenge

Labor Day is a great opportunity to thank your team and appreciate the quality of their work. Host a Human vs. AI challenge to recognize their creative thinking skills through an engaging, fast-paced game. Team members are given a mix of audio-visual prompts like songs, movie scenes, logos, artwork, and more, and they need to guess whether they’re AI-generated or not. To make it more interactive, include timed rounds, bonus points for streaks, wildcard questions, or lightning rounds to keep everyone hooked throughout the game. 

Here’s an overview of how you can plan the game for your Labor Day event:

• Round 1, AI or Human Artwork: Show paintings and AI illustrations. 
• Round 2, Real Logo or Not: Display real, fan-made concepts and AI-generated logos. 
• Round 3, Is It From a Movie? Play short clips from real movies alongside AI-generated videos inspired by similar scenes. 
• Round 4, Who wrote this? Show short email drafts, social media captions, and poems to spot AI content.

Host Tip: Mix obvious AI-generated content with highly convincing examples to keep everyone guessing. Reveal the answers after each round to spark discussion about creativity and technology. 

6. Trivia Showdown

Labor Day has a rich history, but how much does your team really know about it? Host a Labor Day trivia game to test your team’s knowledge of Labor Day traditions, U.S. history, summer memories, pop culture, sports, and iconic American landmarks. You can mix in picture rounds, audio clips, and rapid-fire questions to keep the game engaging for all. 

For a more game-show-like experience, bring in a lively host and hand out small prizes or gift cards to the winning team in each round. After the final round, you can invite everyone to enjoy refreshments, take team photos, and celebrate the winners, ending the event on a high note. 

Bonus read: Check out 500+ trivia questions to create the question bank for your game. 

7. Escape the Basement Game

Looking for thrilling Labor Day activities for your team event? Escape the Basement is a fun party game that will help everyone enjoy an immersive race against the clock. Teams find themselves trapped in the basement of an abandoned house. When they try to walk out, the door suddenly shuts behind them. They need to find hidden clues, solve puzzles, and crack a code to operate the basement’s only elevator and get to safety. 

Last year, we played this hosted game before our Labor Day team dinner and had an amazing time solving puzzles in a 360-degree virtual reality room. The host even nudged us in the right direction whenever we got stuck and kept the game moving without giving away answers. It ended up being one of the highlights of our celebration, and we talked about our experiences even as we enjoyed our meals. 

8. Team Feud

Play a few rounds of coworker feud to keep your Labor Day celebrations lively and get everyone laughing over common workplace opinions. Team members tackle a series of work-themed survey questions on office habits, meetings, remote work, and company culture, and earn points for nailing the crowd-favorite responses. You can also include a physical or digital spinning wheel with different topics and bonuses to keep each round unpredictable and fun. 

Here’s what you can add to your list of survey questions:

• What’s a phrase you often hear during team meetings? 
• What’s something employees do when they need a quick break?
• What’s a snack you’ll always find in an office pantry?
• What’s a common work-from-home distraction?
• What’s something employees do during a long weekend? 

Creative Activities for Labor Day

Dive into some hands-on Labor Day activities for teams to bond over creative experiences and create custom keepsakes together. 

9. Terrarium Making

Give your Labor Day gift-giving a sustainable touch by hosting a terrarium-making event where teams create green keepsakes to take home. Team members use curated kits to layer sand, soil, rocks, moss, and succulents in a glass jar to assemble their terrariums. You can even opt for different containers, like a geo pyramid or corked glass jars, to make your team’s creations stand out. 

For a hosted experience, bring in a plant expert to guide teams and share essential care tips to ensure their green gifts thrive for longer. Once done, create a digital or physical display of the terrariums so everyone can appreciate each other’s efforts. 

Try this: To add a competitive element, vote for categories like ‘Most Elegant Arrangement’, ‘Best Desk Glow Up’, or ‘Instaworthy Terrarium.’

10. Laptop Sleeve Decorating

Teams that want a creative and practical Labor Day activity can decorate their own laptop sleeves together. Team members use plain canvas laptop sleeves and personalize them with fabric paints, markers, patches, or embellishments to reflect their personal style. 

For a fun twist, include challenges such as designing something based on hobbies, favorite destinations, or pets, and share the story behind the artwork in a show-and-tell segment. You can also serve mocktails, tea, or coffee (send premixed drink kits to remote teams) during the session for a paint-and-sip-style experience. 

Try this: You can also decorate tote bags, bucket hats, or notebooks for extra variety. 

11. Desk Decor Craft Challenge

A desk that feels personal can instantly uplift your mood and improve productivity at work. So, for Labor Day activities, challenge your team to make small accessories to spruce up their desks. You can set up a crafting station with all necessary supplies or send curated kits to your teams if you work remotely. Have everyone customize their creations with their favorite colors, patterns, messages, or embellishments to match their preferences. After everyone finishes crafting, encourage them to decorate their desks, snap a photo, and share it in a common thread so they can admire one another’s desk makeovers. 

Here’s what you can craft during the session: 

• Hand-painted wooden desk nameplates 
• Clay pen holders 
• Decorative file organizers
• Custom coasters for coffee mugs
• Decorative trays
• Mini table planters

12. Wood Burning Workshop

For teams that want a creative break from Labor Day games and activities, a wood-burning workshop is a fun way to learn a new skill together. This hands-on experience helps teams learn how to use heated tools to etch custom designs on wooden surfaces. These can include geometric patterns, nature-inspired illustrations, quotes, monograms, and more, based on their preferences. 

Teams can decorate plain wooden coasters, chopping boards, wall plaques, or desk nameplates and transform them into personalized keepsakes they can use or display every day. Optionally, everyone can exchange their creations with one another as a gesture of appreciation for their hard work. 

Pro tip: Sketch your designs in pencil first, then trace them with the tool to create the patterns just the way you want. 

Wellness-themed Activities for Teams

Teams spend most of their time juggling tasks and meetings, making Labor Day the perfect opportunity for them to slow down. Explore some wellness activities to help your team unwind together. 

13. Sound Bath Meditation

Between themed activities, a sound bath meditation gives a peaceful change of pace during Labor Day team celebrations. Team members listen to calming vibrations from instruments such as singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks, or chimes to relax and stay grounded in the present moment. Encourage everyone to attend the session indoors with comfortable seating to make the most of the experience. Also, you can serve herbal tea,  infused water, and fresh fruit (send kits or vouchers to remote teams) afterward for everyone to enjoy while reflecting on the session together. 

Here are a few things you can do to elevate the experience: 

• Use warm lights or LED candles to create a cozy atmosphere. 
• Diffuse calming essential oils to complement the soothing sounds. 
• Begin with a two-minute guided breathing exercise to help everyone transition into meditation. 
• Ask everyone to mute their phones for a distraction-free environment.

14. Zen Doodle Art

Creative wellness breaks during Labor Day events, like doodling, quickly get everyone involved, as there’s no artistic experience required. Team members get mindful prompts centered around their current mood, self-care, or positive memories, and they doodle something related to the given theme. The idea is to draw whatever comes to their mind first and build the doodle from there to make the most of the experience. 

Here are some prompts you can include in the session:

• Illustrate one achievement you’re proud of this year.
• Doodle what teamwork looks like to you.
• Sketch what motivates you at work.
• Draw what appreciation means to you. 

Here’s a tip: Play ambient sounds or soft instrumental music in the background to create a calming setting for the session. 

15. Aromatherapy Session

Help your team unwind before the Labor Day long weekend with a calming aromatherapy session. Teams can explore various essential oils and learn how different aromas can reduce stress, lift mood, and create simple self-care rituals they can carry into their everyday work routine. 

Make the session even more engaging by adding fun elements like a blind smell test (send non-tagged kits to remote teams), fragrance-matching games, or scent-pairing challenges. You can also invite everyone to create an essential oil roller to remind them to pause, reset, and prioritize well-being in the new fiscal year.  

Did you know that using lavender essential oil promotes relaxation and improves sleep quality? 

16. Yoga Class

Celebrate Labor Day with a team yoga session that helps everyone slow down and enjoy a calming break from work. Teams practice gentle, beginner-friendly poses, along with breathing exercises and short relaxation techniques they can easily incorporate into their daily routines. Depending on the weather, you can encourage everyone to attend the class in an outdoor space, such as a terrace or garden, for a more mindful experience. You can even wrap the session with a guided visualization exercise to step away from work and head into the weekend with a clear mind. 

Explore a few types of yoga for teams to choose from:

• Chair Yoga: seated cat-cow, neck stretches, and seated forward fold
• Hatha Yoga: Mountain pose, tree pose, cobra pose, child’s pose
• Yin Yoga: Butterfly pose, dragon pose, and sphinx pose
• Sunrise Yoga: A few rounds of Sun Salutations

Bonus Labor Day Ideas with Minimal Prep

Labor Day celebrations don’t always have to be structured. Here are some easy and thoughtful ways to surprise your team. 

• Employee Appreciation Awards: Appreciate team members with heartfelt awards that celebrate their contributions, milestones, and hard work. These can be small trophies, certificates, or gift cards, along with personalized notes to make the gesture even more meaningful. 

• Extra Day Off: Labor Day is already a long weekend, but giving your team members the Friday off is a simple way to thank them and give them some extra time to spend with their loved ones. This can help them return to work feeling refreshed. 

• Self-Care Gift Hampers: Assemble wellness hampers with essentials like herbal teas, scented candles, journals, healthy snacks, skincare products, and a pair of cozy socks. It’s a simple gesture to encourage team members to relax and recharge over the holiday. 

• Coffee Shop Gift Cards: Surprise your team with gift cards from a local coffee shop (digital cards for remote teams) to appreciate them and give everyone a well-deserved coffee break. It’s a flexible and practical gift that team members can use anytime they need a pick-me-up. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are some Labor Day activity ideas for hybrid teams?

Trivia, scavenger hunts, and mixology events are some good Labor Day activities for remote and hybrid teams. 

How to host virtual Labor Day activities for work?

To host virtual Labor Day activities, select a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Create a list of themed events and assign a host to lead the session. Send out meeting invites with joining links so everyone can join the session. Alternatively, opt for remote team building platforms to enjoy a fully hosted experience. 

What are some fun Labor Day activities? 

‘Build Your Own Burger’ bar, happy hour, and terrarium making are some fun activities for Labor Day. 

What are some budget-friendly Labor Day activities for teams?

Appreciation messages, trivia games, bingo, and potlucks are some budget-friendly team activities for Labor Day.

How to make activities for Labor Day inclusive for teams?

Choose activities that suit varying skills levels, diverse interests, and dietary preferences to make the celebration inclusive for all team members.