Christmas Party for Small Groups in Berlin

For small teams, Winterquartier Berlin, from 20 guests, offers two formats: All-inclusive Christmas market, where you move freely around the market but still have a fixed place to sit — or the Christmas dinner at your table in Hall C. You can add to both: Bavarian curling and time on the 1,000 m² real-ice rink. Menus cost €99, €109 or €118 net per person — drinks included.

Where can I hold a Christmas party for a small team in Berlin?

Small teams face a location problem all their own: restaurants quickly feel too tight and impersonal, while large event halls swallow a group of 20. The Winterquartier Berlin in the Napoleon Komplex in Friedrichshain solves that with its layout: activity, food and winding down all happen on one site, but in differently sized areas. So you don't book “a hall” — you book exactly the space that fits your group size. The Ostkreuz S-Bahn station is within walking distance, which matters especially for small teams where everyone travels separately.

Two formats for small groups — which suits you?

Both formats work from 20 guests, but they differ in character. One gets you moving, the other brings you together around one table:

Extras for both formats: Bavarian curling on real ice and time on the 1,000 m² real-ice rink can be added to either format — as Team on Ice also with relay or tournament formats.

Keep the party going after dinner: Hall B as a private party room

If your team wants to keep celebrating after dinner, you can also hire Hall B as a private party room. There, the room is exclusively yours — with space to dance, music and a bar. This is the combination small teams book most often: activity first, then dinner, then a hall all to yourselves. Find details on the rooms on the page Exclusive event space.

Ideas and activities for a small team Christmas party

A hands-on Christmas party for a small team works differently from a big event. You don’t need a stage programme or a host — just one shared activity that everyone can actually join in. That’s the advantage of a small group: no queuing, everyone gets a turn, and a bit of friendly competition gives the whole evening something to talk about. These are the questions we hear most often in consultations.

What are the best Christmas party activities for small groups in Berlin?

Most recommendation lists only name activity types — escape room, cooking class, Christmas market visit — without saying where this actually works for a team of 20. Here it is in concrete terms: these four options are bookable at Winterquartier Berlin, Berlin, Germany, for groups of 20 guests or more. None need prior experience, and all happen on one site, with no need to change venues.

What ideas are there for a team Christmas party?

For a Team Christmas party, Berlin the most effective lever is the order: Activity first, food after. Spend two hours eating first and ask people to "do something" afterwards, and the group has already split into table cliques. Start with a Bavarian curling tournament instead, and departments mix automatically – by the time dinner starts, different people end up sitting next to each other. For teams who already see each other every day, that is the difference between "nice" and "actually worked". For more ideas across Berlin, see our 10 ideas for your Christmas party.

How can I make my Christmas party fun?

Fun does not come from an elaborate programme, but through equality: activities where management misses the target just as often as the interns. Bavarian curling is perfect for this, because nobody has prior experience and the first missed throws are guaranteed. The second lever: something that runs in the background without creating pressure to join – winter games or a round of bingo you can take part in, but don't have to. What reliably never works: long speeches and agenda items that put volunteers on a stage.

What ideas work well for a small Christmas party?

For small parties, closeness beats show. What works well: a one long shared table instead of separate tables, so one conversation happens instead of five; a single shared activity instead of a packed programme; and an open end, so anyone can leave when they want to. For a more festive touch, combine the Christmas dinner with an hour on the ice beforehand.

Won't a large venue feel empty with only 20 guests?

That is the most common worry – and it is a fair one if you simply put a group into a 2,000-capacity hall. That is why we don't do that. With the Christmas market package , you become part of a lively market: other groups are around too, the atmosphere builds itself, and your team still gets its own place to sit. With the Christmas dinner you use Hall C at 250 m² – large enough for one long table, small enough that 20 people fill the room.

What does a Christmas party cost for a small team?

The price depends on the format you choose. The published starting point is the “Standard” menu at €99 net per person – 3 courses drinks included. The “Premium” menu, with an extra soup and a second dessert, costs 109 €, the “Förster” menu, with an extended starter selection 118 €. All three levels offer a vegan alternative for every course. For the all-inclusive Christmas market, we put together a package that covers food, drinks and programme. On top of that, add whichever modules you like: a Bavarian curling lane, ice skating, Hall B as a party room.

For budgeting purposes: the tax-free allowance for company events is €110 gross per employee – and what counts is the gross amount including all incidental costs, not the net price of the menu. The Standard menu, with VAT, sits close to this limit, while Premium and Förster go over it. That does not make the party more expensive, but the amount above the limit can become subject to payroll tax – if you want to avoid that, plan with the Standard menu and keep an eye on incidental costs. How the allowance is calculated exactly, we have set out with a calculator – including the trap around cancellations. We are not tax advisors; your tax office can clarify the split between food and drinks for your specific offer.

How does an evening run?

A proven rhythm for small teams, one that doesn't feel like ticking off agenda items:

1. Arrival (from 18:00): Mulled wine (Glühwein) or non-alcoholic punch in the market area, a short warm-up – nobody has to do anything right away.
2. Activity (~19:00): A Bavarian curling tournament or a turn on the ice rink, around an hour. Early in the evening, while everyone's still curious — that breaks the ice better than any speech.
3. Dinner (around 20:00): a seated menu at the long table in Hall C, or carry on through the all-inclusive market.
4. Wind-down (from 22:00): Bar and music — in Hall B as a private party space if you like, or in our in-house club.

Realistically, plan for four to five hours. If you're working the next day, move the activity earlier and wrap up by 23:00 — the more common choice for small teams.

Can we still book at short notice?

Small groups have a real advantage here: you need less lead time than a 500-guest party, where catering and staff have to be booked weeks in advance. In our experience, 20 to 30 people can often still get a date in November — though the most sought-after slots, Thursdays and Fridays in December, go first. If you're flexible on the day of the week, your chances improve considerably.

What happens if someone cancels?

This isn’t a minor detail — it affects your budget: for tax purposes, the total cost of a company event is divided by the guests who actually attend , not by those who registered. If you plan for 25 and 20 show up, the same costs are spread across fewer people — the amount per person rises and can push you over the €110 tax-free allowance. Cancellations hit small groups harder in percentage terms. So plan on the lean side and add names later. In practice, you need the final guest count a few days ahead, not weeks.

Christmas party in a restaurant or at a venue?

Many small teams start their search with a restaurant — understandable, since it's easy to book. The difference shows up in how the evening runs: in a restaurant, you sit for four hours in the seating plan that formed at the start, and by the end of the night you still haven't spoken to the colleagues at the other end of the table. A venue for a Christmas party changes that: you eat together, but something happens before or after that mixes the group up again.

Winterquartier Berlin brings both together in one place — a seated menu just like in a restaurant, plus Bavarian curling, ice skating or the market area. If you want a calm restaurant evening, you'll find it with the Christmas dinner in Hall C; if you want more, combine it with an activity.

Christmas dinner or all-inclusive — what suits your team?

If your team mainly wants to sit together quietly, eat well and look back on the year, our Christmas dinner in Hall C is the right choice: one table, one menu, time for conversation and reflection — with an hour on the ice beforehand if you like, so the evening isn't just about the table.

If movement, variety and team building matter more, the all-inclusive Christmas market The better fit for a small group: you move through the Christmas market together and try a few stalls. Play a round of Bavarian curling, skate a few laps on the ice — and anyone who needs a break just joins the table. Want to dance afterwards? Halle B becomes your private party room.

FAQs: Christmas party for small teams

From how many guests can you book a Christmas party?

At Winterquartier Berlin, our venue in Berlin, Germany, bookings start from 20 guests — for both the all-inclusive Christmas market and the Christmas dinner in Hall C. A long table seats 20 to 30 comfortably in Hall C, without feeling cramped.

What are the best Christmas party activities for small groups?

Bavarian curling on a private Bavarian curling lane, ice skating on the real-ice rink, winter games such as log sawing and nail hammering, and table-based guessing games. All four work without prior experience, and in small groups everyone gets several turns instead of just one.

Does our menu stay under the €110 tax-free allowance?

It depends on the menu you choose and how VAT is applied. Menu prices are net; the allowance is based on the gross amount, including all extra costs. The standard menu at €99 net comes close to the limit once VAT is added; Premium at €109 and Förster at €118 go over it. The amount above the threshold can become subject to payroll tax. We are not tax advisers — your accountant should confirm the exact figures based on your quote.

What does a Christmas party for 20 people cost?

Set menus cost €99, €109 or €118 net per person, always including drinks. For the all-inclusive Christmas market package, we put together food, drinks and a programme. Add-ons include a Bavarian curling lane, ice skating or Hall B as a party room.

Doesn't a venue feel empty with just 20 guests?

No. At the all-inclusive Christmas market, other groups are there too, so the atmosphere carries itself — you still get your own place to sit. For a Christmas dinner, you use Hall C, 250 m², filled well by one long table.

Can we keep the party going in private after dinner?

Yes. Hall B can be booked as an extra, private party room. Once you add it, the whole room belongs only to your team for the evening, with space to dance, your own music and a bar for drinks — no other guests, just your group.

How long does a company Christmas party last?

Realistically, plan on four to five hours. Guests usually arrive from 18:00, the activity starts around 19:00, dinner follows around 20:00, and things wind down from 22:00. Teams working the next morning often move the activity earlier in the evening and wrap up around 23:00 instead.

Can you book a Christmas party at short notice?

For small groups, this is more realistic than for large events, since catering and staff need less lead time. Thursdays and Fridays in December fill up first, though — if you can be flexible on the day of the week, your chances improve considerably.

What happens if guests cancel at short notice?

We need the final guest count a few days beforehand. Costs are charged per person who actually attends, not per person registered. Cancellations therefore push up the cost per head — noticeably so for small groups. It’s better to plan on the tight side and add guests later if needed.