Christmas Party Entertainment Ideas: Why Racing Sims Win

Booking entertainment for a work Christmas party is a thankless job. It has to work for the graduate intake and the finance director, for the petrolheads and the people who have never held a steering wheel, and it has to be worth leaving the house for on a cold Thursday in December.

After hundreds of corporate events, we think the answer is simple. Put a grid of racing simulators in the room and the party runs itself. Here’s why, what it looks like on the night, and when to book if you want December dates.

The test any Christmas party idea has to pass

Most party entertainment fails one of three tests: either half the room can’t join in, or it’s dull to watch, or it’s forgotten by the coffee. So judge any idea against these:

• Anyone can have a go within a minute or two, with no experience needed
• It’s as entertaining to watch as it is to do, so a crowd forms
• It produces stories people are still telling in January

The usual ideas, rated against the test

• Casino tables: elegant and social, but watching someone else play blackjack is thin entertainment and it peaks early
• Photo booths: great for ten minutes and the props box, quiet by nine o’clock
• Live band or DJ: essential atmosphere, but it’s a backdrop rather than an activity
• Quiz or awards night: fun once, a hostage situation if it runs long
• Racing simulators: everyone drives, everyone watches, and there’s a winner to crown at the end

That’s our honest read as an entertainment company: the strongest Christmas parties layer one big shared activity over the food, drink and music, and the simulators are that activity.

Why racing simulators pass it

Nobody has to sit out, because a racing simulator needs no experience: our team gets each guest settled in and talks them through the controls, and within a lap they’re chasing a time. Guests race full-size F1-style simulators with force feedback wheels and pro pedals, on any circuit they fancy, Silverstone included.

It’s also a spectator sport, because every lap feeds one live leaderboard on the big screen. The room gathers, names climb and fall, and the last ten minutes before the winner is crowned are usually the loudest of the night.

It scales with your guest list. At a party, where the racing runs alongside a bar, a dance floor and dinner, guests come over in ones and twos across the evening, so two simulators keep a 30 person office party buzzing all night. If you want every guest to drive properly, as the main event rather than one attraction among several, plan closer to one simulator per three or four people.

For bigger nights we can build a grid of up to 16 F1-style simulators plus 2 GT simulators, all racing head to head on one leaderboard, which comfortably entertains several hundred guests. It works wherever your party is, too, because hotels, marquees, offices and showrooms all do the job.

What it looks like on the night

Our team arrives around two hours before your guests, builds the grid and runs the experience all night, coaching nervous first timers, keeping the queue moving, running the format and calling the racing.

Formats flex to your evening: open hot laps work while guests arrive and mingle, a knockout shootout builds the tension between courses, and a team grand prix turns departments into rival race teams. Most parties end with a podium moment for the fastest lap of the night, which makes a better speech slot than most speeches.

Add the Batak reaction board

The Batak board is the reaction test F1 drivers train on. Guests get 30 seconds to hit as many lights as they can, scores go up for the room to beat, and the rematches take care of themselves. It gives the party a second focal point and keeps the competitive energy going between races.

Make it feel like your party

The simulators can carry your brand from seat decals to full wraps, and the leaderboard can carry your company name, team names and event branding on the big screen. It’s the same kit brands like Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 have trusted for their own activations, and a branded rig ends up in the photos people take on the night. See branded simulator hire for what a full wrap looks like.

The practical bit

• Setup takes around two hours and breakdown happens after your event
• A standard 13A socket runs up to two simulators
• Delivery is included within 100 miles of our Silverstone base, with UK wide cover available
• Indoors is best in December: function rooms, hotels, offices and marquees with power all work

When to book a Christmas party simulator

December is the busiest corporate diary of the year and the popular Thursday and Friday dates go first. Most organisers enquire in September and October and confirm by early November. If you already know your date and venue, it costs nothing to check availability now, and it’s the difference between choosing your date and taking what’s left.

Our Christmas party simulator hire page has the December detail.

What it costs

F1-style simulator hire starts at £790 per day and our pricing is published, not hidden. The extras that can appear on a quote are travel beyond the included range, late finishes, extended hours, overnight stays and a £300 surcharge for city-centre venues in London, Manchester and Birmingham, and we’ll tell you about any that apply up front. See our racing simulator hire prices for the full breakdown, or the simulator hire FAQs if you want the detail.

Ready to give the team a Christmas party they’ll actually talk about? Tell us your date, venue and guest count and we’ll come back with a quote within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. Call 01327 856155, or start with our racing simulator hire page.