Planning a company Christmas activity in Dublin? A festive treasure hunt gives colleagues something to do together before the dinner, drinks or awards. Instead of spending the afternoon sitting at tables, small teams head into the city with clues, maps and a common challenge. Event Square’s Christmas Treasure Hunt is a three-hour, Dublin-based programme built around riddles, team tasks and a final code that opens Santa’s safe.
It is deliberately screen-light rather than app-led: the emphasis is on talking, observing, navigating and making decisions together. Phones may still be used for team-photo challenges and practical contact with organisers.
What does a corporate Christmas treasure hunt involve?
The idea is simple: meet for a briefing, form teams, follow the clues, collect answers and return for a finale and prize-giving. The festive theme gives the day a shared story without requiring anyone to dress up or perform. It’s useful when a company wants to mix colleagues from different departments, welcome new starters or put some energy into a Christmas get-together.
Event Square’s published programme includes a clue booklet, map, alphabet decoder, team-photo challenges, group activities, planning support and prize-giving. The adventure centres on unlocking Santa’s safe. Its route framework features areas such as Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, the Powerscourt area, Temple Bar, O’Connell Street and Leinster House. These are planning zones, not a promise that every group will enter any building or follow the same route.
Because the programme runs on public streets, good route design matters more than packing in as many landmarks as possible. A short, enjoyable loop with clear meeting instructions usually works better than making every team cross the city in a rush.
Why run it before a Christmas dinner or staff party?
Think about a familiar company Christmas night: colleagues arrive in their existing work groups, find the same people at the bar and spend much of the evening catching up with people they already know. A team challenge changes that starting point. People share a small mission, work with colleagues they might not otherwise meet and have a story to talk about afterwards.
It also gives an event a natural sequence. Rather than booking entertainment to fill every minute of the evening, use the treasure hunt as the active element and let the meal or reception be the relaxed social finish.
For an office or HR organiser, the benefits are practical: one meeting point, a clear briefing, an agreed finish, a scoring mechanism and a reason to bring everybody back together. That is much easier to fit around a restaurant booking than an open-ended city wander.
How to choose the start and finish points in Dublin
Begin with the final venue rather than the first clue. If the company has already booked dinner near Grafton Street, Temple Bar or the south city centre, tell the activity provider. A sensible route can be considered around where people need to end up, subject to the activity design, group size and an agreed proposal.
Ask four questions before confirming:
- Where can everyone meet for the briefing? A private room or suitable indoor space is particularly useful in November and December.
- How far will colleagues walk? Consider mobility, footwear, weather and the amount of time you want participants outdoors.
- Where do teams return? Have one precise finish address and a contact number rather than a vague instruction to meet in the city centre.
- What happens after the finish? Allow for score-checking, toilets, coats, prize-giving and the transition to food or drinks.
Event Square can support the planning of a briefing or finish venue. The Christmas Treasure Hunt product page notes that customised start or end points can involve an additional charge, so flag any special route requirements early.
What timing actually works?
The standard Event Square Christmas Treasure Hunt is presented as a three-hour activity. Do not squeeze the full programme into a spare 45 minutes between a meeting and dinner. If a client has less time, discuss a different format or a specifically redesigned brief rather than assuming all six city zones will fit.
Here is an illustrative afternoon plan for a company that wants dinner afterwards, not a fixed Event Square timetable:
| Time | Illustrative flow | What the organiser checks |
|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | Arrival, team allocation and briefing | Headcount, contact point, route instructions |
| 14:15–16:35 | City clues and team challenges | Check-ins, weather, agreed boundaries |
| 16:35–17:00 | Return, scoring and final code challenge | All teams accounted for |
| 17:00 onwards | Prize-giving and transition to the venue | Coats, dining time and venue arrangements |
The exact schedule needs to be designed around the date, operating conditions, route and the booked venue. Leave a buffer: a restaurant reservation should not depend on the final team completing its last clue at the very last minute.
December weather and accessibility: build the plan around real people
Irish winter weather is not something to ignore. Met Éireann’s rainfall information shows that autumn and winter are among the wetter parts of the year nationally. A rain jacket and suitable shoes are sensible; a dramatic last-minute promise of a guaranteed dry route is not.
For accessibility, ask participants discreetly about relevant needs before choosing a route. Not everyone can stand or walk for the same length of time. Discuss step-free alternatives, a shorter loop, rest stops, indoor waiting options and whether a colleague needs a different way to take part. Aim for fair participation, not identical walking distances.
Busy shopping streets can also change the pace. Set expectations about pedestrian crossings, crowds and respectful public behaviour. A commercial activity should never rely on stopping strangers, blocking entrances or entering an attraction without permission. If an event requires special use of public space, check the relevant Dublin City Council event guidance; do not assume an ordinary walking challenge and a large organised public event have the same requirements.
How do you keep a mixed office group involved?
Make the format welcoming to more than just the fastest walkers. A good festive challenge should reward observation, communication, reasoning and collaboration as well as pace. Team members naturally take different roles: someone spots details, someone keeps the map, someone solves the decoder and someone keeps the group together.
For colleagues who are new to Dublin, avoid turning the event into an unfair local-knowledge test. Good clue instructions should provide the information needed to play. For international teams, give the briefing in clear language and leave time for questions. If photographs are part of the activity, make participation comfortable and respect anyone who does not wish to appear in photos.
What to budget for besides the activity
Ask for a written quote based on the actual group size, date and route requirements. The Event Square activity listing identifies planning, the three-hour programme and prize-giving among its inclusions. It also states that food and beverages, transport and certain custom start or finish arrangements are not automatically included.
For a realistic all-in budget, keep separate lines for the activity, any private meeting room, refreshments, dinner, transport and optional extras. It is better to decide early who is coordinating the restaurant and attendee communications than discover two days before the event that neither has been arranged.
Christmas treasure hunt or indoor games night?
Choose the treasure hunt if your team wants to explore Dublin, break away from desks and spend meaningful time outdoors. Choose an indoor format when your priority is a short post-meeting slot, minimal walking, or a venue where everybody needs to remain in the same room.
For a weatherproof evening, look at The Big Quiz or Event Square’s Murder Mystery. For groups interested in the same clue-solving principle without a festive theme, compare the Code Breaker Treasure Hunt and the Discover Dublin Treasure Hunt.
Questions to send Event Square for a useful proposal
Tell us the date, approximate number of attendees, whether you’re starting from an office or hotel, where dinner is booked, the earliest time people can leave a meeting, and any route or accessibility considerations. If you do not have a venue yet, say so. We can then discuss the practical shape of the day rather than sending a generic list of activities.
Planning a staff Christmas event in Dublin? Explore the Christmas Treasure Hunt or send Event Square your brief. We will confirm the suitable format, inclusions and next steps for your group.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Event Square’s Christmas Treasure Hunt in Dublin?
The published standard programme is three hours, covering the team briefing, clue-based activity and finale. Ask for a tailored recommendation if your diary is shorter.
Is it suitable for a corporate Christmas party?
Yes. It works well as the active part of a staff social before dinner or drinks. Food, drinks and venue arrangements should be confirmed separately in the quote.
Do participants need an app?
The format centres on a printed clue booklet, map, decoder and team tasks rather than everyone following an app. Some challenges may involve team photographs, so it is more accurate to call it screen-light than completely phone-free.
Which parts of Dublin can the route include?
The published route framework includes city-centre zones around Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, the Powerscourt area, Temple Bar, O’Connell Street and Leinster House. The final route and meeting points are confirmed as part of the event plan.
What happens if it rains?
Agree a weather plan in advance, including suitable clothing, briefing location and any changes that are practical for your group. Do not assume a standard outdoor treasure hunt automatically becomes a full indoor event.
Can the activity finish at our restaurant?
Discuss your restaurant location before the route is finalised. Event Square’s listing allows for custom start or end points as an additional arrangement, subject to the agreed plan.
What if some colleagues have limited mobility?
Raise accessibility requirements at enquiry stage so the suitability of the route, the pace and potential adaptations can be considered before booking.
Can colleagues join without taking photographs?
Tell the organiser about any photo-consent preference. Teams can be briefed on respectful participation, and the activity’s exact scoring and alternative arrangements should be agreed beforehand.
