Hanukkah is a holiday; a year-end party is a summing-up. At Hanukkah you light candles and eat doughnuts. At the end of the year you stop for a moment, look at what the team did in 12 months, and thank the people who did it. That's why this evening needs fewer activities and more moments. Here are the evenings left in December, 8 ideas for summing up the year, and a schedule for a team of 20 to 50.
The evenings left in December
In 2026 Hanukkah runs from 4 to 12 December. If you want candle lighting, hold the party in Hanukkah week; there's a separate Hanukkah guide for that. For a year-end party without the holiday there are three weeks left, plus one week in January. In Israel the working week runs Sunday to Thursday.
| Week | Midweek evenings | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| After the holiday | Sunday 13 to Thursday 17 December | Teams that want to close the year before people go on holiday |
| Mid-month | Sunday 20 to Thursday 24 December | Companies with teams abroad: the last week everyone is still working |
| The last week | Sunday 27 to Thursday 31 December | A summing-up right at the end. 31 December falls on a Thursday |
| New-year kickoff | Sunday 3 to Thursday 7 January 2027 | Teams that missed December, or want to open the year instead of closing it |
When to book
For a December party, book 4 to 6 weeks ahead. For the week of 13 December that means early November, and for the last week of the year, by mid-November. For a new-year kickoff in January, 3 to 4 weeks is enough.
You don't need an exact headcount to hold a date. A rough number is fine at first, and you update it once the list is final.
8 ideas for summing up the year
1. The year in numbers
One slide with 5 to 8 numbers from the year: new clients, launches, people who joined, coffee drunk in the kitchen. One serious number, one funny one, and so on. A minute and a half on the screen, and everyone sees how much they did.
2. One 5-minute speech
The CEO or team lead speaks once, after everyone has arrived. 5 minutes is enough to sum up the year and say what's next. If there's a second speech, it comes from an employee, not another manager.
3. Thanks by name
Instead of "thanks, everyone", thank people by name, with one sentence on what each did. For a team of 30 that's 6 to 8 minutes, and it's the moment people remember from the night.
4. Project of the year
Each team picks one project it's proud of and shows it in one minute on the screen. Not a work presentation: "what we did and why it was hard".
5. Moments of the year
A short slideshow of photos from the past months: office birthdays, launches, long days. Ask everyone for photos two weeks ahead and have one person put it together.
6. Year-end awards
6 to 10 categories, half serious and half funny, like "the project we never thought would ship" or "line of the year". A host from the team reads them on the microphone, with a small prize for each.
7. 2027 on one screen
Each team sends one slide with one thing it wants to happen next year. Show them all in a row, no explanations, in 5 minutes. The evening ends looking forward.
8. Music at the end
After the speech, the thanks and the awards, the music goes up. At a year-end party with a DJ it becomes a party, and anyone who has to leave can go after the important part.
Evening or lunchtime
An evening after work
3 to 5 hours, from 18:30 or 19:00. For a team that wants to sit, listen and dance.
A long lunch
An event that starts at 12:00 and ends at 16:00, inside the working day. Good for a team with parents of young kids, or when it's hard to get everyone together in the evening. The summing-up works at lunchtime just as well, only without the dance floor.
A 4-hour year-end party schedule
- 19:00 doors open, the bar is running and the buffet is ready
- 19:45 a 5-minute speech, once everyone is in
- 19:50 the buffet, conversation
- 20:40 the year in numbers and each team's project
- 21:00 thanks by name and the year-end awards
- 21:30 2027 on one screen, and the music goes up
- 23:00 finish at the agreed time
The speech comes 45 minutes after the doors open: latecomers don't walk in halfway through, and those who came on time already have a glass in hand. The whole summing-up fits into 50 minutes, and after that the evening belongs to the people.
What to prepare
- Who speaks, and in what order
- The year-in-numbers slide
- One slide from each team, a day ahead
- The list of names for the thanks
- Award categories and prizes
- A playlist or requests for the DJ
A year-end party at Ezra
Summing up a year needs a screen you can read from anywhere in the room, a microphone that reaches the back row, and a bar that keeps working while people speak. At Ezra all three are already in the room: a projector and fold-out screen with a computer connected, two microphones and a PA, and the bar with Ezra's bartenders. The space closes for one company, for teams of 20 to 50.
Next to the bar stands a varied buffet for sharing, all dairy-vegetarian: pizzas from the taboon oven, big salads, breads and dips, and bruschetta trays. There are three tracks, from a 3-hour happy hour to a company party with an open cocktail bar and a DJ, and the free December dates are on the company events page.
The bottom line
After Hanukkah there are three weeks left for a year-end party, 13 to 31 December, plus a week for a new-year kickoff in January. A 4-hour evening built around summing up the year does the job: one short speech, the year in numbers, thanks by name, then music. For December, book 4 to 6 weeks ahead.
Free evenings in December, for teams of 20 to 50
The whole space is yours, projector and microphones in the room, and live date availability.
Company events at Ezra Message us on WhatsAppFrequently asked questions
When do companies hold a year-end party for employees?
Most do it in December. In 2026, after Hanukkah (4 to 12 December), the evenings of 13 to 31 December are left, and 31 December falls on a Thursday. Teams that miss it hold a new-year kickoff in the first week of January.
How far ahead should you book a year-end party?
For December, 4 to 6 weeks ahead, which means early November for mid-month. For a new-year kickoff in January, 3 to 4 weeks is enough.
What do you do at a year-end party for employees?
Sum up the year: one 5-minute speech, a year-in-numbers slide, a minute per team on its project, thanks by name and year-end awards. Then food, conversation and music.
How long is a year-end party?
3 to 5 hours. A 4-hour evening gives about 50 minutes to the summing-up and leaves time for food and an hour of music.
Can you hold a year-end party at lunchtime?
Yes. At Ezra an event runs 3 to 5 hours and slots start as early as 09:00, so a year-end party can be a long lunch inside the working day.