Open daily | Book in advance to secure your place
Open daily | Book in advance to secure your place
A work night out does not need to revolve around alcohol. Edinburgh has plenty of activities where colleagues can make something, learn a new skill, explore the city or enjoy spending time together.
Choosing an activity rather than organising another trip to the pub can also make your event more inclusive. It works better for colleagues who are driving, pregnant, taking medication, avoiding alcohol for religious or personal reasons, or do not enjoy drinking.
Here are some of the best alcohol-free work night out ideas in Edinburgh, including creative workshops, unusual group experiences and quieter alternatives to competitive team building.
The Chocolatarium offers hands-on chocolate experiences for corporate groups and small teams in Edinburgh city centre.
During the Tour of Chocolate, your team can learn how chocolate is made, create their own chocolate bars and taste chocolate from around the world. It is relaxed enough for colleagues to talk while still giving everyone something enjoyable to do.
Teams that want a more practical workshop can book a truffle-making experience. Colleagues learn how to make, decorate and package their own chocolates, with everything they create available to take home afterwards.
The activities take place indoors and do not require physical fitness, specialist knowledge or artistic ability. We can also accommodate dietary requirements when arranged in advance.
Edinburgh Printmakers offers bespoke group workshops for colleagues who want to try something creative together.
Depending on the workshop arranged, your team may be able to experiment with techniques such as screen printing, letterpress, drypoint or collagraph printing. Everyone can participate at their own level and leave with something they have made themselves.
The workshops suit team away days and workplace wellbeing sessions. They can also be combined with a visit to the galleries, shop or café at Edinburgh Printmakers’ Castle Mills building in Fountainbridge.
This is a good choice for a team that wants a structured activity without competition or pressure to perform.
A private candle-making workshop gives colleagues the chance to experiment with fragrances and learn a practical new skill.
Candle Creations runs private workshops for team events and corporate groups. The experience lasts around two hours, and no previous candle-making experience is required.
It is a particularly good option for a quieter or mixed-personality team. People can chat while they work without feeling pressured to compete, speak in front of the group, or join energetic games.
Everyone finishes the session with handmade candles and wax decorations to take home.
A guided tour of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh offers a calmer alternative to a traditional work night out.
Private group tours last for up to 90 minutes and can be arranged throughout the year during the Garden’s opening hours. A guide introduces the group to seasonal highlights, unusual plants and stories from the Garden’s history.
The minimum charge is equivalent to ten people, making this especially suitable for a small team of around 10 to 12 colleagues.
This is primarily a daytime option, but you could follow it with an early dinner or afternoon tea nearby. As much of the experience takes place outdoors, check the weather forecast and the Garden’s current access information before visiting.
Dynamic Earth is not only for school trips. Its immersive galleries and planetarium can make an interesting team afternoon for adults too.
The experience follows the story of planet Earth through interactive displays, films and simulations. Your team can explore the galleries at its own pace before watching a show in Edinburgh’s planetarium.
This works well for colleagues who would prefer to experience something together without taking part in a workshop or competitive challenge. Its Holyrood location also makes it easy to combine with food elsewhere in the city centre.
Check the current planetarium schedule and opening times before choosing your date.
For something considerably more unusual, Edinburgh Zoo offers a group experience with its Highland cows, Nessie and Thistle.
During the 30-minute experience, your team can meet the cows at their hilltop habitat, learn about them from an expert keeper and help brush and feed them.
The experience accommodates up to 15 participants at a time, making it a memorable choice for a small workplace. You can combine it with a longer visit to the zoo or arrange a meal afterwards.
Bear in mind that Edinburgh Zoo is built on a hill and the experience takes place outdoors. Check the zoo's accessibility requirements before booking.
A corporate volunteering day gives your team time together while also supporting a useful cause.
The Turing Trust refurbishes computers and other technology for reuse. Corporate volunteers may help prepare donated equipment, sort accessories or pack technology for its next destination.
Colleagues do not need advanced technical knowledge. The Trust provides guidance and can adapt tasks to the group.
This is better suited to a daytime team event than an evening out, but it can be particularly rewarding for a business that wants its staff activity to have a practical social and environmental benefit.
The Edinburgh Remakery offers private workshops focused on repairing, reusing, and repurposing everyday items.
Available activities can include practical craft, textiles, bookmaking and repair skills. Some workshops can also be brought to your office or chosen venue.
This is a particularly good match for an environmentally conscious business. Instead of buying more disposable decorations or organising another conventional night out, your team can learn a skill that helps reduce waste.
Workshop choices, group sizes and locations vary, so discuss your requirements directly with the Remakery before deciding on a format.
A private silent disco walking tour turns central Edinburgh into your team’s dance floor.
Everyone receives headphones and follows a host through the city while listening, singing and dancing along to the music. Private corporate tours can be arranged for office parties, team-building events and after-work celebrations.
The activity itself does not depend on alcohol, but it does require enthusiasm and a willingness to look slightly ridiculous in public. It will suit an outgoing team far better than colleagues who prefer a quiet or private activity.
Because the tour takes place outside, comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are essential.
A private guided walk can help even long-term Edinburgh residents discover stories and details they've walked past without noticing.
Your group could explore the Royal Mile, the Old Town or the New Town while learning about Edinburgh’s history, architecture and local characters. A private tour can usually be adapted around your team’s interests, available time and preferred starting point.
This is a simple choice for a mixed team because nobody needs to be creative or competitive. It also gives colleagues something to discuss during a meal or coffee afterwards.
Ask about the pace, route and accessibility before booking, especially if anyone in the team has limited mobility.
If travelling into the city centre is difficult, you can bring an alcohol-free activity to your own office or hired venue.
The Edinburgh Remakery’s mobile workshops can be tailored around subjects such as repair, reuse, waste reduction and sustainable living. This removes the need to coordinate transport and may make the activity easier for colleagues with childcare or other commitments.
A workplace activity can still feel like a proper event. Finish work early, provide good alcohol-free refreshments and give the team uninterrupted time to take part.
Before making a booking, consider what alcohol-free needs to mean for your team.
Some activities do not include alcohol but take place at licensed venues where alcoholic drinks may still be visible or available. That may be perfectly comfortable for some colleagues. For others, particularly those avoiding alcohol for religious reasons or during recovery, a completely alcohol-free environment may be more appropriate.
Ask colleagues privately whether they have any requirements. Nobody should have to explain why they do not drink.
Think about how your colleagues normally spend time together. A sociable team may enjoy making chocolate, candles or prints while they chat. If people prefer a quieter pace, a garden tour, planetarium visit or guided walk gives them something interesting to experience without requiring constant participation.
A silent disco might suit your colleagues who are happy to throw themselves into something energetic and slightly ridiculous. Animal lovers would probably prefer meeting the Highland cows at Edinburgh Zoo, while volunteering or learning repair skills could appeal to a business with strong environmental or community values.
If your team includes a mixture of personalities, avoid activities that put individuals on the spot. Choose something everyone can join at their own pace without having to compete, perform or speak in front of the group.
The best alcohol-free work outings give people something enjoyable to make, explore or experience together. They don't need forced games or a pub visit to help colleagues relax and talk.
Located just off Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, the Chocolatarium offers interactive chocolate experiences for small teams and corporate groups. Colleagues can make their own chocolate creations, discover how chocolate is produced and taste unusual flavours from around the world.
Explore corporate and staff events at the Chocolatarium
For more inspiration, read our guide to team-building ideas in Edinburgh for small teams.
If you are organising a festive event, explore our Christmas party ideas for small teams in Edinburgh
