The best holiday party photo booth ideas mix a festive backdrop (a gingerbread village, silver snowflakes or a black sparkle wall), props your team will actually wear, a print designed with your company’s name and a keepsake guests take home, like a ceramic ornament printed live. Book early: in Metro Vancouver, November and December holiday dates fill 2 to 3 months ahead.
Every December we pack the booth into ballrooms, breweries and office lobbies across Metro Vancouver for holiday parties. Some booths get a polite line at 8 pm and then sit empty. Others are the reason people stay late. The difference is almost never the camera. It’s the scene, the props, the timing and what people walk away with.
Here are twelve ideas we’ve seen work at real parties, from Planview’s gingerbread night to Collabware’s silver snowflakes.
1 to 4: Pick a scene, not just a backdrop
1. Go full gingerbread village
A painted scene turns the booth into a place, not a wall. At Planview’s 2025 party, guests posed inside a gingerbread village, and the photos looked like holiday cards. Our holiday scenes like Christmas Village and Christmas Dream are a special 10 x 10 ft size, so leave a little more floor space for them.
2. Keep it sleek with silver snowflakes
Not every office wants candy canes. Collabware’s annual Christmas party used a silver snowflake backdrop with an evergreen and gold print, festive without being loud. It suits a hotel ballroom or a client-facing party.
3. Black sparkle for the after-dark crowd
A black sequin wall reads as “holiday” the moment the lights go down and works for New Year’s parties too. It’s what we used for the ASE & SWE holiday lunch and the Grand Villa Casino holiday party, and it photographs well with any dress code.
4. Match the scene to the room
Look at your venue first. A dark, moody room loves sparkle; a bright atrium loves a painted scene. Browse all of them on our backdrops page, filter by Holidays, and save your favourites.
dress the part5 to 7: Props people actually wear
5. Lean into the ugly sweater
If your party has a sweater theme, the booth is where that effort pays off. Groups in matching knits make the best prints of the night. Put a reminder in the invite.
6. Swap generic props for festive ones
Santa hats, antlers and oversized glasses get picked up far more than speech-bubble signs. Every rental comes with a curated prop box; tell us your theme when you book so we can plan around it.
7. Write your own signs
Inside jokes beat stock phrases. “I survived Q4”, your team name, the project that finally shipped. Print a few on card stock and leave them on the prop table: they end up in the funniest photos of the night.
8 to 10: Brand it without making it feel like work
8. Design a print with your name on it
Every print can carry your company name, logo, party name and date in your colours. It’s the difference between a fun photo and a photo people pin to their desk. We design it with you before the party.
9. Add a hashtag guests will use
Put it on the print and the sharing screen. Guests get their photos by QR code or email on the spot, so they can post before the night is over.
10. Use the gallery after the party
You get a full online gallery after the event. It’s ready-made content for your internal newsletter, your careers page and next year’s invite. Planning a branded event beyond the holidays? See how we do it on our corporate page.
take it home11 and 12: Give them something to keep
11. Print a real ornament
Our Souvenir Station is an add-on to the photo booth: guests pick their favourite booth photo on a touchscreen kiosk, choose a keepsake and it’s UV-printed live in about two minutes. For the holidays, the ceramic ornament is the one people hang on the tree. Magnets, coasters and keychains work well too. (It prints from booth photos, so it isn’t available with the 360 Video Booth.)
12. Time the booth around the program
Open the booth as people arrive, keep it running through dinner if you can, and plan for a second wave after speeches and awards. That’s when the big group shots happen. Most events book 2 to 4 hours, and there’s no maximum.
This season: holiday bookings get 20% off. Ask for it when you check your date.
Which booth works best for a holiday party?
For most office parties we recommend the Open-Air booth. It has a real DSLR and studio lighting, fits up to 12 people in one shot, prints on the spot and has a pro attendant running it all night. Want something that feels like a red carpet? The 360 Video Booth makes slow-mo clips for groups of up to 10. Short on space? The Selfie Station fits in 6 x 6 ft. Not sure? Compare them in our booth guide.
Holiday party photo booth FAQ
How early should we book a photo booth for a holiday party in Vancouver?
Book 2 to 3 months ahead for November and December dates, and earlier for Friday and Saturday nights in early to mid December. Checking your date is free and doesn’t need a deposit.
How much space does a holiday photo booth need?
The Open-Air booth needs about 8 x 8 ft and an outlet within 20 ft. Our big holiday scenes are 10 x 10 ft, so plan a little more room for those. The 360 Video Booth needs about 10 x 10 ft and the Selfie Station about 6 x 6 ft.
Can the photo booth prints have our company logo?
Yes. We design a custom print template with your logo, colours, party name and date before the event, and the same design appears on the digital copies guests share.
Do you travel to holiday parties outside Vancouver?
Travel is free anywhere in Metro Vancouver, including Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, the North Shore and Langley. Beyond that, for example Abbotsford, Squamish or Whistler, we quote a flat travel fee based on distance.
What is a good holiday party favour for employees?
A keepsake with their own photo on it. With the Souvenir Station add-on, guests print their booth photo onto a ceramic ornament, magnet, coaster or keychain at the party, in about two minutes each.
Let’s make it picture perfect
Holiday dates in November and December go first. Send us your party date and venue and we’ll confirm availability and a quote.
Check my date Or call or text 778-654-9344 · Checking your date is free.
