For nine seasons, The Office was primarily shot inside Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office because that was the entire premise of the show; a workplace and those that work there. It was rare when cameras followed the characters outside of work, which is why it was so exciting when it happened for parties or celebrations. However, as a lover of ignoring work, Michael Scott threw plenty of parties in the office to break up the workweek.
With the help of the Party Planning Committee (PPC), the Scranton branch threw some pretty iconic parties. From luaus to bridal parties, the Scranton branch knew how to celebrate small and big occasions, but they weren’t created equally.
Michael’s Luau
In ‘Back From Vacation,’ Michael was back from his winter vacation in Jamacia with Jan. With a few beads in his hair and a Jamaican instrument, Michael wasn’t ready to work. Instead, he asked the PPC to throw a luau for the entire office and warehouse. He expected piña coladas, a firepit, and a good time. Meanwhile, Michael accidentally leaked information about his and Jan’s secret relationship, creating one of Michael and Jan’s best episodes. Since Jan arrived before the party, this luau wasn’t much of a party.
The Lonely Hearts Party
In ‘Blood Drive,’ it’s Valentine’s Day and Michael met an amazing woman who worked on campus at the parking lot blood drive. The problem was that he passed out while giving blood and by the time he woke up, she was gone. As a way to meet her, he threw a Lonely Hearts party in the office and introduced other singletons in the building to join.
It was a great holiday episode but the party wasn’t a success. It showed the workers sitting around and talking awkwardly instead of fullying enjoying themselves like they would at a party.
Dunder Mifflin Birthday Parties
Michael loved throwing birthday parties at the office because it created the illusion that they were a family and celebrating birthdays is what families did. However, Michael couldn’t catch a break because his ideas never translated to the actual parties. Over the years, fans have seen Michael’s birthday at the ice rink, Kelly’s belated birthday party, a day of multiple birthdays because Jim was in charge, and more. They were neverending. The parties were humorous because no one actually wanted to be there, but they weren’t the best when compared to every party.
The Launch Party
In ‘Launch Party,’ Michael was annoyed when corporate threw a launch party for their new Dunder Mifflin website. With Scranton’s former temp, Ryan, at the head of the launch, Michael was annoyed that he wasn’t invited to the extravagant party in New York City.
Instead, Michael decided to throw his own party at the Scranton branch — a better party. This all fell apart when he ordered pizza from the wrong location and kept the delivery man captive until he received the discount he was promised. Although the party was weird because of the hostage situation, it was a hilarious episode.
Erin & Gabe’s Glee Party
One of the saddest things about Erin was exposed in ‘Viewing Party.’ In the episode, Erin and Gabe invited everyone over to Gabe’s apartment and watched the newest episode of Glee. Michael was jealous of everything Gabe had and ruined the party by messing with the cables so that the guests couldn’t watch Glee.
All the while, Erin followed Michael around like a puppy because she wanted Michael to approve of her lifestyle with Gabe. It eventually came out that Erin saw Michael as a father figure. Due to Michael’s jealousy and Erin’s desperation, this was a rather sad party.
Dunder Mifflin’s Halloween Parties
Halloween is one of the office’s favorite holidays. Everyone dresses up in costume for the big day and they get excited for Halloween night. Everything from The Joker to Carrie Bradshaw has been worn and it’s a treat to see.
Due to how hard all the characters go for Halloween, these parties are some of the best in the series. One of the best was the costume contest in season 7.
Jim’s BBQ Party
In season 2’s ‘Email Survailence,’ Jim and Pam’s relationship timeline was heating up. They were still best friends who never crossed boundaries but something changed in this episode.
Jim threw a small barbeque and invited his coworkers to celebrate. Pam happily showed up for the chance to see where Jim lived, while everyone else genuinely looked like they were having fun gaming, mingling, and singing karaoke. Because of how well everyone got along on this night (and because of Pam & Jim’s time together in his house), this was a great party.
Kelly’s Diwali Celebration
In ‘Diwali,’ Kelly and her family were throwing a Diwali celebration and invited her coworkers to come to the party. Most of Kelly’s coworkers were excited to go, meet new people, and learn more about a different culture. And it paid off. Pam found herself on the dancefloor, Michael was inspired by Kelly’s parents and proposed to Carol, and even Angela looked pleased at certain moments. It was because of the holiday’s theatrics and lively setting that made this party episode one of the best.
Dunder Mifflin’s Christmas Parties
Christmas parties are a high priority on Michael Scott’s party list. As hard as the office goes for Halloween, they go harder on Christmas. The branch has had themed Christmas parties, White Elephant Christmas games, and a lot of drunken mishaps. Sure, Michael Scott tends to ruin most Christmas parties but it’s only because he cares so deeply about the party being a success that he goes too far and ruins it. Nevertheless, the drama and jolly holiday spirit make these episodes fun to watch.
Robert California’s House Party
In season 8, Robert California agreed to have the Scranton branch over his extravagant home for a pool party. Seeing how odd Robert could be, no one knew what to expect. Being at his house helped his employees learn more about him that they didn’t know before, however.
With an indoor pool, many of the workers swam and relaxed while Oscar, Toby, Gabe, Ryan, and Jim followed Robert on a tour of his house. The outlandish atmosphere is what made this party a standout.
Toby’s Goodbye Party
Due to Toby’s job in HR, Michael has never been fond of him. A lot of hilarious ‘I hate Toby’ quotes came from Michael’s interactions with him, even at Toby’s going away party. When Toby quit Dunder Mifflin for a new life in Costa Rica, Michael threw Toby and the office a massive party in the parking lot to celebrate Toby’s departure. He had everything from fireworks to a Ferris wheel for the big day. The extravagance of it all (and the hilarity of Toby leaving) made this one of the funniest parties.
Phyllis’ Bridal Shower
As gorgeous as Phyllis’ wedding was, there were also a handful of cringy moments. But before the big day, Michael asked the PPC to throw Phyllis a bachelorette party in the office (during work hours no less).
With the party being thrown in a short amount of time, Jim did what he could and invited a Benjamin Franklin impersonator instead of a stripper. Although some office parties don’t turn out well, Phyllis’ bachelorette party was one of the best parties to watch because of their interactions with a flirty Benjamin Franklin.
All The Weddings
The Office was a show about the workplace, but it was also a show that introduced amazing couples. Phyllis and Bob, Jim and Pam, Angela and Dwight, and Roy and Laura all got married and had their weddings documented.
All of these parties were amazing to see because they got the characters completely out of their comfort zone and into a new environment. Between Kevin’s tissue box shoes at Pam and Jim’s wedding and Michael getting kicked out of Phillys’ wedding, The Office weddings were great parties.
Andy’s Garden Party
When Andy became regional manager, he tried keeping things professional by having a classy garden party on Schrute Farms for his employees. Dwight was ecstatic to have an event on his farm and viewed the garden party as a trial run for future events. Everyone had a great time at the party, but the best part of the episode was how everyone rallied behind Andy when he got into an argument with his parents at the party.
Cocktails At David Wallace’s
One of David Wallace’s best moments was when he held a cocktail party at his house as the newest CFO. Michael accompanied Jan since they were newly dating, and Dwight tagged along. Jim and Karen were also in attendance and people-watched the entire time. David’s cocktail party was great because of how miserable Jan was, how happy Michael was, and how out of touch Dwight was. The array of behaviors made this cocktail party better than the rest.
Cafe Disco
In ‘Cafe Disco,’ Michael created a haven for Dunder Mifflin employees who wanted to dance and have coffee at the same time. The opportunity to dance and have an espresso during one’s break made it possible to have parties every day.
At the end of the episode, the office had a full-on dance party. Andy and Kelly had a dance-off, Jim and Pam almost got married, and Dwight and Phyllis had a full day of bonding. Everyone had fun and didn’t want to leave, making this a great party.
The Wrap Party
The Office’s finale was perfect because it wrapped up many of the ongoing storylines that viewers had been following nine seasons. Since the show was filmed in a mockumentary style, Dunder Mifflin held a wrap party when the PBS documentary aired. It was one of the final moments the original office members had together and it was emotional for the characters as well as the viewers.
Booze Cruise
There aren’t many parties better than the booze cruise. Michael planned a booze cruise as a way to bond with his employees. But when corporate got involved, he turned it into a team-building event. As always, Michael’s plans went awry and it turned into a drunken booze cruise without the team-building exercises. This was an epic party because Michael was acting as the host and the captain, Dwight thought he was steering the ship, and it was an epic episode for Jim and Pam’s relationship.
Michael & Jan’s Dinner party
Diehard fans know there aren’t many parties better than Jan and Michael’s dinner party. The party is so absurd that fans can’t help but want more behind-the-scenes information on how they filmed it. Michael and Jan tried having a civilized dinner party for Jan, Jim, Dwight, Angela, and Andy, but it ended in toxicity. Michael and Jan did nothing but bicker publicly as their relationship broke apart in front of everyone. There were highs, lows, and a broken Dundie. It was the epitome of all parties.
