8 Brotherhood Event Ideas for Fraternities

Fraternities are always looking for new, fun, and exciting event ideas. University is an adventurous, memorable time during which lifelong friendships are often forged. Brotherhood event ideas foster togetherness, invite participation, and bring excitement into your college experience. Popular event ideas include: back-to-school bash, rush social mixers, escape rooms, formals, chapter Olympics, bad movie nights, sports competitions, and volunteer activities. Guys love to have fun, eat, and be a little crazy. As long as your fraternity enjoys these things and is willing to let loose, any of these event ideas will be a hit.

1. Back-to-School Bash

A back-to-school bash is a beginning-of-the-school-year party that sets the tone for the semesters to come. The classwork is not heavy at this time of year, and everyone is excited to be meeting up with both old and new friends. Encourage each chapter member to be involved in the fun. Some may prefer to have this first party at the chapter house to kick off the year. However, you can also host the party at a unique venue for a twist of scenery. Your fraternity doesn't have to be among the 10 largest fraternities, like Sigma Alpha Epsilon, to have stellar back-to-school bash parties. Combine resources from other fraternities on campus to welcome brothers back to school. The more, the merrier!

2. Rush Social Mixer

A rush social mixer is a party during rush week where recruits visit the fraternity to be evaluated for potential membership. This is a perfect time to partner with a sorority to help young men and women get to know each other. A structured activity is a great way to accomplish this. Team-based games like scavenger hunts, handcuff bowling, or mini golf tournaments are all options for mingling when placing a sorority girl on a team with a fraternity boy. Alternatively, plan a murder mystery night where fraternity brothers and sorority sisters are grouped together to play a murder mystery game. Tip: Encourage themed costumes and have plenty of finger food and drinks available.

3. Visit Quest Room Escape Room

Quest Room is an escape room venue with Hollywood-quality sets and live-action, immersive puzzle games. An escape room is one of the best brotherhood events because it combines adventure, team building, and fun. Quest Room offers many escape room experiences, ranging from spine-chilling horror to mystery and adventure. Quest Room gives you a wide selection of escape games to play. Divide forces with small groups in escape rooms that run during the same time slot, or try an escape room for large groups to get everyone in on the fun. Frat parties are not complete without food! Private parties or groups that book enough escape rooms to reserve the lobby are welcome to bring food. Have a head count of attendees to make sure you book enough space. Fraternity members will do more than create lasting memories together. Participating in a challenging escape room fosters team dynamics, communication, and problem-solving abilities, qualities that will be an asset to your fraternity’s future endeavors. Quest Room also has escape room challenges for beginners who wish to ease into the experience. Get to know the escape room difficulty levels before booking a room.

4. Entire Chapter Olympics

Chapter Olympics are athletic events that foster unity and brotherhood. This competitive event idea is perfect for fraternities, as games are active and promote team building. Common specific "Olympic" events include volleyball, soccer, tug of war, and relay races. If your chapter is in a hot climate, outdoor water games are a perfect way to cool off from the heat. Olympics can include your entire chapter, or expand to include other brothers and chapters to make it a larger event. Chapter Olympics can also be played indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather. Rainy-day Olympic games include activities like table tennis, limbo, paper plate discus throw, egg-and-spoon race, long jump, and balloon volleyball.

5. Formal Events

A formal is a more structured, sophisticated social event organized by a fraternity, typically held once or twice a year. Formals are a perfect way for many chapters to work together as well as brotherhoods to interact with sisterhoods in hosting, planning specific activities, and more. Formals usually have a dress code of either formal or semi-formal attire and are often a more sophisticated event type. Some fraternities enjoy a themed formal event, such as; A Black Tie Affair, in which couples dress in tuxedos and ball gowns. The Great Gatsby, in which couples dress in formal wear from the 1920s and dance to music from that era. A Masquerade Ball encourages couples to dress in fancy masks and beautiful formal clothes. Decade night is a time to dress according to your favorite decade and dance to music from each era.

6. Bad Movie Nights Chapter Parties

Bad movie nights are a time to hang out, relax, and share a few laughs at subpar movies. Guests typically also play games, chat, and snack. Bad movies create a connecting point for people to chill and laugh together. Some fraternities simply plan a movie night where the point is to watch a popular movie. No matter what you choose, plan for plenty of movie theater snacks such as buttery popcorn, M&M's, Sour Patch Kids, and drinks. Most people will want a spot to sit, so provide chairs, couches, or beanbags for a relaxed vibe.

7. Sporting Events

Sporting events are competitive brotherhood activities that give members a chance to participate in a team-building, energetic game. Fraternity leaders often facilitate friendly sporting games such as basketball, baseball, flag football, or soccer. These events can be played at an outdoor green space on campus, a gym, or a park. Games can be played among one fraternity, or one fraternity can play another to strengthen teamwork within the fraternity (united against a common enemy!). Make it a fraternity tradition to host a yearly sporting event. Hold a basketball tournament around March Madness or a flag football game over Super Bowl weekend. Invite a favorite faculty member to either play or referee the games!

8. Community Service Chapter Meetings

Community service is a way to give back by donating your time, energy, and money. Use a portion of your chapter meetings to look outside your group and serve a need in your area. Fraternity members are encouraged to offer suggestions for needs they know of or have seen in the community. Resources are then given toward meeting that need. If the need is manual labor, spend a portion of the next chapter meeting working together.

Celebrate Life Through Your Brotherhood Events

These eight fraternity event ideas will bring joy and laughter, and foster unity among your brotherhood. Focus on the good in each other, and your group will be a hot spot on campus that brothers will want to be a part of. Celebrate all aspects of life through your chosen fraternity events. Whether you are looking for a unique night out at a Quest Room escape room, are ready to laugh with a bad movie night, or love a competitive game of flag football, the sky is the limit!