• 28 games
  • Checked October 2026

Toga Party Games

A mock pentathlon, toga and laurel contests, forum games and feast-table games, with no drinking game among them.

Toga Party Games

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  1. Statue Contest, Judged by Thumbs1. Three or four guests step onto the lawn or the rug as statues.2. The host calls a title for the piece, such as The Discus Thrower, The Orator, The Wounded Hero or Victory. The statues strike the pose and hold it for a count of ten.3. The crowd judges each one with a thumb.4. Nobody is sure today which way a Roman thumb pointed for yes, so the host announces it before the first round. The statue with the most approving thumbs stays on for the next title.Players: 5 to 30. You need: nothing.
  2. What Would Amaze a Roman?1. A table question. Each guest names one ordinary thing from today that they think would most amaze a visitor from ancient Rome.2. Go around once, with one sentence of reasons each.3. No answer may be repeated, so later speakers must think again.4. The table votes by thumbs for the best answer. The winner chooses the next question, such as which Roman habit should come back.Players: 3 to 15. You need: nothing.
  3. Freeze Like a Frieze1. Charades in a frozen picture. Teams of four draw a scene from a hat: a chariot race, a feast, a wedding, a shipwreck, a victory parade.2. Each team has one minute to plan.3. The team lines up side by side, as figures carved along a temple wall, and freezes in the scene.4. The other teams guess what it shows. A point goes to the team that guesses and a point to the frieze.Players: 8 to 20. You need: scenes written on slips, and a hat.

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Mock ancient games 7

  • Chariot Teams of Three 1. A race for teams of three. Two horses stand side by side with a bedsheet looped around both waists, and the driver holds the two ends as reins. 2. Set two chairs ten steps apart as the turning posts. 3. Teams race around the posts at a jog. A Roman race usually ran seven laps, and three are plenty here. 4. A team whose reins are dropped stops until the driver has them again. Swap drivers and race once more. Players: 6 to 15. You need: a bedsheet for each team, and two chairs.
  • Long Jump With a Bottle in Each Hand 1. Ancient long jumpers held hand weights called halteres to carry them farther. Fill two small plastic bottles with water for the weights. 2. Each jumper stands at a line on the grass with a bottle in each hand and jumps forward from two feet, swinging the arms. 3. Mark where the heels land. 4. Every jumper then jumps again with empty hands. The crowd decides whether the weights helped, and the longest jump of either kind wins. Players: 2 to 12. You need: two small plastic bottles of water and something to mark the jumps.
  • Paper Plate Discus, Measured in Sandals 1. The discus, with a paper plate. Mark a throwing line on the lawn. 2. Each thrower has three throws, spinning the plate flat from the hip. 3. As in the ancient contest, only the longest throw counts. Mark it with one of the thrower's own sandals. 4. When everyone has thrown, the farthest sandal wins. A plate that rolls on its edge counts from where it first touched down. Players: 2 to 16. You need: a stack of paper plates.
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Mock ancient games, continued

  • Pentathlon in the Old Order 1. The ancient pentathlon packed five events into one day: a short foot race first, wrestling last, and the javelin, the discus and the long jump in between. Run all five as one scorecard. 2. Use the foot race, the javelin, the discus and the long jump from this list. 3. Finish with thumb wrestling in pairs, the best of three. 4. In each event, score three points for first place, two for second and one for third. The top score is crowned with a wreath of olive leaves, the prize at Olympia. Players: 4 to 16. You need: the things for the other four events, a scorecard and a paper wreath.
  • Race in Armor: Pot Lid and Colander 1. The last foot race of the ancient games was run in armor. Each team has a colander for a helmet and a pot lid for a shield. 2. The first runner puts on the helmet, holds the shield and runs to a marker and back. 3. The armor is handed to the next runner, who must have it on before setting off. 4. A dropped shield or a lost helmet is put right on the spot. The first team with every runner home wins. Players: 6 to 16. You need: a colander and a pot lid for each team, and a marker.
  • Spaghetti Javelin Into the Colander 1. The ancient javelin was thrown for distance and, in a second contest, for accuracy. This is the accuracy contest. Set a colander on a table. 2. Each thrower stands three steps away with five sticks of dry spaghetti. 3. Throw them one at a time, like javelins, so that they land in the colander. 4. Count the sticks that stay in. Tied throwers move back a step and throw again. Sweep up the misses before the next game. Players: 2 to 12. You need: a colander, a table and dry spaghetti.
  • Stadion Dash, One Hand on Your Toga 1. The stadion was the short sprint of the ancient games. Mark a start and a finish about thirty steps apart on grass. 2. Runners race in heats of four, each with one hand holding their toga at the shoulder. 3. A runner who lets go must stop, fix the toga and carry on. 4. Heat winners meet in a final. Anyone who would sooner run barefoot leaves their sandals at the start. Players: 4 to 16. You need: nothing.

Toga and laurel games 7

  • Dress the Senator Relay 1. A dressing relay. Each team chooses one senator, who stands at the far end of the room. A pile at the start holds a sheet, a rope belt, a paper wreath, a rolled paper scroll and a pair of sandals. 2. The first runner carries one thing to the senator and puts it on them. 3. The runner comes back and tags the next. 4. The first senator fully dressed, scroll in hand, reads out the opening line of a speech to stop the clock. Players: 6 to 16. You need: a sheet, a rope belt, a paper wreath, a paper scroll and sandals for each team.
  • The Fastest Bedsheet Wrap, Tested by Ten Jumps 1. A dressing race in pairs. Each pair has one flat bedsheet and four clothespins, and one partner wears the sheet over their clothes. 2. On "go," the dresser wraps, drapes and pins the sheet into a toga. 3. The first pair to finish shouts "done," and the model does ten jumps on the spot. 4. If the toga holds, the pair wins. If it slips, the race goes on until a toga passes the test. Players: 4 to 16. You need: a flat bedsheet and four clothespins for each pair.
  • Freeze Like a Frieze 1. Charades in a frozen picture. Teams of four draw a scene from a hat: a chariot race, a feast, a wedding, a shipwreck, a victory parade. 2. Each team has one minute to plan. 3. The team lines up side by side, as figures carved along a temple wall, and freezes in the scene. 4. The other teams guess what it shows. A point goes to the team that guesses and a point to the frieze. Players: 8 to 20. You need: scenes written on slips, and a hat.
  • Laurels From a Paper Plate 1. A making race. Give each guest a paper plate, green paper, scissors and tape. 2. Guests have three minutes to cut out the middle of the plate and cover the rim with paper leaves. 3. When time is up, the wreaths go on heads. 4. Everyone nods three times and shakes their head three times. A wreath that sheds no leaves is in the final, and the fullest of those wins. Players: 3 to 20. You need: a paper plate, green paper, scissors and tape for each guest.
  • Olive Leaf Ballot for the Best Toga 1. Give each guest three paper leaves with a loop of tape on the back. 2. During the first hour, guests award their leaves by sticking one on the shoulder of any toga they admire: the best drape, the boldest sheet, the cleverest belt. 3. Nobody may award a leaf to their own toga. 4. At the call, everyone counts the leaves on their shoulder. The most leaves earns the wreath, and the title goes to the toga, not to the wearer. Players: 6 to 30. You need: three paper leaves with tape for each guest.
  • Statue Contest, Judged by Thumbs 1. Three or four guests step onto the lawn or the rug as statues. 2. The host calls a title for the piece, such as The Discus Thrower, The Orator, The Wounded Hero or Victory. The statues strike the pose and hold it for a count of ten. 3. The crowd judges each one with a thumb. 4. Nobody is sure today which way a Roman thumb pointed for yes, so the host announces it before the first round. The statue with the most approving thumbs stays on for the next title. Players: 5 to 30. You need: nothing.
  • Wreaths Onto the Column 1. Ring toss, with wreaths for rings. Stand a paper towel tube on a full water bottle to make a column, and set three columns in a row at different distances. 2. Each guest tosses three paper wreaths from a line. 3. The near column scores one, the middle two and the far one three. 4. A wreath must drop over the column and stay there. Play two rounds and add the scores. Players: 2 to 15. You need: three water bottles, three paper towel tubes and three paper wreaths.

Forum games 7

  • A Motto in Made-Up Latin 1. Each guest invents a motto for the party in Latin that is not real Latin, such as "Semper Snackus" or "Veni, Vidi, Napped." 2. Mottoes are written on slips and dropped into a bowl. 3. The host reads each one in a solemn voice, and the table offers a translation. 4. The writer then gives the true meaning. Vote for the motto that should be written over the door. Players: 4 to 20. You need: slips of paper, pens and a bowl.
  • The Emperor Commands 1. The leader-says game, for grown-ups in sheets. One guest is the emperor and stands where everyone can see. 2. Orders that begin "The emperor commands" must be obeyed: adjust your wreath, salute the buffet, strike a noble pose. 3. An order without those words must be ignored. 4. A citizen who obeys a false order, or is slow with a real one, sits down. The last citizen standing is the next emperor. Players: 5 to 30. You need: nothing.
  • Emperor, Gladiator, Lion 1. Rock, paper, scissors with the whole body, in two teams. The emperor stands with arms folded, the gladiator raises a sword arm, and the lion shows its claws and roars. 2. The emperor commands the gladiator, the gladiator beats the lion, and the lion eats the emperor. 3. Each team huddles, agrees on one pose and lines up facing the other. 4. On three, both teams strike the pose. The winning team scores a point. Play to five. Players: 6 to 30. You need: nothing.
  • One Minute Before the Senate 1. A speech contest. Write silly motions on slips, such as "That naps be made a public duty" or "That the couch be declared a province." 2. A speaker draws a motion and has one minute to argue for it, in the grandest style they can manage. 3. The senate listens and may call "hear, hear," and nothing else. 4. After every speech the senate votes with thumbs. The motion with the most thumbs becomes the law of the party. Players: 4 to 20. You need: motions written on slips, and a timer.
  • The Oracle Answers a Different Question 1. Each guest writes a question for the oracle on one slip and, on a second slip, an answer to their own question. 2. Questions go in one bowl and answers in another. 3. A guest draws a question and reads it aloud. The oracle, a guest wrapped in an extra sheet, draws an answer and reads it as prophecy. 4. The question and the answer almost never belong together. The table votes for the best prophecy of the night. Players: 5 to 20. You need: slips of paper, pens, two bowls and an extra sheet.
  • Quiz of the Ancients, Stand If It Is True 1. A true-or-false round. The host reads ten statements about ancient Rome or Greek myths, some of them invented. 2. Guests stand if they believe a statement and stay seated if they do not. 3. The host gives the answer, and everyone who was right takes a paper leaf. 4. After ten statements, the guest with the most leaves is hailed as the scholar of the feast. Players: 4 to 30. You need: ten true-or-false statements and a pile of paper leaves.
  • Roman Numeral Bingo 1. Bingo, with the calls in Roman numerals. Give each guest a bingo card with the numbers 1 to 50, or have them draw a grid of nine numbers. 2. The caller holds up each number written in Roman numerals and says only its letters, such as "X, L, I, I" for 42. 3. Guests work it out and cover the number. I is 1, V is 5, X is 10 and L is 50, and a smaller letter before a larger one is taken away. 4. The first full line wins, and the winner reads the line back in Roman numerals. Players: 3 to 30. You need: bingo cards or paper, pens and the numbers 1 to 50 written in Roman numerals.

Feast-table games 7

  • Hail, Neighbor: Pass the Wreath 1. A closing round. One wreath goes around the table. 2. The guest holding it places it on the head of the neighbor to the left and hails them in the grand style for something true, such as "Hail, Dana, bringer of the good bread." 3. The neighbor takes the wreath off and does the same for the next guest. 4. Keep each hail to one line. The round ends when the wreath is back with the host. Players: 4 to 20. You need: a wreath.
  • How Many Grapes on the Bunch? 1. Hold up the biggest bunch of grapes on the table. 2. Every guest writes down how many grapes are on it. 3. The bunch goes around, and each guest picks off five at a time while the table counts aloud. 4. The closest guess wins the wreath for the next course. The grapes are passed and shared, and nobody eats against a clock. Players: 4 to 20. You need: a large bunch of grapes, paper and pens.
  • Name One or Pass the Grapes 1. A category round at the table. A bunch of grapes starts with the host, who names a category: gods and heroes of myth, things in a Roman kitchen, words that came from Latin. 2. Each guest in turn names one thing in the category, takes a grape and passes the bunch. 3. No answer may be used twice. 4. A guest who is stuck for a count of five passes the bunch without taking a grape, and chooses the next category. Players: 4 to 15. You need: a bunch of grapes.
  • Table Mosaic in Five Minutes 1. A building race between tables. Give each table a sheet of dark paper, a glue stick and a pile of small paper squares in four colors. 2. The host names a subject fit for a villa floor: a fish, a dog, a ship or a face. 3. Tables have five minutes to lay a mosaic of it, one square at a time. 4. Hold the mosaics up side by side. The other tables vote, and no table may vote for its own. Players: 4 to 20. You need: dark paper, a glue stick and small paper squares in four colors for each table.
  • Two Grapes Cross the Table on Spoons 1. A passing game with no clock. Every guest at the table holds a spoon. 2. One grape starts with the host and goes around to the left, tipped from spoon to spoon. A second grape starts at the same moment and goes to the right. 3. Somewhere around the table the two must cross, at a guest who holds a second spoon for a moment. 4. The table wins if both grapes get home without touching a hand. A dropped grape starts again from the host. Players: 5 to 15. You need: a spoon for each guest, one spare spoon and a few grapes.
  • What Would Amaze a Roman? 1. A table question. Each guest names one ordinary thing from today that they think would most amaze a visitor from ancient Rome. 2. Go around once, with one sentence of reasons each. 3. No answer may be repeated, so later speakers must think again. 4. The table votes by thumbs for the best answer. The winner chooses the next question, such as which Roman habit should come back. Players: 3 to 15. You need: nothing.
  • Which God Am I? 1. The name-on-your-back game, with figures from Greek and Roman myth. Write names such as Zeus, Athena, Neptune, Cupid, Medusa, Hercules and Pegasus on sticky notes. 2. Stick one on each guest's back without showing it. 3. Guests ask each other questions that can be answered yes or no, one question to a person. 4. A guest who works out the name moves the note to the front and keeps answering questions for the others. Players: 5 to 30. You need: sticky notes and a pen.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions for a toga party of adults. The wording and the player counts are ours. No game involves alcohol, nothing is staked and no food is eaten against a clock. What the toga was, the events of the ancient pentathlon, the race in armor, the olive wreath, the laps of a Roman chariot race, the Roman thumb and the Roman numerals were checked on 10 October 2026 against these Wikipedia articles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Toga, Toga party, Ancient Olympic pentathlon, Ancient Olympic Games, Chariot racing, Pollice verso, Roman numerals. Licence: own work

How it works

Each of these toga party games uses the theme: a bedsheet, a wreath, a discus, a speech to the senate or a bunch of grapes. The grapes are passed around, never raced.

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A running order for the evening

1. As guests arrive: Olive Leaf Ballot for the Best Toga. 2. On the lawn while it is light: Paper Plate Discus, Measured in Sandals and Chariot Teams of Three. 3. Before the food: Statue Contest, Judged by Thumbs. 4. At the table: Name One or Pass the Grapes. 5. To close: Hail, Neighbor: Pass the Wreath.

Greek or Roman?

Both. The toga was Roman, a draped cloth 12 to 20 feet long. The athletic events here come from the ancient Greek games at Olympia, where the prize was a wreath of olive leaves.

  • Hand out clothespins at the door. A toga that stays up plays more games.

Questions and answers

What games do you play at a toga party?

Contests that fit the costume: a bedsheet wrapping race, a statue contest judged by thumbs, a mock pentathlon on the lawn, one-minute speeches to the senate and Roman Numeral Bingo. Six of the seven feast-table games are played sitting down.

How do you make a toga for a toga party?

Use a flat bedsheet over your clothes: wrap it around the body, bring the end over one shoulder and pin it. The Fastest Bedsheet Wrap, Tested by Ten Jumps makes a race of it, with a partner and four clothespins.

What toga party games can you play indoors?

22 of the 28 work in a living room or a hall, among them Spaghetti Javelin Into the Colander, Wreaths Onto the Column, The Emperor Commands and every feast-table game. The other six, all from the mock ancient games, need a lawn.

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