What to wear to a work Christmas party in Australia, venue by venue

Checked against the sources listed under Further reading on 7 October 2026. Career guides, government pages and venue rules change, so check the venue's own page and any note from your workplace before the day.

In short

• Dress to the invitation's code; if there isn't one, wear smart casual: a midi dress, a jumpsuit, or tailored trousers with a dressy top. Debrett's says to follow whatever code is set (Debrett's). Without one, SEEK pitches a work party at a looser smart casual that still looks professional (SEEK), while the Emily Post Institute says people generally change into dressier clothes for a party away from the office (Emily Post Institute). Those outfits sit between the two.
• Unsure? Ask the organiser or your manager, and lean slightly more polished meanwhile (SEEK).
• The venue can matter as much as the code. Licensed venues can set their own dress standards, for example in NSW (NSW Government) and WA (Government of Western Australia). Bowls clubs may ask for flat soles or bare feet (Bowls WA), and one Sydney charter company rules out stilettos on most of its boats (Sydney Harbour Exclusive).
• Outdoors by day, dress for the sun and heat. Cancer Council recommends covering skin, SPF50+ sunscreen, a broad-brimmed hat, shade and sunglasses (Cancer Council Australia). NSW Health recommends light, loose-fitting clothes in the heat (NSW Health).
• Lean a notch conservative. The Emily Post Institute's reasoning is that it's a business event, so anything too dressy or too revealing reads as poor taste (Emily Post Institute).
• It's still a work event (SEEK). Workplace sexual harassment laws can apply at a work party (Fair Work Ombudsman). The conduct section below is general information, not legal advice.

For a dressier or cocktail-code party, browse the Festive & NYE collection. For smart casual, start with its midi dresses and jumpsuits.

Read the invitation, then the venue

1. Look for a dress code. If there is one, dress to it: Debrett's treats getting it right as a courtesy to your colleagues (Debrett's). Our guide to dress codes explained covers each code, and cocktail attire for women covers the cocktail code.
2. Check where and when it is. Annie Sophia Larkin, an image and style expert quoted in a News Corp Australia article that SEEK republished, says the venue, the time of day, how big the event is and the guest list can all change what smart casual means (SEEK, 2019).
3. Check what the organiser has said. SEEK suggests finding out where the party will be held, at the office or at a venue, and looking for any note about dress from the organiser. If there's nothing, it suggests asking your manager or the organiser rather than following a blanket rule (SEEK).
4. Still unsure? Go slightly more polished. SEEK suggests erring a little smarter until you know what's expected (SEEK). Larkin puts it plainly: it's "better to be overdressed than underdressed" (SEEK, 2019).

On how dressy to go, the sources lean different ways:

Source	What it says
SEEK, on business attire	Sees Christmas parties as mostly relaxed: casual clothes can work, as long as they'd pass at work (SEEK).
SEEK, on smart casual	For drinks or a party with colleagues, a looser smart casual that still reads as professional: a skirt with a flowing top or, for men, a shirt and white sneakers with dark jeans (SEEK).
Emily Post Institute (US)	Away from the office, people generally change into dressier clothes (Emily Post Institute).

What to wear, venue by venue

The outfit ideas are our own suggestions; the venue facts behind them are linked below.

Venue	Outfit ideas	Shoes	Sun and heat
At the office, straight after work	Your work outfit, dressed up a little: earrings, a silky top or a sharper jacket	Your work shoes, or a dressier pair	Indoors
Restaurant or function room	Smart casual, a step up: a midi dress, a jumpsuit, or tailored trousers with a dressy top	Heels, block heels or dressy flats	Indoors, unless you'll be on a terrace
Rooftop bar	A midi or knee-length dress, with a light layer for after dark	Block heels or dressy flats	By day, a broad-brimmed hat and SPF50+, even if it's overcast
Harbour cruise	Loose, easy-moving clothes and a layer you can add or remove	Soft, non-marking soles; no stilettos (check the vessel's rules)	UV reflects off the water: a hat and sunscreen, plus a wind layer
Barefoot bowls	A dress or trousers you can bend and step in comfortably	Flat soles, or bare feet	Outdoors on the green: the full SunSmart kit
Daytime picnic or park	Light colours in loose, natural fabrics	Flats or wedges	Shade, a broad-brimmed hat (not a cap), and avoid the hottest part of the day

At the office, a restaurant or a function room

At your workplace straight after work, the clothes you wore all day are fine, or you can change and dress them up a little (Emily Post Institute). For a restaurant or function room, pitch the outfit as a dressier version of what you'd wear to work.

A blazer earns its place. Larkin notes that it dresses up a plain dress and is easy to slip off once you've settled in (SEEK, 2019).

Rooftop bars and other licensed venues

Licensed venues can set their own dress standards. Two examples:

• In NSW, the liquor regulator says many venues set dress codes, normally in keeping with the style of venue. Its examples are bans on clothing such as thongs or singlets, and on clothes that are dirty or torn. Venues can refuse entry, but not unfairly or in a discriminatory way (NSW Government).
• In WA, a licensee can set reasonable dress standards if they're displayed at each entrance, and can refuse entry or service to anyone who doesn't meet them, or ask them to leave (Government of Western Australia, updated 2026).

Check the venue's website before you choose shoes. If the night involves walking or moving on to another venue, SEEK suggests having a spare layer or another pair of shoes with you (SEEK).

Harbour cruises

Boats have their own footwear rules, so ask the organiser which vessel you'll be on. Two Sydney operators show how much the rules vary:

• Shoes: a sailing operator's guide to company team-building sails asks for soft-soled, non-marking shoes, says hard or high heels can be dangerous on smooth decks, and suggests deck shoes, sneakers or soft-soled sandals (Sydney by Sail, 2013). A charter company allows any shoe except stilettos on most of its boats, and asks guests on superyachts to go shoe-free (Sydney Harbour Exclusive).
• Layers: the same sailing guide notes that it's cooler on the water, and suggests loose clothes in layers you can take off, plus a windproof or waterproof jacket if the weather looks poor (Sydney by Sail, 2013).
• Sun: shade helps, but UV bounces off surfaces, water especially, so don't rely on shade alone (Cancer Council Australia). Bring a hat and sunscreen.

A midi with some movement, or wide-leg trousers, will cope with a breeze better than a short, light skirt.

Barefoot bowls

Bowls WA says social bowls has no clothing requirements, though clubs may ask for flat-soled shoes or bare feet. For corporate bowls, it treats flat soles or bare feet as a must, to protect the green, and it names a Christmas party as one occasion for barefoot bowls (Bowls WA). Clubs say the same: a Ballarat club rules out heels and platforms and plays barefoot bowls outside with limited shelter (City Oval Bowling Club), and a Sydney club asks for flat-soled shoes or bare feet (The Neutral Bay Club).

You'll be bending to bowl, so choose a hem and fit you can move in.

Daytime picnics and outdoor lunches

ABIA's smart-casual advice for wedding guests also suits a daytime party in a park: paler shades for daytime, deeper ones after dark, and flat or wedge shoes on lawn (ABIA Weddings Australia). Larkin also encourages colour at daytime functions (SEEK, 2019).

Heat and sun: dress for an Australian summer

Cancer Council's advice is to use all five SunSmart steps on any day the UV index reaches 3 or more (Cancer Council Australia). The steps (Cancer Council Australia) are:

• Clothes that cover as much of you as possible, like long sleeves. Some fabrics carry a UPF rating.
• Sunscreen rated SPF50 or more, broad-spectrum and water-resistant, applied 20 minutes or more before you go out and again every two hours.
• A hat with a broad brim, or a legionnaire or bucket style. Caps and visors leave too much exposed.
• Shade, alongside the other steps rather than instead of them.
• Wraparound sunglasses that sit close to your face and meet the Australian Standard.

Don't judge the sun by the temperature. Cancer Council says UV can be high on cool, overcast days, and thin cloud lets it through. The Bureau of Meteorology publishes sun protection times for days when UV is expected to hit 3 or more, and the free SunSmart app shows when protection is needed (Cancer Council Australia).

For the heat itself:

• NSW Health recommends light, loose-fitting clothes, staying indoors as much as you can while it's hottest, and drinking water often, even before you feel thirsty (NSW Health).
• City of Sydney suggests light, natural fabrics, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen if you must go out during a heatwave (City of Sydney).

In New Zealand, SunSmart NZ advises protecting skin and eyes between 10am and 4pm from September to April, and all year round on the water (SunSmart NZ).

It's still work: conduct in brief

This is general information, not legal advice.

• The party is part of work. SEEK's advice is that a Christmas party held off-site or after hours is still a work environment (SEEK).
• Harassment laws can apply. Sexual harassment connected with work is against the law. The Fair Work Ombudsman says it can happen outside the workplace and outside work hours where there's still a connection to work, and gives a work party as an example. These laws also require employers to act in advance to stop it happening (Fair Work Ombudsman).
• Work social events show up in the data. In the Australian Human Rights Commission's 2022 national survey, people sexually harassed at work over the past five years were asked where their latest incident happened, and 15% named a work social event (the survey's example is drinks after work) (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2022, pp. 86–87).
• Read what your workplace sends. WorkSafe Victoria advises employers whose functions include alcohol to set out their expectations on drinking and behaviour, and to repeat them before each function, for example by email the week before (WorkSafe Victoria).
• Plan your night. SEEK suggests setting a drinks limit and a home time before you arrive, and keeping conversations professional, without gossip or heated debates (SEEK). Debrett's suggests eating well, going slowly, and having a glass of water between alcoholic drinks (Debrett's).

Where to get help:

• Questions about your rights at work: the Fair Work Infoline is 13 13 94 (Fair Work Ombudsman).
• Support after sexual harassment or assault: 1800RESPECT is free and open 24 hours a day, every day, on 1800 737 732. If you're in danger, call 000 (1800RESPECT).

What to leave at home

• Revealing pieces. SEEK suggests keeping spaghetti straps, singlets, short skirts and tight clothing such as leggings for casual settings (SEEK). Larkin adds midriff tops (SEEK, 2019).
• Very casual pieces, depending on your workplace. SEEK's FAQ lists loud prints and hoodies among things to avoid, though its main guide says whether casual pieces suit depends on the workplace and occasion (SEEK).

What about a party dress? None of the sources we checked sets a hem length for work parties. For smart casual, SEEK steers away from short skirts, so a knee-length or midi dress is the safer reading. For bare arms, SEEK suggests adding a blazer or cardigan to make a sleeveless top look professional (SEEK), and Larkin says a blazer can dress up a plain dress too (SEEK, 2019). Keep a mini, like the long-sleeve style pictured, for a party with a cocktail dress code; our guide to cocktail attire for women covers how the sources differ on length. Long sleeves also add sun cover outdoors (Cancer Council Australia).

Find your Christmas party look

For sequins, shimmer and colour, browse the Festive & NYE collection. If your invitation says cocktail, the Cocktail & Parties collection has midi and mini dresses to suit the code. Going out again on New Year's Eve? Our guide to what to wear on New Year's Eve in Sydney and Melbourne covers long outdoor nights.