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It’s important for employers to avoid requiring or pressuring employees to participate in events outside of work hours, as it can harm morale and raise legal concerns if it’s seen as unpaid work. Employers should clearly distinguish between social opportunities and work requirements. For example, in Ontario, the ability to disconnect from work is required for workplaces with 25 or more employees.
Given that you are concerned about perception, an alternative is that you can politely tell your manager that you are unavailable during this time because of a prior personal commitment and are unable to support out-of-office-hour requests in the future.