Busy schedules, technology takeovers, COVID social fallout — it seems like socializing has slipped through the cracks in our hectic lives. If you’re looking for potential icebreaker activities for new friends (or different ways to chill with your besties), consider throwing together a girls’ night! We’ve put together our top affordable ideas for spending quality, in-person time with your gals.
Bonfire
Take advantage of the fall weather and host a bonfire in your yard (or over your kitchen stovetop). To spice it up, have your friends bring an extra ingredient to level up your s’more game (using Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups instead of chocolate may in fact change your life).
Friendship bracelets
This activity can be fun for people with varying craft skills. For those who have never done it before, get some colorful string for a simple knot-tying bracelet. If you’re feeling adventurous, get some charms, bracelet cords, jump rings, scissors, and pliers to make charm bracelets with your pals.
Favorite things party
A favorite things party is essentially a gift swap that highlights the interests of your guests. How it works: set a reasonable budget and have your friends bring multiple of their favorite item. When you all get together, you have the opportunity to share your favorite thing of the year. You can play around with the rules—maybe you choose a specific theme (favorite books, makeup items, etc) or maybe you leave it open-ended–and tweak the budget/amount of gifts each person brings accordingly.
Swap party
Similarly to a favorite things party, a swap party also ends in everyone taking something cute home! The premise is simple: everyone brings things that they don’t use anymore but are still in good condition (typically clothing, but you can get creative with the theme) and then you take turns picking out what you want. For this to work smoothly, it’s a good idea to set rules about how you go about it.
Powerpoint night
Powerpoint night is exactly how it sounds: before you get together, have everyone make a creative slideshow on a topic of their choice. On girls’ night, everyone presents their powerpoint to entertain the other guests. Topics can be anything from “who would survive in the Hunger Games” to “a drunk history lesson on Taylor Swift”. You could turn it into a drinking game (take a shot any time someone says a certain phrase) or designate themes ahead of times. No matter what, it will be entertaining—and you might just learn something.
Here are some examples to get you started:
What's Your Reaction?
