Looking for a creative way to celebrate your friends by hanging out at home or on the town?
Girls night out (or girls night in) parties are a great way to bond with your closest friends.
They can be something simple that is done indoors, or they can be a whole day or night spent somewhere new.
But what should you do on your next night out or in?
These ideas will make your next or several upcoming gatherings a whole lot of fun.
So, get out there, try something different, and make memories with your best friends!
Girls Night Ideas (for Staying In or Going Out)
1. Christmas Theme Party
Is the holiday season just around the corner? A Christmas theme party is the perfect choice for friend groups of all ages. Decorate your house in your special holiday decorations and lights and spent the night decorating the tree, building gingerbread houses, and online shopping for your relatives. Make it something that can be done all year round by updating it to other holidays, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day.
2. Roaring ‘20s Theme Party
Put on your best Gatsby-inspired clothes and hold a ‘20s theme party at your house or a venue. Play jazz music appropriate for the era, dress in period clothing, drink champagne, and dance the Charleston. There are also art deco style decorations available for you to transfer your party to 100 years ago.
3. 80’s Theme Party
Looking to do something a little more contemporary? Why not update the Gatsby themed party to the ‘80s or even ‘90s? Get your nostalgia rolling by dressing up in over-the-top ‘80s and ‘90s fashions and playing your favorite songs of the time. Whether you lived through the decade or not, these parties are a lot of fun for everyone.
4. Teach Each Other a New Skill
Spend your evening doing something different by learning a new skill together. Do you guys want to start studying a new language, looking to crochet, or think it might be fun to try out the latest video game or dance craze? Why not have a party where everyone can learn as a group?
5. Live Music Performance
If you want to leave the house and spend some time out with your friends, get tickets for a concert or watch a local live band play. There are even a lot of popular music festivals that last for several days. You can make a whole day, night, or week of this event and create lasting memories for you and your friends.
6. Visit a Museum
Do something more academic with your friends by visiting or touring an art, science, or history museum. Choose a large-scale, internationally recognized museum or a smaller, quirkier one that you find online. Either way, going to a museum to learn something new is a great activity for a group to enjoy.
7. Set Up a Fondue Dinner
There are entire restaurants created around serving fondue, but you can also purchase fondue appliances and have the cooking style in your own home. Create cheese or chocolate fondues for people to dip snacks or desserts into. This is also a great idea for both adults and kids’ parties.
8. Wine and Cheese Tasting
Make your evening more sophisticated by testing a bunch of different wines and cheeses. Try ones you never heard of or stick with more familiar brands for everyone in your friend group to try and judge. Also choose which wines go best with which cheeses.
9. Dessert Dinner
Rather than having a large, Thanksgiving-style feast for your friends, how about you spend a whole night trying nothing but desserts? Go to a bunch of restaurants or cook your own pastries at home for you and your friends to try. Take the opportunity to try new-to-you foods.
10. Clothing and Jewelry Swap
This type of party is popular for all groups of women and proves to be an effective bonding experience. Get your friends together with some clothes and jewelry that they do not want anymore. Switch your old clothing with your friends new clothing rather than spending money on shopping trips.
11. Mini Golfing
Take your friends to the nearest mini golf course and have everyone compete for the best putting score. Plenty of mini golfing places also include ice cream and other outdoor or indoor games for guests to enjoy. It is also fun to play mini golf during the day and at night, accommodating many schedules.
12. Pole Dancing Classes
Pole dancing classes are becoming more and more popular. If you have an athletic group of friends that want to learn a new skill, take some classes together. Going to these classes with a group of friends will make everyone more comfortable and will make your girls night out a weekly event.
13. Go to a Sports Game
Is your friend group a bunch of sports fans? If that is the case, then what better place to go than a football, baseball, basketball, or any other sports game? Take your friends to see a local, minor-league team play or go to a larger-scale national game and make a whole day of it.
14. Go to the Movies
Sometimes something as simple as going to the movies is enough for a girls night out. But who says that you need to go to the theater? If you feel like staying in, have a movie marathon indoors with your favorite picks. Turn your evening into a film festival where everyone introduces a new watch.
15. Attend an Opera
Make your evening extra fancy and do something different by going to the opera with your friends. This is a fun evening for friend groups because it gives everyone the chance to dress up and see a show. Whether you are opera fans or not, it will be an experience to remember.
16. Visit an Art Gallery
You don’t have to live in a city to be near an art gallery. Many small towns also have art galleries for the public to come in and view. Galleries are also a lot of fun because the paintings they put up are often for sale, including small, local ones with artwork by up-and-coming artists. Spend a night with your friends and find a new hanging for your home.
17. Go to the Ballet
Similar to the opera, the ballet offers a unique night that is perfectly spent with friends. Anyone who is a dancer or just a fan of dancing will enjoy watching an elaborate ballet with their group of friends. Many small and large cities often put on ballets for the public to view.
18. Eat at a Unique Restaurant
Is there a new themed restaurant nearby that you are dying to try? Has a new place opened that sells food you are unfamiliar with? Why not turn that dining experience into a night out with your friends by having everyone try out the new place with you?
19. Photography Night
Take more professional photos with your more experienced photographer friends or just have on-the-spot photoshoots with your friends around your house or throughout your town. You and your friends can also take turns taking pictures of each other, so everyone gets the perfect shot. These photos will make great mementos and will give you something to post on social media.
20. Create a Book Club
If you are looking for something else to do with a group of friends on a weekly or monthly basis, form a book club. Get together with your friends and select one or several books for each of you to read and discuss. This is a great way for readers to bond and will assist you with your reading list.
21. Get Your Nails Painted
Get your fingernails or toenails painted or get the whole mani-pedi routine with your friends by going to your local salon. If you want to save some money, buy some nail polish at the store, and have people come to your home to paint each other’s nails. Have everyone get the same design or let everyone choose their own design to be painted on their nails.
22. Travel Somewhere New
Make your girls night out a week or a weekend instead by going on a trip together. Look up some fun, nearby towns, or cities that your friends can drive to and book a hotel room or an Airbnb together. Making a weekend out of your trip might be more costly than a night, but it will guarantee you more bonding time with your friends.
23. Fancy Dinner
Splurge a little with your friends by going to a more expensive and fancier restaurant than usual. Eating at these types of restaurants will allow you to taste new foods and drinks and will make the night a standout among other dinners. It will also be fun for your friends to dress up to go out.
24. Go to a Comedy Club
Do you and your friends share the same sense of humor? Then going to a comedy club makes a perfect girls’ night out. If a famous comedian is appearing in your area, you can also get tickets and attend the show to share some laughs.
25. Take a Booze Cruise
If you live nearby a body of water, chances are that there are some booze cruise events for you and your friends to attend. These are nighttime boat rides where they serve drinks and play music. It is like going to a club with your friends, but it is something a little different and more memorable.
26. Attend a Fundraiser or Silent Auction
Is there a local auction or fundraiser occurring? Having your friends host or attend a fundraiser is a great way to give back to the community while having fun. Silent auctions are also a fun activity that you can do among your friends at home with prizes.
27. Play Board Games
As corny as it sounds, board games are a guaranteed source of fun. But you don’t have to just play games from your childhood like Monopoly or Life, there are plenty of more adult party games with trivia and cards available online or in stores for friends to play.
28. Volunteer at an Event or Charity
Spend your night out giving back to the community by volunteering at a local charity or event. If your town is having a local fair, festival, or charity event, you and your friends can spend the whole day or night together by helping out or giving back.
29. Go Swimming
Spend an evening at your friend’s pool or go to a local park with a public pool. Most swimming pools have both indoor and outdoor options for year-round use. This is a great way to spend long, hot summer days while still having a good time with your friends.
30. Visit a Casino
There’s a good chance that there is a casino near where you live. Take your friends to a nearby casino and bet some money, play the slots, and eat and drink. You can also go to an adult arcade if you would rather win tickets for prizes than money.
31. Have Your Palm Read
If your friends want to do something unique, try finding a local psychic who will read your palm and tell you your fortunes. You and your friends can also learn how to do this on your own by looking it up online or buying a book about palm reading.
32. Order Special Cocktails at a Bar
Instead of going to bars and ordering the same drinks, why not try new cocktails that you would not ordinarily try? This can be a fun taste testing game and maybe you will find a new favorite cocktail to order the next time you are out.
33. Listen to Jazz at a Club
Is your friend group big music fans? If so, then why not try a local jazz club where you can listen to live music performances? Listening to jazz live is a special experience compared to other genres, because of its complexity, polyrhythms, and improvisation.
34. Take a Yoga Class
Another popular, weekly excursion that you can do with your friends is go to yoga classes as a group. If your friends are athletic or want to be more flexible, attending yoga classes will help and is also good for your mental wellbeing. You can also watch yoga videos from your own home if you do not want to go to a public class.
35. Go to the Symphony
Looking for something fancy for music lovers to do? Most small and large cities have their own symphony that performs concerts. This special night out will allow you and your friends to dress in their finest while also hearing professionally performed pieces of classical music.
36. Take a Spa Day
Spend a day relaxing by going with your friends to a nearby or more faraway spa. Everyone can get a message, a mud bath, or spend time in a sauna, which are great stress relievers. This option is an especially good idea for groups of friends that have high-stress jobs that need some time off.
37. Binge a Bunch of Restaurants
Rather than spending money on a large meal at a restaurant, go to several and have a different course at each one. Get drinks at one, appetizers at another, entrees at the next one, and follow it up with dessert. This will give everyone a chance to try different, new-to-them restaurants in their area.
38. Go to Karaoke Night
Instead of just going to a bar for drinks, go on their karaoke night with your friends. You will find it not so nerve-wrecking if you perform a song with the help of your friends. Sing along to your favorite songs like no one is watching.
39. Try Some New Foods
Go out to new restaurants or cook them in your own home and have your friends try them. Order something on the menu that you normally would not get or cook something that you have never made before. Have all your friends try this and see what they say about the new experience.
40. Escape Rooms
What are these? They are a new thing at parties based on a game. Lock your friends in a room with only a few clues to let them out and see if they can crack the puzzle. This is a fun activity for large and small groups to do.
41. Take a Cooking Class
Do you and your friends desperately need to learn how to cook new dishes? Have all your friends take a cooking class together for either one night or weekly. This will help you with your culinary skills while spending some time with your group.
42. Walking Food Tour
Go to both well-known and more hideaway places in your city and town by having a walking food tour. You can create your own tour depending on where you live, or, if you are near New York City or another famous location, there’s a good chance that there’s a food tour that your friends can join.
43. Craft Night
Get out all your Pinterest DIY projects for you and your friends to attempt together during a crafting night. Have everyone make the same project together or let everyone do their own craft and see who succeeds and who fails. No matter what the outcome, it’s fun just to try.
44. Go Bowling
Spend a night at your local bowling alley with glow-in-the-dark style bowling. Some bowling places are also open until late so that you can spend hours working on your bowing skills. Bowling is also a great group activity because alleys also serve food and drinks and have arcade games.
45. Breakfast or Brunch Foods
Instead of going out at night, why not have a morning meal together? Have your friends put on their pajamas and make breakfast together or go out to a breakfast diner or a brunch restaurant with your friends. There’s a reason why brunch is such a popular bonding activity.
46. Shopping Spree
What could be more fun than spending the whole day shopping? Go to the largest nearby mall or outlets and go from store to store with your friends. You don’t even have to spend a lot of money, the experience alone is what makes the excursion so much fun.
47. Attend a Play
Whether you are near Broadway or not, chances are there are local plays in your small town or smaller city. Go see an acclaimed musical or dramatic performance with your friends or see a more relaxed local production to cheer on someone you know in the cast.
48. Classic Dance Party
When you hear girls’ night out, you probably think about drinks and dancing. You can go to the club, but you don’t have to leave your house to have a dance party. Have everyone take turns playing their favorite songs and jam out with your best friends.
49. TV Viewing Party
Are your friends currently obsessed with a certain show? Or maybe they have a guilty pleasure show that they like to make fun of? If this is the case have a viewing party with your friends and watch the show together. You can also live tweet your thoughts to get people on social media involved.
50. Baking Party
Instead of cooking a whole meal or small appetizers, try cooking your favorite pastries with your friends. Whether you are an experienced baker or cannot tell one appliance from another, cooking your own desserts is a lot of fun and will make the food taste a lot better.
51. Take an Art Class
If you and your friends are artistic, or want to be, take an art class together. There are also popular wine art classes that combine both painting and drinking to create memorable nights full of laughs. Improve your drawing and painting skills by trying weekly art classes with your friends at local galleries.
52. Create Make-Up Tutorials
Do you and your friends love posting things online? Why not create your own make-up tutorials and post the results on social media? Try out some new makeup products, even the ones that sound kind of strange, and see how they turn out by testing them on you and your friends.
53. Present Wrapping Party
Whether you are wrapping Christmas or birthday party presents, you and your friends can get together to wrap your gifts. Have everyone assigned to do something different so all the packages come out looking great. This is the perfect girls night in idea for around the holidays when you don’t want to do activities that require a lot of money.
54. Run a Race
Is your local park or city hosting a marathon or fun run? Why not attend it with your friends? If you and your friends are athletic, you can all join a local race that you can walk or run together. Paint runs are particularly fun to do with large groups of close friends.
55. Scavenger Hunt Party
Create a long list of things your friends need to find as part of a game. You can host this whole thing within your home or send your friends out on the town or in a store to find all their items. You can also make each successive item have a clue for where to find the next one instead of a list.
56. Have a Tea Party
Pretend that you are a kid again by having your friends have a tea party in the garden or in your home. You can also go to a tea shop if you want to do something outside. Try new tea flavors and old favorites with your friends and dress in your classiest clothes and pearls.
57. Go to a Roller- or Ice-Skating Rink
Similar to bowling alleys, local roller rinks and ice-skating rinks have a lot of other activities, such as arcade games. Rolling and ice skating are particularly fun to do in large groups and do not require as much athleticism as many other sporty activities.
58. Go to an Amusement Park
Spend the whole day screaming at the top of your lunges by riding roller coasters and playing fair games with your group. There might be an amusement park near where you live, or you might have to turn your girls’ day into a whole trip.
59. Go Camping
If you and your friends like to spend time outdoors, what better way to enjoy the wilderness than by camping out? If, however, you aren’t as adventurous as all that, you and your friends can just pitch a tent in your backyard to make things more convenient.
60. Work Out Night
Go to your local gym or stream a bunch of workout videos for you and your friend group to try. This is the perfect go-to if you and your friends want to get in or stay in shape and you can turn it into a weekly excursion.
Wrapping Things Up
Spend your next girls’ night out doing something new with your friends and switch it up every time you go out (or stay in). These ideas are great ways to spend extra time with your friends and will create lasting memories for your group to share.
Are you a student? Looking for a girls night ideas for your sorority? Check out our article on college event ideas on campus.