25 Hangouts for You and Your Besties

Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s very hard to come up with things to do with your friends. I have 25 ideas for casual hangouts, birthday parties, holiday parties, and random celebrations with the girlies. These parties/hangouts are perfect for girls ages 10-25 and for groups of 2-15 people.

 Most of these events are cheap or cost free and can be hosted in your own home. Some of these require more planning, but some can be done with short notice. I think all of these ideas would be so much fun, let me know if you host any of them.

​All images are from Pinterest and are not my own.

​Diy Day

This is a party idea for the girls who like to be creative but wouldn’t consider themselves crafty or artsy. Have at least three DIY’s for the day. You can set them up, or have a few of the girls bring them. Have one wearable diy, one so hard it’s funny diy, and one edible diy. You can have more too of course. Some ideas for a wearable craft include, charm necklaces, bracelets (can be beaded, woven, etc), tie dyed anything, earrings, embroidered socks or shirts, and diy hair bows. For ones that are so hard they’re funny you want to go a little more artsy, sculpting, drawing something, painting a bird house, crocheting, whittling, leather craft, macrame and so on. The point is that most of your friends will struggle with it and that’s all part of the fun.
    
As for edible diys things like cookie decorating, cupcake decorating, mini pizza making, or bread animal making are perfect.

​Play a playlist of songs that most of the people coming love so you can all sing along as you craft. For food, serve a bunch of snacky things that people can eat while they craft and have canned soda to drink.

Flower Arranging Party

This is the perfect girly spring party. Buy or pick a bunch of flowers and gather thrifted vases, cheap plastic vases, or have each girl bring her own vase. Then make bouquets, flower crowns, and wreaths. I imagine everyone wearing casual sundresses and soft music playing in the background. Although this party seems spring or summer coded, you can really do it all year. 
  
​ When it comes to food, fresh sandwiches and floral lemonades are perfect, and having dessert with floral flavors or decorations would be amazing.

​Paint Night

This is a tale as old as time girls night, but it’s always a fun one. All you need are a few canvases, paint and brushes and access to YouTube. Pick a painting and follow along, while sipping sparkling juice, and listening to smooth jazz. This is the perfect party to have a charcuterie board instead of dinner.

Cooking Competition

I have personally hosted and attended parties like this many times. Split everyone into teams and have everyone cook a dish. You can style the competition after your favorite food competition show. For Chopped, give each team a bag or basket of random items they have to incorporate into their dish. Or you can simply do a bake off. Designate a few judges and see who wins your competition. Make sure each team makes enough food that everyone, not just the judges, can eat it.

Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt

If you have a local farmers market, you and your friends can create a list of things to “scavenge” at the market. Split into at least 2 teams and make your rounds. You can buy the items, or just take pictures of them. Some items you can look for are, homemade bread, an oddly shaped vegetable, fruit that doesn’t actually grow locally, something that doesn’t look like it’s from a farm, something with a story. 

Mall Scavenger Hunt

The same as a farmer’s market scavenger hunt, except it’s in a mall. With this event you can also convene at the food court and spend some time shopping for fun. The best part is, that the host doesn't have to pay for everything since essentially you are going shopping with your friends. Some ideas for this are something of a specific color, something from a certain country, something with your name in it, size 13 shoes, etc.

Clothing Swap

This idea is super simple, and I don’t know why people don’t do it more often. I read about this in a party book when I was a kid, and have thought about it ever since. Have each guest bring a few clothing pieces and accessories they want to get rid of (they would donate or throw away otherwise). Set up all of the clothes then go “shopping” through each other's rejects. It’s a great way to give your clothes a second life, and to spend less money. Of course, not everyone will fit in every piece, so I would recommend people bring mostly tops and accessories so that everyone can find something. You can also diy some of the pieces by cropping, bedazzling, and sewing decals onto them. Any leftover pieces can be donated to a shelter or other charity at the end of the party.

Universal Book Club

I adore the idea of book clubs, but I don’t have people in my life who want to have one with me. I think the hard part for most people is the commitment to reading a book in a short period of time. And also there is the challenge of picking a book everyone will like. So why not have a universal book club?

​This can be a one time or many time thing where each person brings the book they read most recently and everyone gets to share their book, the plot, what they liked, what they didn’t like. It’s a great way to rant and to be able to get new book recs. You could also do crafts like bookmarks and watch bookish movies (movies about books, not based on a specific book). You can have the classic book club snacks like cookies and cheeseboards, but no one has the stress of finishing a book they don’t like.

Binge Watch Party

Pick a show or movie series, tell everyone to wear PJs, order takeout, and lose yourself to a story for a while. Binging is far more productive when done as a group.

​Fitness Day

I’m not a big fan of working out but I think this party could make me love it. Every girl wears her cutest workout set then you all do a workout together (this can be weightlifting, cardio, pilates, yoga, a run etc). Then make healthy post workout food together (smoothies, salads, protein shakes, energy bites, etc. To make it a full day you can add walks, swims and hikes to your agenda, and you can even visit a healthy cafe or something like that.

​Mocktail Party

Picture this, the lights are dim and jazz is playing. The soft buzz of conversation is mingled with the clinking of glasses. No, it’s not a cocktail party, it’s a mocktail party. Serve three or four fun mocktails and small munchies, invite every guest to wear her classiest outfit, and pretend to be all grown up. This is also a great party for adults avoiding alcohol ;)

​At Home Coffee Shop

I recently heard of this Tik Tok trend, and I want to do it so badly! Set up a “coffee shop” in your home, complete with a drink menu and a few pastries. Buy paper hot cups or plastic cold cups, and have a drop in event with all of your friends. It can be super casual and open to anyone, or it can be a more formal brunch style event with a small guest list. For a spin on the same concept, you and your friends can work together to host an at home coffee shop and then invite your families, coworkers, boyfriends, teammates etc to visit the “shop”.

​Tea Party

When I think of hosting something for my friends, my mind automatically goes to a tea party. I have hosted many of these, and they are simply my favorite. Again, they can range from super casual to super formal. I like to format mine like a traditional afternoon tea with a few types of finger sandwiches, homemade scones (cause I will forever be extra), and a couple of small dessert options. Of course, I put tea in a tea pot, and have china teacups at each place at the table. But you really could just use mugs. I love adding classical music and bookish touches, but it can be super simple. 
    
I have hosted tea parties where I prepare all of the food beforehand, and also where me and my friends make all of the food together. Alternatively you could assign a food item to each friend to bring. Ultimately, as long as it’s girly, and there is hot tea, you’re good to go.

​This is definitely something I would love to write a whole blog post on, so let me know if you're interested!

Photo Schoot

This is a get together that’s better for a small group of girls. Have each girl bring an outfit or two, then spend the afternoon gathering fun props and taking aesthetic and Pinteresty pictures all over the house, neighborhood, or town. This is a great opportunity to experiment and take the pictures you’re always afraid to ask someone else to take. Get aesthetic food and take pictures with it too.

​Talent Show Night

Everybody has some sort of talent. So why not have a talent show night? You can warn your guests beforehand, or have it be a little more impromptu. Have each guest (or group of guests) come up with an act, then perform them for each other. It may be serious, or hilarious.

Back of the Closet Game Night

Game nights are all well and good, but I think the same games get overused all of the time. Ask each of your guests to bring a game from their house that they have never or rarely played before. Then it’s just a normal game night, but with weird and wacky games. This would also be a great party to have potluck style, since everyone is already bringing a game, have each person bring a dish.

​Spa Day

A childhood classic, let's be honest. Have the girls over, do face masks, paint your nails, do hair masks and lip scrubs, braid each other's hair, lay on the floor with cucumbers over your eyes, do your makeup with crazy eyeliner, make diy lip balm with questionable ingredients, eat the leftover cucumbers, drink smoothies, and watch movies that have makeover montages in them.

Pretend Concert

Let’s be honest, it’s hard to go to a concert with all of your friends they can be expensive, not in your city and so on. But why not dress up in the merch for your favorite artists, make signs and bracelets, and then watch recordings of concerts. Some artists have live recordings, or you could find random people’s concert videos. 

​Chasing the Sunrise

Early mornings are an underrated time to hang out with your friends. It’s a time when, if people push themselves they are technically free. Meet friends (or have them sleep over) and go to a pretty spot to watch the sunrise. Bring coffee and pastries, morning devotionals and poetry set in the morning and watch the sunrise. Then once the sun has risen you can go out to breakfast, or head your own ways.

Scrapbook Party

I want everyone to love the things that bring me joy, one of those things being scrapbooks. Host a party to be a scrapbook starting party where each girl brings her own journal and you all make opening spreads and mood boards. Or, if you are already scrapbookers, bring in ephemera and photos and work on your spreads together. It’s only fitting to drink aesthetic coffees and fancy sandwiches.

​Sticker Swap

It’s a truth to be universally acknowledged that most girls have a random collection of stickers they never use. Invite these girls over and trade stickers like you would trade halloween candy. You could also make sticker books, sticker collages, plaster waterbottles, phone cases.

Fake Sick Day

 Being sick sucks, but there is a bit of nostalgia surrounding sick days. So have your friends over for a sick day when you’re not sick. Have everyone wear their comfiest sweat pants and baggiest t-shirts. Have many kinds of juice and juice boxes, homemade soup, and popsicles. Watch movies and stay under blankets. This would be especially fun on a rainy day or a snow day.

​Imaginary Travel Day

Pick a place you and your friends would like to visit, then have a party themed after that country or city. Look up popular foods from that country and cook them or go to restaurants, research popular activities, come up with things to do based on iconic tourist attractions (you could go shopping, to art museums, rock climbing, whatever captures the essence of that destination.), then watch a movie set in that place.

​Study Party

No matter what grade you’re in, whether homeschooled, public schooled, or in college we all have to study (or do school work on our computers). So invite the girls to bring their homework, projects and studying. If it’s a small group you can meet up at a coffee shop, and if it’s a lot of people you can set them up in your home with lots of snacks and lofi music.

Debate Night

This is a spin on a typical game night. Pull random topics out of a hat and have two members of the group debate them. The topics should be super silly like "ethics of sitting on a chair,” “are hotdogs tacos?” or they can be random people or things. Each debater should make up something to argue about that specific topic. Hope that things get silly and heated. It should be a hilarious time.

Let me know what you think! Are you planning on doing any of these? Do you have additional hangout ideas?

Belle Thomas

Belle is the writer and dreamer behind An Old Fashioned Girl. She is passionate about reminding girls of their identity in Christ, classic books, history, Louisa May Alcott, and earl grey tea. ​​​​​​​