Why go out with the girls when you can just stay in?
There's plenty of fun to be had right in your living room — with the added benefit of saving a few bucks and a few hours getting ready.
A night in just might be the perfect solution when going out isn't in the cards.
Whether you've had a stressful week at work, or you need to gather your friends in a private space for some relationship advice, a girls' night at home is the best way to spend quality time with your besties.
But you may be at a loss for what to do on a girls’ night in, especially if the last time you had a sleepover was in high school.
How to Plan a Girl Night
Before we dive into the ideas, let's go over a few things you might consider in the planning stage of your girl's night in.
After all, you want this to be a memorable, fun, and successful night for everyone, so it's worth a little effort — but not too much.
- Match your guest list to your plans. If you plan a wine tasting but you have some non-drinking friends, you may want to put them on your invite list for a different event. Or at least give them a heads up and let them choose whether or not to attend.
- Design some fun invitations. You can go on Canva and create your own personalized invites that match the theme of your get-together. Canva has some beautiful invitation templates if you get stuck for ideas. Just design, print, and mail — all from the comfort of home.
- Ask guests to dress based on the theme. A spa party? Come in your bathrobe and slippers. A 90s makeover? Wear your best throwback outfit. You can even have a contest for the best outfit.
- Don't forget the music. Create a playlist that also matches the theme of the night. Heavy metal may not work for a wine and cheese tasting — but it might for an abstract art evening.
- Assign a couple of photographers. Ask one or two of your friends to be the photographers for the night. You'll be busy hosting, so ensure that someone else captures all of the fun and shares the images on social media or among the attendees.
- Have fun and relax. These are your girlfriends — not your boss and co-workers or judgey neighbors. It doesn't have to be perfect, and you don't have to miss out because you're so busy tending to guests. Let yourself enjoy this great night with your besties.
To help you plan your agenda, we’ve gathered together 33 girls’ night at home ideas to enjoy along with a glass of your favorite Pinot Grigio.
33 Fun Girls' Night In Ideas
1. Wine and Cheese Tasting
Speaking of Pinot Grigio, go all out with a fancy wine and cheese tasting. Have each of your friends bring their favorite bottle of wine or block of cheese and create your charcuterie boards.
For any vegan friends, replace the cheese with a yummy hummus spread and some in-season local veggies.
You’ll end the night with stomachs and hearts full, not to mention an aesthetically pleasing photo for your Instagram feed.
2. Saturday Morning on a Saturday Night
All of the best girls’ night activities include something yummy to eat, and who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?
Put on your favorite set of PJs and invite the girls over for a night of pancakes, bacon, and mimosas.
When you and your girls are finished cooking, gather around the TV and throw on an old Saturday morning classic like Tom and Jerry or Scooby-Doo for a dose of nostalgia.
3. Have a Tea Party
If you don’t want to go out but you’re still looking for an excuse to wear that new dress you bought, have a tea party!
Clean out that teapot you’ve been using as a flower vase and fill it with some Earl Grey.
While you and your friends bake scones and assemble finger sandwiches, put on some classical music to feel even fancier. Also, don’t forget, pinkies out!
4. Nostalgic Movie Marathon
Whether you grew up on scary horror flicks, sports films, or John Hughes movies, thanks to Netflix you can always relive your childhood with close friends, new or old.
Have each of your girlfriends pick out their favorite childhood or teenage movie and put together your queue. Here are a few examples of some great movies, no matter your age:
5. Jane Austen Book Club
Take a page out of another classic girl’s night movie and host a Jane Austen Book Club.
Maybe you read them in high school or skipped straight to SparkNotes, but it’s never too late to revisit a classic.
Luckily for you, Miss Jane wrote enough books to turn a one-time Girls Night into a monthly get together.
If you’d rather skip the homework assignment, the 1995 BBC classic miniseries Pride and Prejudice is a great way to travel back in time and vicariously live out one of the world's greatest romances.
6. YouTube Yoga
Staying fit and finding your inner peace can sometimes cost up to $20 for a walk-in class, while monthly memberships are costly as well and can be hard to keep up with.
Fortunately, there's a wealth of guidance available to you on YouTube, from beginner to advanced yoga workouts and meditation practices.
Put on leggings or a pair of sweatpants, and invite a few friends over for a fun and mindful night in.
Don’t forget your yoga mat or a towel and a bottle of water to stay hydrated.
7. Game Night
Still haven’t found the right girls’ night activities? There’s nothing wrong with a classic. A games night might just be the perfect thing, and there is no shortage of options.
Play on your phones in a battle of the wits with a game like Quiplash, available through Jackbox Games. A few rounds of Cards Against Humanity will get you cracking up, while a board game like Clue will bring out your competitive side.
If you love to role play, roll the dice and try Dungeons and Dragons. While the rules are complex and may require some research, one campaign will keep you entertained for hours or even days!
8. Create Your Own Abstract Art
There is no limit of things you can do with a few tubes of paint and a stack of construction paper. You can build a sculpture out of modge podge and crumpled paper, or paint an abstract portrait of each other.
At the end of the night, turn your living room into a museum and display your crazy masterpieces or beautiful disasters. Want to share your art with the world? Go live on Instagram and take turns being a digital museum tour guide.
9. 90s Makeovers
If you’ve been paying attention to fashion, the nineties are back! While fanny packs and chokers have made a comeback, makeup trends from the era have stayed rightly put.
That doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself a good laugh by revisiting iconic looks. Bring out your old hair crimper, a few butterfly clips, and a tube of foundation that’s three shades too light, and take some photos on a disposable camera.
Who knows, maybe that blue eyeshadow and lipliner still work for you!
10. Great Girls' Night Bake Off
There’s nothing quite like baking the perfect cookie or cake from scratch. While baking can be a complicated science, you can make things a little easier by inviting your friends over to help.
Use up your browning bananas to make a loaf of delicious banana bread, or buy a yummy mix from the grocery store.
Get inspired by the Great British Baking Show and turn your activity into a competition. When you’ve finished selecting a winner, donate any leftover goods to a local food bank or homeless shelter.
11. Spa Party
A trip to the spa can be quite expensive. You can get all the benefits of a day spa right in your own home with the help of a few of your closest girlfriends and a sheet mask or two.
Here are a few spa party girls’ night activities to try:
12. Make a Fort
You’re never too old to be a kid again. Turn your girls night in into a slumber party by turning a few blankets, pillows, and your dining room chairs into a massive fort.
Tell scary stories or play a game of Never Have I Ever, and you’ll feel like you’re right back in middle school.
13. Feed the Birds
It’ll just cost you just a tuppence to up your craft game and give back to Mother Earth.
Don’t just feed yourselves on girls' night, but feed the birds too by making a cute bird feeder that will turn your backyard into an aviary.
Venture into the wilderness to collect a few pine cones, then bring your goods to girls' night along with some peanut butter and birdseed.
Hang your creation with some string from a tree branch or window and watch as the birds (and maybe a squirrel or two) flock to your feeder.
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14. Ice Cream Bar
A night in is never complete without a delicious diet-breaking dessert. Everyone likes their ice cream sundaes a little differently, so gather a few different flavors and lots of toppings for a make-your-own ice cream bar.
15. Go Camping
Just because you aren’t having a night on the town, doesn’t mean you can’t break out of your house.
Set up a tent or some blankets in your backyard, plus a couple of flashlights, for a good old-fashioned backyard campout. If you don’t have a backyard, camping in your living room can be just as fun.
Turn on a sound machine with a few owl hoots or a midnight rain to make the experience even more real.
16. Kitchen Dance Party
There’s no better way to let off some steam than to dance it out. Curate a perfect playlist and invite some friends over to dance the night away in your kitchen.
Make a signature cocktail for the evening and turn off the lights to feel like you’re in a nightclub without dropping cash on a cover charge.
17. Cook for A Local Charity
Get your girls together and do some good for your local community by cooking for a food bank or homeless shelter.
Call ahead to see what they might need and make a run to the store to get your ingredients. A few hours and a couple of casseroles can do a lot of good.
18. Clothing and Makeup Swap Session
Have nothing to wear on a night out? Have a night in and set up a clothing swap with your closest gal pals.
You might end the night with a cute new dress or an eyeshadow palette that you’ve been coveting. One girl’s laundry day outfit could be another one’s outfit of the day.
19. Karaoke
Hate the second-hand embarrassment that comes with a stranger’s drunken rendition of “My Heart Will Go On?”
Then take advantage of YouTube’s breadth of instrumental versions of your favorite songs and host a karaoke night in your living room.
Don’t worry if you still need a little liquid courage to take the mic. Karaoke is the perfect way to have fun and live out all of your American Idol dreams.
20. Build a Photo Booth and Have a Photoshoot
No one has to know you stayed in if you don’t want them to. Get crafty and set up a cute photo booth with just a few supplies.
Tack some beautiful fake flowers to your wall, string up some lights, and get a fun prop or two, and you’ve got the perfect background for a fun photoshoot for you and your girls.
At the end of the night, you’ll have more than one cute photo to post to your Instagram.
21. Learn a Dance
Go viral on TikTok by learning the popular dances that originated on the app, or tap into your nostalgia by learning the choreography to a classic music video like TLC’s “Waterfalls.”
Dancing can be a great way to relieve some stress and have fun with your girlfriends. You don’t have to be a trained ballerina to learn a fun dance and get your groove on.
After you’re night in, you’ll have an awesome routine to show off on the dance floor at your next party.
22. Put on a Play
Tickets to the theatre can be hard to come by, but there are tons of free PDFs of classic plays online. Cast each of your friends in a role, pour a glass of wine or two, and let the fun commence.
You can choose a dramatic Greek tragedy or a Shakespearean comedy to live out your Broadway dreams or go all out and stage a whole musical. There are no limits to pretending!
23. Adult Coloring Books
Before your friends come over, stop by the store and pick up a few coloring books or download some free pages online.
Coloring can be quite therapeutic and is a perfect, relaxing way to spend an evening. By the end of the night, you’ll have some beautiful art to hang on the fridge or to gift a friend.
24. Repurpose Old Clothes
Do you have a pair of jeans to get rid of or an old dress that doesn’t fit anymore? Pull out the sewing kit your mom gave you three birthdays ago, and turn the old into something new.
There are plenty of great tutorials online for repurposing old clothes. For example, grab an old hoodie and cut it in half to make a cute co-ord or turn a big button-down into a trendy dress.
25. Become Astrologers
Learn everything about yourself and your best friends by finding out their astrological sign. Go online and fill out a free natal chart to get an in-depth reading.
Nothing says friendship like learning your deepest secrets from a website. If you don’t believe in astrology, it can still be a fun way to get to know each other (and you are probably a Capricorn).
26. Cards and Cosmos
What could be easier? A few decks of cards, some tasty apps to soak up the alcohol, and a few pitchers of Cosmopolitans to sip while you play. Break up into teams of two or four and spend the evening having some retro fun a la the 60's. (Beehives and pearls anyone?)
Whether it's Bridge, Hearts, Spades, or any of the dozens of card games you can play with traditional cards, you will find yourselves enjoying the evening more as the Cosmo pitchers empty!
27. Create Vision Boards
Why not help your friends reach their goals? A vision board party is the perfect girl's night in plan for socializing and dreaming.
Gather poster board (one for each guest), a stack of old magazines, scissors, glue, stickers, markers, and any other embellishments you might want to use. You can ask your guests to bring some supplies as well.
Throw in some pizzas and a few bottles of wine, and have fun creating vision boards.
28. Tarot Card or Psychic Readings
Is there a reputable card reader or psychic in your area? Ask your girlfriends to chip in to hire one for an evening of insights and revelations. Dim the lights, light some candles, and make some supernatural cocktails.
These readings are a great idea for a smaller group gathering so everyone gets a chance to learn more about themselves. Even if you don't believe in supernatural or psychic powers, it will still be a fun and entertaining night.
29. Make It a Sleepover
BYOSB: Bring your own sleeping bag. That's what makes this idea so much fun. Remember when you were a kid, and you had your best friends at your house for a sleepover? You're never too old for a pajama party.
Your friends have to show up wearing their PJs, slippers, and no makeup. Listen to music, watch movies, bake a batch of cookies, and forget you're adults for a night (without mom or dad telling you it's time for bed). Don't forget the coffee and doughnuts for breakfast!
30. Play With Clay
You’ve probably heard of painting parties, but have you ever considered inviting the ladies over to play with clay?
Multiple types are available at hobby shops. Go with colored clay or get the gray stuff and paint your creations after they’re burnished. Just be sure to pick a brand that can be “baked” in a regular oven and doesn’t need a kiln (unless you have one lying around).
Don’t know how to make anything? Look up tutorials on YouTube.
If you want to go above and beyond, consider renting a potter’s wheel and have a “Demi Moore in Ghost” competition!
31. Go to a Male Strip Club
Get your “Magic Mike” on and head to a male strip joint with your girls. Believe it or not, many places do full-on productions, and being in a room packed with joyfully screaming women letting their hair down can be a huge stress reliever.
But ladies: The men are not meat! They also deserve every respect. So don’t get too wild and cross the line — you may get thrown out.
32. Get an Airbnb for a Weekend
Save on gas and rent a local Airbnb for a night or two. If you want to give your brains a true break and bond like it’s 1976, agree to turn off your phones for 99% of the time. Instead, bring board games, journals, and books. Meditate and do yoga as a crew.
Spend time enjoying question games, chatting about deep topics, trying new recipes, and going on walks. Time away from the screen during the day is well spent. And instead of turning to your phones at night, do a streaming mini-marathon.
33. Have a Tattoo Party
You needn’t go to a parlor for ink. Many body artists do house calls. So why not gather the girls for a tattoo party!?
Understand, however, that you probably won’t be able to get elaborate designs. House-call tattoos are of the smaller variety, and you may be confined to a limited color palette.
If you go this route, make sure to check the credentials of the artist. Go the extra mile and look them up, don’t just trust what they say. The last thing you need is an incompetent practitioner with the power to spread disease via dirty tools.
What To Do on a Girl’s Night With Mom
Instead of kicking back with friends, you’re hanging with Mom! What should you do? Check out the handful of ideas below.
1. Intergenerational Sleepover
Do you have younger family members that live nearby? If so, why not plan an intergenerational sleepover? Your mom will love it; plus, it’s the type of activity that creates wonderful memories and builds healthy, strong familial bonds.
Plan a movie marathon, make yummy food, and wear comfy clothes — then let the conversations twist and turn where they may. It’ll be fun, and you’ll get to know each other better.
2. Host a Share the Lies Night
Lying isn’t great, and we’re all taught not to do it. But in reality, we all tell fibs once in a while.
But when you reach a certain age, and the incidents are in the distant past, sharing your long-held prevarications can be both funny and surprisingly relieving.
However, if the goal is to have a good time, refrain from spilling whoppers that could directly impact someone’s current emotional health. In other words, admitting you snuck out of the house 15 years ago after prom is fine. Revealing that your child’s father is not their biological dad is probably best left for another time.
3. Make Scrapbooks of Your Family History
Revive the pre-digital art of scrapbooking.
If your mom is over 60, she probably has boxes filled with pre-Internet memorabilia. Instead of letting it sit dormant and disorganized in the back of a closet, why not create scrapbooks to put on display for perusal?
On an emotional note, going through everything will be a bonding walk down memory lane. On a practical note, it’s a great way to do a bit of purging (because the unimportant and unsentimental stuff will land in the trash) — making it a helpful activity if your parents are downsizing or moving into an assisted living facility.
4. Do a Genealogical Deep Dive
Many people become interested in their genealogical history as they age. So consider if digging into your family’s past may pique your mom’s interest.
Also, think about doing family DNA tests through a service. When you get the results back, plan a big dinner and make a dish from every place from which your kin hails.
However, never do a genetic test on someone without their permission. Sometimes, the results can reveal long-hidden family secrets that may not be ripe for discussion.
5. Do a Throwback Night
What songs topped the charts when your mom was your age? What movies and television shows was everyone scandalized by in her day? Better yet, what were the en-vogue fashions when she was flirty and dating?
Remember that people probably ate differently back in the day, too. So look up some recipes that have been lost to time. (Apple-topped ham steak, anyone!?)
Do the research and plan a throwback night in honor of mom! Add some verisimilitude by making a playlist of old Oscar and Grammy awards, commercials, movies, news footage, and shows on YouTube.
Tips to Make It A Special Girls' Night
You want your girls' night to be a memorable time for everyone involved. After all, these women are your tribe, and they mean the world to you. So let's talk about how you can give it that extra special touch these ladies will talk about for years to come. Here are some thoughts:
Choose the Group Carefully
With a small, tight-knit group of friends who all know and love each other, then, by all means, invite them all. But you may have friends from various parts of your life — work, old school friends, etc. Be sure you invite a group that will mesh well and get along. You want the evening to be fun and comfortable for everyone.
Play a Fun Icebreaker Game
Get the evening started by playing a game that gets everyone laughing and sharing. Have a list of funny questions to ask each person, or play the “Would You Rather” game. If you don't like games, start the night with a dance-off by playing fun tunes from your teen years.
Have a Small Gift for Each Guest
Your guests will feel so special when you present them with some elegant soap, comfy socks, or a hand-assembled gift basket. You don't need to spend a lot — it's the thought that counts. And your ladies will be thrilled with any fun gift.
Keep the Focus on Bonding
The main goal of a girls' night is to bond with your besties and strengthen your friendships. If you have a themed event, don't stick so strictly to the theme that it doesn't allow time for conversation and laughter. Structure the evening so there's plenty of time for casual interaction.
Think About Each Guest with Your Theme
You want to choose a theme that works for everyone. If you know someone isn't into scrapbooking, don't force them to spend the evening doing something they don't enjoy. Find the commonalities with your invitees and choose your theme or activities around them.
What Should I Bring to Girls' Night?
If you're lucky enough to be invited to a fun girls' night, you don't want to come empty-handed. After all the work the hostess put into planning and organizing the event, you want to show her how much you appreciate it. Plus, you may need to bring items related to the theme of the event.
Here are some ideas on what to bring:
- Theme-related attire or items: For example, if the girls' night is a sleepover, you'll need to bring pajamas. Or, for a scrapbooking evening, bring your photos, scrapbook, and craft items.
- A hostess gift: A thoughtful gift for the hostess, like a scented candle, fresh flowers, or funny dish towels, is always appreciated.
- Gifts for the attendees: Something small for the other women at the event is nice, too. Personalized mugs, t-shirts, or campy hats are fun.
- Wine or cocktails: A nice bottle of wine, a blender full of frozen margaritas, or the makings for Cosmos will make the evening even merrier!
- An appetizer or dessert tray: The hostess will always appreciate a food contribution. A plate of yummy appetizers or treats is the perfect thing to bring.
- A fun game: If you have a favorite board game, bring it along just in case the group might need something else fun to do as the evening wears on.
Final thoughts
Ready to plan these girls' night in ideas for your friends?
It’s so important to spend quality time with your best girlfriends. Staying social and connected is key to keeping your friendships and your inner world healthy and positive.
Though staying connected doesn’t have to mean going out. Staying in together can be just as fun with any of these ladies’ night activities.
So ring up a few of your closest friends and get together for a movie night or craft party. Have any other ideas for a girls' night in? Let us know in the comments!