40 girls night ideas (at home and out) your friends will actually show up for

The best girls night ideas give the night one thing to do together. A pasta-rolling party, a candle-pouring night, a clothing swap or a letter-writing club turns “let's hang out” into a night people talk about for weeks. Below are 40 girls night ideas, at home and out, for every budget and energy level, plus Galentine's Day ideas.

Girls night ideas at home (make something)

1. Pasta night. Everyone rolls their own cavatelli, then you eat it (Make Nonna Proud).
2. Candle pouring. Everyone brings a thrifted mug or glass. Send everyone home with a candle (A Second Light).
3. Flower arranging. One grocery-store bunch per person and a pile of jars.
4. Pizza from scratch. Store-bought dough, a toppings bar and a vote for best pie.
5. Charm bracelet or beading night. Cheap, chatty and nostalgic.
6. Paint-and-sip at home. Canvases, a playlist and zero talent required.
7. Cookie decorating. Ugliest cookie wins a prize.
8. Vision boards. Old magazines, glue sticks and big plans.

Girls night ideas at home (play)

9. Phones-in-a-basket game night. Cards, board games, charades.
10. Themed movie marathon. Pick an era and dress for it.
11. Blind taste test. Chocolate, wine, chips or olive oil. Score cards required.
12. Murder mystery dinner. Assign characters a week ahead.
13. Karaoke in the living room. A TV and a YouTube playlist is all it takes.
14. Tarot or astrology night. Just for fun, nobody's life plan.
15. Recess for grown-ups. Hopscotch in the driveway, jump rope, popsicles (Early Dismissal).
16. Friendship trivia. Write questions about each other. Chaos, lovingly.

Cozy girls night in ideas

17. Pajama and face mask night. Classic for a reason.
18. Letter-writing night. Everyone writes a letter to a friend who isn't there (Love You, Mean It).
19. Cookbook club. Everyone makes one recipe from the same book.
20. Book club. Even if half of you didn't finish.
21. Clothing swap. Bring five things, leave with five new-to-you things.
22. Tea party. Real cups, tiny sandwiches, big gossip.
23. Slow Sunday brunch. Everyone brings one dish, nobody leaves before 2pm.
24. Fondue night. Cheese first, chocolate second.

Girls night out ideas

25. Picnic in the park at golden hour.
26. Pottery painting or a ceramics class.
27. A dance class: salsa, swing or line dancing.
28. Roller skating.
29. Trivia night at a local bar.
30. Outdoor movie or a concert in the park.
31. Farmers market, then cook what you bought.
32. Sunset hike with a thermos of hot chocolate.

Galentine's Day ideas

33. Write each other love letters (the friendship kind) and read them out loud.
34. Host a pink brunch with a dress code.
35. Make candles together and swap them.
36. Give each friend a small experience to do on her own.
37. Plan a pasta-making Galentine's dinner.
38. Make friendship bracelets like you're twelve again.
39. Book a group class you've all been meaning to try.
40. Start a monthly tradition, and put the first date on the calendar before you leave.

How to host a girls night people actually show up for

• Pick one activity. “Come over” is easy to cancel. “We're making pasta” is not.
• Assign one thing per person. Snacks, drinks, playlist, supplies.
• Put phones in a basket for at least the first hour.
• Send everyone home with something: a candle, a jar of pasta, a letter.

Let us plan it

Every Romanticize Collective experience comes with an original guide I design and the core items to bring it to life, and they're made to share. Host a pasta night with Make Nonna Proud, a candle night with A Second Light or a letter-writing night with Love You, Mean It, each $25 on its own. For a one-time girls night or Galentine's gift, Best of Box ($69.99) has our members' most loved experiences, gift ready. For a standing girls night, the Signature Membership sends four experiences a month, a new one to open every week, from $59.99/mo with free U.S. shipping.

More ideas: hobbies to try with friends, date night ideas at home and what is whimsymaxing.

New members get $15 off their first month of Signature membership. Order by the 20th for next month's experiences. Best of Box and $25 experiences ship right away (5 to 10 business days).

FAQ

What are fun girls night ideas at home?

Give the night one activity: a pasta-rolling party, candle pouring, a letter-writing night, a clothing swap, a cookbook club or a phones-in-a-basket game night. One planned thing turns a regular hangout into a memory.

What are cheap girls night ideas?

Potluck pasta night, a movie marathon with a theme, a clothing swap, a picnic in the park, a sunset walk, a board game night or a craft night where everyone brings one supply. Most cost under $15 a person.

What are good Galentine's Day ideas?

Write each other letters, host a pink-themed brunch, make candles or pasta together, or give each friend a small experience gift, like one of our $25 member favorites. Romanticize Collective's Best of Box ($69.99) has four experiences, so it's easy to split among friends.

What can adults do with friends besides going out to eat?

Make something together. Pasta, candles, flower arrangements and letters all give the night a focus and send everyone home with something.

How do I plan a girls night in?

Pick a date, pick one activity, and assign one thing per person (snacks, drinks, playlist, supplies). Keep it to three hours and put phones in a basket for the first hour.

Written by Aly Aguilar, founder of Romanticize Collective, the experience club designed and curated in Los Angeles.

Aly here, founder of Romanticize Collective: original experiences that make ordinary days worth looking forward to again. If you want something new to look forward to each month, start with the Single membership, $19.99 plus shipping, skip or cancel anytime.