50 Ideas For A Girl’s Night Out

This gets boring – here are 50 alternatives to the regular Girl’s Night Out

There are few things in life I enjoy more than a night with my favourite lady friends. Contrary to popular belief – a girl’s night isn’t always getting sloshed at a Western bar and falling asleep in your friend’s bathtub (though that happens sometimes). Here are 50 other ideas for a girl’s day or night, out or in, with a single friend or group!

*It’s also full of relatively cheap and free ideas – because bloggers know what it’s like being tight on money!

1. Home Made Spa Day
Spas are expensive! Stay in and pamper each other using home made face masks and scrubs. Get some recipes here!

2. Marathon Guilty Pleasure Shows
We all have that one show we love. Lost, America’s Next Top Model, Jersey Shore – whatever it is, get your guilt-sharing friends and marathon it with a bottle of wine and some cheese (or pizza hut, whatever).

3. Night Hiking
For the mountainous area girls, find a local trail that’s night hiking approved and arrange a non-sweaty hike for you and your friends. Make sure it’s been approved for night hiking, otherwise running from coyotes isn’t as fun.

4. Hotel Pool Adventures
Many nice hotel pools sacrifice security in the name of convenience – making it quite easy for non-guests to lounge at their pools. Grab a few friends and enjoy a sparkling Hilton pool (and bring a flask – those drinks are pricey).

5. Cocktail Concoctions
Have everyone come over and bring the ingredients to their favourite cocktail mix. Get delightfully tipsy on new, delicious drinks! Alternative: Have everyone bring beer or wine from their ancestor’s country.

6. Closet Shopping
I suspect a lot of you ladies are just as guilty as I am of hoarding clothes you never wear. Clean out your closet and bring all your wearable but no longer used garments to a Closet Shopping party with your friends. Everyone will walk away with something new and it doesn’t cost a dime.

7. Fancy Night
That dress that’s too fancy for a date but you bought it anyway? I guarantee all your friends have at least one, too. Put your pretty clothes to some good use and have a fancy night out. If you can afford it, hit up a high class restaurant and a ballet. If you’re saving money, cook a 3 course meal and watch Mean Girls. Take pictures.

8. Other-Side-Of-Town Night
If you’re in a big city, you likely stick to the same few restaurants, theatres, and bars. Take a cab/DD to a different part of town and try out a new restaurant/theatre/event/bar. If it sucks, at least you know you live on the right side of town.

9. Cultural Food Night
Pick a country and have everyone cook a dish from that country. Like, a real food from that country. Picking up Taco Bell for Mexican night does not count.

10. Dog Park Day
If you and your friends own pups, take them out to a park (or a dog park) to play for the day! Dogs need regular interaction to help keep them calm in social situations, so why not help your dog out and get some girl-time in? Bring a picnic to make it a lunch date.

11. Lazy Book Club
Pick a day with nice weather and find a park or clean, nature-y area to lay around and read with your friends. Getting lost in a book is fun, and moreso if you can share the experience with your friends.

12. Craft Night
You know that one craft you all re-pinned from each other on Pinterest? Time to buckle down and do it! Make a trip to the craft store for supplies and spend an evening making pretty things.

13. Board Game Night
Break out Cranium, Trivial Pursuit, Apples to Apples, or any other group game. Make it a drinking game if you like wine (we all like wine).

14. Video Game Night
If you and your friends like casually (or intensely) playing shoot-em-ups, get everyone together for a game night that doesn’t involve a 12-year-old boy calling you a bitch over your head set. If you aren’t into shootemups but want to play a team game, might I suggest Little Big Plant 1 or 2?

15. Yoga/Pilates/Aerial Gymnastics/Pole Dancing
Get active! Every day on Groupon and LivingSocial there’s a new deal for a fun group activity. Whether it’s a hip-hop class, spiritual yoga, or rock climbing, there’s always a good group discount for a local place. Take the leap and try a new activity with your friends!

16. Trip Down Memory Lane
If you and a group of friends go -way- back (The Hating Expert and I have been friends since Kindergarten!), plan a night out or in doing your old favourite activities. Hit up that pizza joint you’d spend hours in after school every day, or play in a park you and your friends would go to secretly drink booze. You can stay in too and watch your old favourite shows and movies. Nostalgia, ahoy!

17. Not-Your-Average-Self Night
It might seem silly, but it can be fun. Have everyone dress and act differently than they normally do, adopting a new name, personality, and background. Go out to the bars and do what your “new self” would do.

18. Makeover Night
This one is super girly. Bring over your cosmetics and styling tools and make-up your friends with a new look they may never have thought would work for themselves. It can bring out new styles you didn’t think would work on you. Bonus points if you all go out after.

19. Date Night
Is there a date you’ve been dieing to go on, but are either single or have an SO who doesn’t want to do it? Grab one of your girls and go on it with them! No reason to put off your own happiness while you wait for someone else!

20. Fantasy/Passion Party
This is where a host comes and teaches you about sex toys and shows off giant dildos and crazy spinning vibrators. It’s surprisingly fun and there are games and prizes involved. These are hosted by independent contractors so Google “Fantasy/Passion Party (your city)” to find who hosts in your area.

21. Fondue Night
Who doesn’t love dipping delicious food into more delicious liquid food? Nobody, that’s who. Have everyone bring their favourite dipping sauce or dipping food and enjoy an evening of great tastes.

22. Photography Party
Who wants to spend money on a professional photographer for some cute pictures? Grab your friends, dress up and get styled, and go to a cool location and take pictures of each other. Bring props like balloons, bubble blowers, and glitter and spend a few hours laughing and creating great photos.

23. Farmer’s Market + Picnic
If your city has a farmer’s market, GO! They’re always full of fresh, unique foods that are locally grown! You and your girls can do down and pick out a few yummy things, then find a park and have a picnic with them.

24. Trade Spaces
Like the show, Trading Spaces, choose two friends in your group to give up their rooms/apartments for a day and let their other friends redecorate and rearrange. You can have a budget for thirft-store shopping ($30 will get you a surprising amount) or simply let them go wild with changing up the look through rearranging things.

25. Fleamarket Scavenger Hunt
Fleamarkets are cheap, and fun to scour through. Get some friends into teams (or go individually) and find something for another person you -know- they’d look great in but would never consider for themselves.

26. Urban Vandalism
This isn’t -really- vandalism, so don’t worry. Go around and “decorate” the town with fun stickers, fake/real flowers, Googly eyes, or silly signs.

27. Volunteer Together
Animal shelters, homeless shelters, and countless other non-profits usually have nights of high need where people can come in and provide extra help. Contact a local shelter and find out what you and your girls can do to help. It’s not only free, but you get to be with your friends while helping others.

28. Throw a Party
What?! Yes – it’s so obvious! Grab some booze, put on music, fill the ceiling with balloons and have a girl’s only party. Take pictures, dance, and yeah, maybe fall asleep in someone’s bathtub.

29. Minor Sporting Events
Who wants to spend $50 on a ticket to baseball? Check your area for sporting events that aren’t as popular. Might I suggest arena football, roller derby, and rugby?

30.Pot Luck Night
Eat a bunch of food. Simple as that, who could ask for anything better?

31. Blogging Party
Are you and your friends bloggers? Settle in with your laptops, coffee (vodka, if you’re me), and your friends. Exchange ideas, move past writer’s blocks, and have editors on hand. You’d be surprised what collective thinking can produce.

32. Star Gazing
If you’re within driving distance of a remote area, load up your car with your girlfriends and drive out in the evening to an area where the city lights can’t reach and enjoy the view. For safety reasons, bring pepper spray and stay in a group, and don’t stay out late (do I sound like your mother yet?).

33. Laser Quest
Laser quest is awesome. Load up with laser guns and armor and go after each other in a giant maze. Celebrate with mediocre pizza and nachos at the laser quest food stand. Enjoy heartburn together.

34. Karaoke
Sing your hearts out, ladies.

35. Painting Party/Brush Bar
Some towns have things called “brush bars” where you’re given painting supplies and a teacher who shows you how to replicate a famous painting. Find one in your city or, failing that, get everyone together for your own painting party and enjoy some creative time.

36. Paintballing
If you’re into it, strap up into your gear and go paintballing on a Saturday with your friends. Compare battle wounds after and celebrate victory (or loss) with a trip to Applebees (because who doesn’t love Applebees).

37. Self Defense Class
Okay, this isn’t exactly a night out, but it can be a good group activity. Many places offer women’s self defense courses (for free or cheap) a few times a year – why not take advantage of it with your girls? Knowledge is power!

38. Margarita Pool Time
Swimsuit up, mix some margaritas (or virgin daiquiris), grab books and ipods and head to the pool. Spend some genuine time just relaxing and enjoying the weather, and wear sunscreen!

39. Mani/Pedi Party
Why pay a stranger $15 to paint your toenails when your friends can do it for free? Pull up some Pinterest nail art (I know you have some) and try it out on your friends.

40. In-State Road Trip
Have a free weekend, or even just 24 hours? Load up your car with friends and go to another city/town in your state just 2 or 3 hours away and spend the day exploring a new area. Grab a hotel if you want to make it a weekend trip, otherwise enjoy a relatively cheap mini vacation!

41. Ditch Day
Can’t take a vacation but need a break from work? Find a like-minded friend and play hooky for a day. Just make sure you don’t tag each other on Facebook, or ditch day could turn into unemployed day.

42. Wine & Cheese Night
You love wine. You love cheese. You love being classy and drunk. Why not do all the things you love with your friends?

43. Horse Riding Lessons
Who wasn’t obsessed with horses as a kid? No one, that’s who. Some places will offer a group discount for a one or two time horse riding lesson, so why not take advantage of it and live a bit of your childhood fantasy?

44. Holiday Extravaganza
Only applicable in the winter but hey – the holidays are fun, mine as well make the most of it. Mix hot coco, decorate wreaths, trees, sing carols – or just sit around in ugly holiday sweaters, drinking eggnog and watching A Christmas Story.

45. Open Mic Night
It might be super cheesy hipster fun, but it’s still fun. Whether you’re watching the talent or participating yourself, it’s a good (and cheap) change from a noisy band in a crowded bar.

46. Netflix Night
Netflix has so many shows and movies on instant watch, take advantage of it with your friends (and some popcorn) and choose one at random. It could be your new favourite movie, or just another thing to make fun of.

Tagged as: Fun, Girl Talk, Nights Out