Life gets super busy, but it’s so important to make time for friends and fun. Here are my top tips to plan a girls night out that works for everyone.
One of my team members is currently planning a wedding (exciting!) so there’s been all sorts of chit chat about what to do for her hen’s night. It got me thinking that it’s been awhile since I enjoyed a good girls night out!
When all your friends are busy juggling work, kids and everything else, organising a night out can easily slip into the ‘too hard’ basket, but staying connected with friends is an super important part of self care.
Here are some ideas on how to organise a girls night out.
WHO TO INVITE
I always find the most fun nights out are the ones where everyone knows each other or has something in common. That might be your work friends, old school friends, the soccer mum group, your book club, the school mums or any other group. Even if you don’t know them that well, it’s easy to find something to talk about if you have common ground.
If you don’t have an established group like this to invite, you can also organise a night out for like-minded people, such as organising tickets to a theatre show, inviting film fans to the movies or a few arty friends to a sip and paint class.
SET A DATE
The hardest part about getting a group of girls together, is deciding on WHEN! One way to work out everyone’s best availability is to create a Facebook Messenger chat, name it ‘Girls night out’ and create a poll with suggested dates so everyone can vote on when they’re available.
Another good option is to plan the night out for after something you’re already doing, such as dinner after the kids’ football game, drinks after work, or a get together at someone’s home while the kids are at a party.
You can also just pick a date several weeks in advance and hope for the best!
WHERE TO GO
This can also be a tricky one! Everyone has their own preferences as to what they like doing and where they like to go. If you’re the organiser (and if you’re reading this post, you probably are!), it might be easiest just to take charge and decide on a venue yourself.
Kat’s tip
If you need to pre pay for your event, provide your bank details and ask everyone to transfer ahead of time to make payment easy.
Here are some ideas…
Movies
If there’s a good movie coming out at the cinema, organise a group to go. You might even like to upgrade to Gold Class if you’re feeling indulgent.
Live entertainment
Check out any local live music venues and theatres to see what’s playing. You could see a musical, enjoy a band or have a good laugh at a stand-up comedy night.
Art gallery
If your area has an art gallery, check the schedule and see if there’s an opening night you can attend.
Late night shopping
Shopping centres are often open Thursday nights and sometimes other evenings as well. This is great for a a casual catch up – maybe grab a bite to eat in the food court, get a pedicure or enjoy some retail therapy.
Night markets and food events
Meet up at your local night markets or foodie event for something different.
Dinner out
Choose a restaurant that suits your group’s taste, budget and style. Book the restaurant early to avoid missing out. You can always adjust the numbers later once everyone has responded.
Paint and sip classes
Find out if there are any casual evening art classes in your area. Some venues offer unique experiences such as pottery or painting with a glass of wine. We did this for a Christmas party one year and it was lots of fun!
Charity girls night in
If you’re planning a girls night in, why not do it for a good cause and raise money for women’s cancers.
Psychic reading
Feeling adventurous? Book a psychic to come to someone’s house and give everyone a reading.
Dinner in
If you like cooking, why not host a girls dinner party? This can be a good option if you have kids as they can all hang out together (in another room!)
Book club
Do you have a group of friends who like to read? Get a few together and start your own book club.
Cocktail bar
A night out can really just be as simple as meeting somewhere local for a couple of drinks.
Game night
Are your friends a bit on the competitive side? Host a game night with your favourite board games. Trivial Pursuit, Balderdash and Pictionary are all great choices for a fun night.
Shared cooking class
See if there are any local cooking classes that you can register a group for.
Karaoke night
Okay, you might need a very brave group for this one, but karaoke can be lots of fun!
A few more ideas
Mini golf, dessert night, museum opening, book launch, workshop, take a class together.
If you’re feeling like you need to let your hair down, go ahead and organise your girls night out! (And then come back and tell us how much fun it was!)
Kat’s tip
Now that you’ve organised one night out, an easy way to organise the next one is to make it a regular thing. Eg. make it every second month on a Friday night, or post in your chat group when an event comes up they might like. Have fun!
