Girls' night ideas for every kind of friend group

The best girls' night ideas fit the friends you actually have. A group that loves to talk needs a long table, a competitive group needs a game, and a group of homebodies needs a sofa. So before you pick an idea, work out what kind of group you are. Then choose one of the ideas below, or mix two, and put a date in the chat before anyone can say "sometime soon."

An example: one friend group chat had tried four times since spring. Keiko wanted to go dancing. Dani wanted pajamas and her own sofa. Ruth wanted a game with a winner, and Amara wanted to make something with her hands. Every plan suited one of them and bored the other three, so every plan quietly died. In October, Amara suggested they stop looking for the one perfect night and do a bit of everything in Dani's living room. Amara painted a little clay pot, Ruth dealt cards, Keiko made a toast to finally being in the same room, and Dani never left her blanket. It was the best night they'd had all year.

What kind of friend group are you?

Many groups lean one way, even if one or two friends pull the other way:

• The talkers could sit at one table for five hours and still not be done.
• The competitive ones turn everything into a game, even who finishes their drink first.
• The going-out crew gets restless after an hour on a sofa.
• The makers are happiest with something in their hands.
• The homebodies think the best part of any night is not having to leave.
• The mixed group has a bit of each, which is common and the hardest to plan for.

Girls' night ideas for the talkers

• Book a long brunch that runs into the afternoon, and order a second round of coffee.
• Walk a long loop along the water or through town, then end at a café with hot chocolate.
• Start a book club where finishing the book is optional and talking about life is not.
• Host a supper club, with a different friend cooking each month.
• Bring one object from your bag and tell the story of how it got there.

Girls' night questions keep the talk going when it slows. Try a few: "What's a small thing that made your week?" "If you could redo one birthday, which would it be?" "What did you believe at fifteen that makes you laugh now?" "Who here would last longest in a horror film?"

Girls' night games for the competitive group

• Two truths and a lie, where the person caught the most buys the next round.
• "Who said it?", using old messages from the group chat with the names hidden.
• Guess the baby photo, with everyone sending one ahead of time.
• Bowling or mini golf, with a silly prize for the last place.
• An escape room, which shows very quickly who takes charge.
• A pub quiz night, as a team with a name you'll regret.

If one friend takes losing badly, keep the stakes small and the prizes ridiculous. If she turns every game into a scene, how to deal with a drama queen has calmer ways through it.

Girls' night out ideas for the going-out crew

• Dinner at a restaurant none of you has tried, then a bar with live music.
• A dance class, followed by drinks while you're still out of breath.
• A comedy club, where sitting in the front row is a dare.
• A late night at a museum or a gallery, which many cities run once a month.
• A food market crawl, with everyone choosing one stall.
• A concert of a band you all loved at nineteen.
• A rooftop bar at sunset, with one round of drinks and a long view.

Girls' night crafts for the makers

• Paint pottery at a studio and pick up the pieces a week later.
• Make candles in old teacups from a charity shop.
• Arrange flowers from a few grocery store bouquets, then each take one home.
• Paint tote bags with fabric paint and a lot of confidence.
• Make friendship bracelets, the same kind you made at twelve.
• Cut up old magazines and build a collage of the year you want.

A girls' night in for the homebodies

• Watch a romantic comedy from the year the youngest of you turned sixteen.
• Order takeout from four different places and share everything.
• Paint each other's nails while a comfort show plays in the background.
• Camp in the living room with every blanket and pillow in the house.

For more ideas that keep everyone indoors, see what to do with friends at home.

For the mixed group, loud and quiet

Like Amara's group, many friend groups are a mix. One plan rarely pleases everyone, so build a night with a few parts:

1. Start with food, because everyone likes food.
2. Split the space. A game at the coffee table, a craft at the kitchen counter, and a corner for whoever wants to just sit and listen.
3. Give everyone a small job, like the playlist, the snacks or the first round of drinks.
4. Let people drift. Friends can move between the game and the talk as they like.
5. End before people get tired, so the next one is easy to agree on.

Roles in a group show up on nights like this, and friend group dynamics explains why some friends get along in a group better than one on one.

Who in your group wants which night

What each friend enjoys has a lot to do with personality. Here are six of the 16 types:

• Ideator: wants a new idea every time and gets bored with the same bar. The one who suggests a theme.
• Vitalizer: loves to host and makes sure everyone has a full plate and a good time. Will happily dress up.
• Inspector: likes a clear plan with a time, a place and a small group. The one who books the table.
• Diplomat: wants energy, a dance floor or a game worth winning. Usually the last to leave.
• Guardian: prefers a night in with the friends they trust most. Remembers who doesn't drink and buys something nice for them.
• Encourager: curious about everyone, and keen to try the strange new class or the bar with no sign.

Girls' night food and snack ideas

Food sets the mood, and it doesn't have to be fancy.

• Snacks: a big grazing board where each friend brings one thing, a popcorn bar with sweet and salty toppings, or baked brie with crackers.
• Dinner: a big pot of pasta, a sheet pan of roast vegetables and chicken, or cheese fondue.
• Something different: breakfast for dinner with pancakes at nine, or a dessert-only menu.
• Drinks: a signature drink for the night, with a no-alcohol version for anyone who wants one.

Girls' night themes

A theme gives the night a shape and a reason to dress up, and in February it can turn into a Galentine's Day party:

• A 2000s night with the music, clothes and snacks of your teenage years.
• An awards show where everyone wins a made-up prize, like best text replies.
• A travel night where each friend brings food from a country she has visited or wants to see. If it makes you want to go for real, traveling with friends has tips for turning it into an actual trip.
• A red carpet evening at home, in your best outfit and your softest socks.
• An ugly sweater night in December, with prize categories and a paper crown borrowed from National Ugly Sweater Day.

When partners and friends of friends join in, party themes for adults sorts more ideas by the kind of guests you invite.

How to plan a girls' night that actually happens

Many girls' nights die in the group chat. A few habits help:

1. Pick the date first. Send a quick poll with three dates and go with the most votes.
2. Agree on a budget. Not everyone can spend the same, and nobody should feel left out because of money.
3. Take turns hosting. It spreads the work and keeps the nights fresh.
4. Book the next one before you leave. It's much easier to agree on a date in person than in the chat.

See how your group fits together

After that night, Keiko asked why she and Ruth always ended up planning while Dani and Amara ended up laughing in the kitchen. The free friendship compatibility test can help with questions like that. Each friend answers 41 questions, picking one of two statements each time. Each of you gets your own type the second the last answer is in, with no sign-up needed for that part. To invite friends, make a free account first, then share your link with them. Each friend takes the same test, and in a group everyone sees their relationship type with every friend they've connected with, including what is easy between them and what tends to cause friction.

Questions people ask

What do girls do on a girls' night?

Anything the group enjoys. Common choices are dinner, drinks, games, a film night, crafts or a night out dancing.

Is it girls' night or girls night?

Girls' night, with an apostrophe, is the standard spelling, as in the dictionary phrase "girls' night out." Girls night without it is common in messages and searches.

Sources

• Wiktionary, "girls' night out": the spelling with an apostrophe and the sense of an informal night out for a group of women.

Written by Virko Kask, founder of Typeza
Written with the help of AI tools.