Hosting Friendsgiving is basically just an excuse to celebrate the best holiday (yes, you heard me) twice. Not only do you get to enjoy all that good Turkey Day food yet again, but you also get to eat those classic dishes—and perfectly crafted Thanksgiving cocktails—with your ride-or-dies instead of your weird uncle you’re forced to hang out with. Celebrations of this level deserve to be an All Out Shindig, and these pretty high stakes call for breaking out your tip-top event-planning skills.
I take party hosting very seriously and want you to come out on top. So that means looking at the details of this Friendsgiving gathering well beyond the actual menu—we're talking decor, drinks, activities, and so much more. On this list, it's all about those tiny moments that upgrade the guests' experience, from the actual invites you send out to the Thanksgiving Day-themed photo booth to the Thanksgiving drinking game and everything in between. Read on for 25 Friendsgiving party ideas to show your friends how much you love and care for them.
Send out actual invites.
Before you even get to the dinner, step up your party game by sending out real paper invites. Yes, Partiful is more practical—especially if you're on a budget—but your friends feel special by this lost art, and you can also personalize the note. Design your own or grab a cute template from Etsy.
Lay out place cards.
Is it an unnecessary touch? I argue no! It's elevated, very adult, and something Martha Stewart would approve of. This is also your way to be intentional about the seating chart and put friends that will hit it off next to each other.
Gift everyone their own special wine glass.
Shall I list the reasons why these are perfect? I shall: 1) It’s a great little party gift; 2) your guests can just take them home, so you don’t even have to worry about doing dishes later; and 3) you can get some in everyone's favorite colors. Wins on wins on wins.
Turn it into a pajama party.
It can be fun to dress up, but throwing a full-blown pajama party for your Friendsgiving is more fun than wearing dresses and ties. The theme provides an opportunity for friends to show off some fun and festive jammies, and everyone will be comfy, which is all you can ask for while stuffing your faces.
Set the scent.
Light a candle that just straight up embodies fall, and your guests will be greeted with a welcoming aroma upon their arrival. Go for something that has hints of fir and earthy notes to really get in the spirit of the holiday.
Create a foliage-inspired buffet.
Let’s be honest, there’s usually nothing better than a buffet, but with a gorgeous tablescape, your guests might not even notice all the pies sitting on the table.
Make an apple vodka cocktail.
Remember those perfectly crafted cocktails I mentioned? It's because nothing differentiates Thanksgiving with your family and Thanksgiving with your friends like the drinks! Put that apple cider to use to make an Apple Doesn’t Fall Far cocktail from Svedka. To stir one up, add 2 parts Svedka Citron, 2 parts apple juice, 1 part ginger beer, and ½ parts fresh lime juice to a Collins glass. Stir well, garnish with a slice of ginger, and drink up.
...Or an apple cider mimosa.
If you weren’t aware this was a thing, you’re welcome. It’s one of those super easy recipes (only two ingredients!) that’ll blow every guest away. Give it a spin.
Host a potluck.
If you have all your guests bring their fave dish, that is obviously less work for you, but it’s also the only way to do Friendsgiving. Like, are you really going to shell out approximately $1 million and 50,000 hours of kitchen labor for this thing? No way. If you’re hosting, make the turkey and gravy, then email your guests a spreadsheet so they can write down what they’re bringing. I’m not saying it’s bad to have four bowls of mashed potatoes, but then who’s gonna bring the desserts?! Or the mac and cheese?! Order is necessary, friends.
Or...have everyone bring a pie.
Extend the potluck vibes to your dessert buffet. Have everyone bring their favorite type of pie so everyone can try them all. To make a game out of it, tell your guests to keep what they brought a secret. Then have everyone guess who brought which pie. The winner gets...more pie!
Decorate with butcher paper.
Everyone has probably gone around the table and said what they’re thankful for at Thanksgiving before, but if you swap a boring old tablecloth for butcher paper, everyone can write out what they’re thankful for right in front of them. Then you can read yours aloud throughout dinner.
Deck out your photo booth.
I can’t remember the last good party I’ve been to that didn’t have a photo booth. Grab cute props from Amazon to up your photo game and make all your pictures super fun.
Get some very on-brand cookware.
No matter what you make, you’re gonna wanna both cook AND serve it in something very pretty. A pumpkin dutch oven is definitely, of course, one hundred percent something that you will use during every other holiday season, and generally whenever you wanna evoke some fall harvest vibes!
Play a drinking game.
Pre-game the meal with cute game cards, which tell you to sip based on all things Turkey Day. Need boozy inspo? Check out this list of the best wines to pair with turkey (and stuffing and mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes).
Make it a Thanksgiving picnic.
If you live somewhere that isn’t miserably cold, have your Friendsgiving outside with a luxe picnic. Bring all the food and drinks you’d have indoors (or have it catered!) and sprinkle in a few games, like touch football, cornhole, or life-size Jenga.
BYO storage containers.
Tell everyone to BYO fave take-home container, so you’re not stuck with six extra pounds of cranberry sauce at the end of the night.
Turn it into brunch.
Save all your sweet potato hash and pumpkin pancake recipes for a Friendsgiving brunch. If you’re the friend group that brunches religiously, why change that? Mimosas and Thanksgiving sound like a perfect combo to me.
Create a special fall playlist.
A solid party soundtrack can only be topped by a super specific party playlist, perfectly tailored to the day’s vibe. With that in mind, we suggest you enlist one of Spofity’s fall-themed setlists to DJ your festivities. This “Pumpkin Spice” one is perfection.
Set a dress code.
Establishing an overall “look” will make your guests a part of the party decor, and we love that. ‘Fit cohesion will make your group pics look 10/10, plus making outfit mood boards on Pinterest = one of life’s simplest joys. Need inspo? Look no further.
Give out goodie bags.
These shouldn’t be reserved for childhood birthdays. A goodbye token is the sweetest note to end your evening on. You can add baked goods, cute jewelry, or a sappy personal thank you note to express your friendship gratitude.
