Girls' Night Ideas: Easy Plans for Nights In and Out

The hardest part of a girls' night is usually getting it on the calendar. Once everyone's in the same room, it takes very little to make it good: food, a drink, and something to do that keeps the evening from turning into everyone on their phones by 9pm. The best girls' night ideas give you a reason to gather and still leave plenty of room to talk.

Here are girls' night ideas at home and out, from low-effort to a little more planned, with what each one needs.

Girls' night in

1. Paint and sip at home

You get everything people love about a paint and sip class without the class fee, the strict timeline or the instructor telling everyone to paint the exact same sunset. At home, everyone chooses their own design, paints at their own pace, and nobody has to leave when the class ends.

The easiest setup is a mini paint by numbers set. It has six small 6" x 8" canvases that share one set of numbered paints, so a single set covers up to six friends. Put the paint pots in the middle of the table, pour the wine, and let everyone choose a canvas. Retro Curls, Color Block Ladies and Cheers and Treats are fun group picks.

A few things that make it go smoothly: cover the table, give everyone their own rinse-water jar (and keep it far from the wine glasses), and put a bright lamp over the table even if the rest of the room is candlelit. We go into more detail in our guide to hosting a paint night at home.

2. Build-your-own board night

Everyone brings one ingredient for a giant grazing board: a cheese, a cracker, a fruit, a dip, something sweet. The host provides the board and drinks. It looks impressive and costs everyone about $10.

3. Clothes swap

Everyone brings five to ten pieces they don't wear anymore. Lay it all out like a boutique, take turns choosing, and donate what's left. You get a new wardrobe and a cleaner closet.

4. At-home spa night

Face masks, a foot soak, cucumber water and a relaxing playlist. Have one person bring nail polish in a few colors and set up a manicure station. Robes optional but strongly encouraged.

5. Game night with a twist

Party games that get people talking work better than long strategy games. Charades, a trivia night where each person writes a round about their own interests, or a "most likely to" card game.

6. Cookbook club

Choose one cookbook, and each person makes a different recipe from it. It's like a book club, but you eat the homework.

Girls' night out

• A class: pottery, candle-making, salsa, cocktail-making. Something none of you has tried.
• Trivia night at a local bar. Pick a ridiculous team name.
• Karaoke, ideally with a private room so nobody has to perform for strangers.
• A sunset picnic in a park, with a blanket, a speaker and takeout.
• A drive-in or outdoor movie, when the weather allows.

How to make it happen regularly

If painting becomes your thing, you'll soon have plenty of small canvases. Our gallery wall layout ideas show how to hang them. Planning something for February? See our Galentine's Day ideas.