Best Friendsgiving Ideas to Throw a Party This Year

Genius Ideas to Throw The Most Amazing Friendsgiving Party

Hosting a Friendsgiving party this year? Planning and hosting holiday parties is a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. To save you some time and stress, we’ve rounded up some of the best Friendsgiving ideas for food, drink, games, movies and more.

But before we get there, let’s answer an important question: what is Friendsgiving?

What Is Friendsgiving?

Friendsgiving is Thanksgiving for friends. Friends gather together to share a big meal either on or near Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving holiday is all about celebrating the things we are grateful for, and friends are definitely on that list. But often, the official Thanksgiving holiday is reserved for family. It’s nice to have a special day to celebrate with friends and share some great food.

It’s also a great excuse to eat a great meal and share some laughs.

Friendsgiving is a little bit different from a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Instead of having a host prepare most or all of the food, everyone brings a dish to a Friendsgiving meal (typically). It’s also more casual than a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

While it’s common to serve the usual Thanksgiving dishes, it’s okay to get creative and add a few unique dishes, too.

Jimmy Kimmel Confronts Jennifer Aniston About Her Friendsgiving Dinner

Friendsgiving Date

There is no real date for Friendsgiving, and while Merriam-Webster recognizes it as a thing, it’s not an official holiday.

Usually, Friendsgiving is celebrated the weekend before Thanksgiving or around the holiday. However, there really are no rules on which day to celebrate, so you’re free to choose a time when everyone is free.

Best Friendsgiving Ideas to Throw a Party This Year

 

If you want to host a Friendsgiving this year, you may be wondering what to make. What kind of favors should you give? What about decorations and entertainment?

We’ve got you covered. We’re going to share some of the best Friendsgiving menu, gift, decorations, movie and game ideas to make your celebration a blast.

The Best Friendsgiving Menu

Not sure what to serve your guests? While you can serve the usual turkey, you can also serve other main dishes so that your friends aren’t sick of turkey on the big day.

Here are some of the best Friendsgiving ideas for your menu.

Roasted Lamb in Coffee Sauce

This roasted leg of lamb is tender and topped with a rich, creamy coffee sauce. It’s a great alternative to the usual turkey main dish, especially if you’re only having a small gathering.

Roast Beef

A classic roast beef is always a crowd pleaser, and this recipe walks you through the steps of cooking the perfect roast for your Friendsgiving table.

Vegetarian Stuffed Pumpkin

If you have vegetarians in your crowd, these stuffed pumpkins are a great option for your main dish. They’re filled with quinoa (or millet), mushrooms, kale, cranberries, almonds, goat cheese and wine. Plus, they’re served in a pumpkin, which will give you an A+ for presentation.

Roasted Carrots with Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese

These carrots are roasted to perfection and topped with candied pecans and goat cheese. The combination of sweet and savory make this dish a winner with everyone. Feel free to use feta cheese if goat cheese isn’t your cup of tea.

Creamy White Mushroom Stuffed Shells

Who doesn’t love a good pasta dish? These stuffed shells are smothered in a creamy white wine sauce – perfect with a slice of crusty baguette.

Bacon Green Bean Bundles

Green beans are the perfect Thanksgiving side dish because they’re so fresh. Wrap them in bacon and you have a next-level dish for your Friendsgiving. Use fresh green beans for this and don’t overcook them.

Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie boards are always a win at gatherings. Make a fall-inspired board with some sweets (like cookies or yogurt covered pretzels), deli meats, nuts, olives, cheese and more.

 

Friendsgiving Drink Ideas

Thanksgiving Margarita

This fall-themed cocktail will be a hit at your gathering. It’s quick and easy to make and includes fall favorites like apple cider and pear juice.

Autumn Aperol Spritz

Here’s a festive cocktail with apple cider, blood oranges and Aperol. It’s easy to make and refreshing and light.

Bourbon Pecan Pie Cocktail

This cocktail tastes like pecan pie. It’s a stronger drink, so take it easy with this one. But your guests are sure to love the flavor.

Friendsgiving Gift Ideas

Friendsgiving isn’t just about the food. If you’re hosting, favors are a nice way to say thanks for coming. But what should you give?

Here are some of the best Friendsgiving ideas for gifts.

Sweets

Candy and sweets are always great party favors. Add your favorites, or bake some fresh cookies for guests to take home. Put it all together in these adorable Friendsgiving party favor boxes.

Can Coolers

Thanksgiving-themed can coolers are another fun option for party favors. These can coolers from Amazon come in packs of six, each with different sayings.

Candles

Here’s a fun and thoughtful gift idea for your guests. Place tealight candles inside of a cute glass jar. Add salt to the bottom of the jar. Tie a name tag to each one. Every time your friends light their candles, they’ll be reminded of your Friendsgiving party. Check out our printable thank you notes available for free download here. 

Gift Basket

If you want a DIY gift idea, here’s a great one. Who doesn’t love a good gift basket? This cute basket has some thoughtful items, like a pretty tea towel, a notepad with some pens, a fall candle and some pumpkin spice scented soap. Add items that you think your guests will use and love. Place them in a cute little basket, and you have the perfect gift.

Related: Affordable Gift Basket Ideas + DIY Guide

Friendsgiving Decorations

Need the best Friendsgiving ideas for decorations? We’ve rounded up some great ideas to make your space more festive.

Pumpkins and Candles Table Centerpiece

Wow your guests with this beautiful centerpiece idea, which features pumpkins, candles and eucalyptus leaves. These hosts used Crown Prince blue squash as a centerpiece and added amber colored glass votives to match the earthy tones of the squash.

• If you can’t get (or don’t want) real squash, try these faux pumpkins from Amazon.
• These glass votives (also from Amazon) are perfect for any Friendsgiving table, and you can always give them away as favors to your guests.
• If you can’t find fresh eucalyptus, try these dried ones from Amazon.

Plaid Table Runner

This simple plaid table runner will complement any table décor you have at your gathering. Get it for under $15 at Amazon.

Friendsgiving Banner

Hang a fun Friendsgiving banner to make the gathering more festive. Here’s a cute baloons banner from Amazon.

We love all of these ideas, but here’s another great segment from Rachel Ray Show with some more ideas on how to decorate for your Friendsgiving. It has some great snack and food ideas, too.

4 Easy Friendsgiving Ideas to Step Up Your Hosting Game | Rachael Ray Show

 

Friendsgiving Movie Ideas

Friendsgiving is all about food and conversation, but it’s also important to do things together. A movie is a great option. Friendsgiving dinner and a movie sounds like a relaxed, fun night with friends.

Not sure what to watch? Here are some great ideas.

FRIENDSGIVING Trailer (2020) Kat Dennings, Comedy Movie

Watch on Amazon

Home For The Holidays (1995) – Official Trailer

Watch on Amazon

Funny People – Trailer

Watch on Amazon

Grumpy Old Men – Original Theatrical Trailer

Watch on Amazon

Friendsgiving Game Ideas

No Friendsgiving day is complete without a few games. Here are some of the best Friendsgiving ideas for games that everyone will love.

Jenga – Traditional or Drinking

Jenga is always a fun game to play at parties. Play it the traditional way, or make it a drinking game. Each time someone knocks down the tower, they take a shot.

If you don’t have one already, you can get a Jenga set on Amazon for about $10.

Never Have I Ever

This fun adult party game will help everyone get to know each other – for better or worse. You can find lots of variations of Never Have I Ever, including kid-friendly ones.

Cards Against Humanity

You can never go wrong with Cards Against Humanity – as long as everyone feels comfortable playing.

Karaoke

Karaoke is a fun way to get everyone laughing and break the ice. New karaoke machines have Bluetooth for wireless streaming and so many other fun features.

Classic Party Games

Classic party games are always crowd pleasers. Here are some of the top ones and how to play them.

How to Play Charades

With charades, team members have to guess words and phrases using only gestures. The team with the most correct answers wins.

How to Play the “Who Am I” Game

Players have to figure out who they are by asking questions. Choose a theme and have everyone write down a famous person related to that theme on sticky notes. Each player puts the sticky note on their forehead (without looking) and has to guess who they are by asking questions.

Conclusion

Use Friendsgiving ideas to plan the best party yet. From food to entertainment, our list has everything you need to throw a memorable celebration.