Friendsgiving, the beloved unofficial holiday that combines the best of friendship and Thanksgiving, has become an annual celebration for so many. Whether you’re hosting for the first time or looking to spice up your annual gathering, we’ve compiled a list of the best Friendsgiving ideas to inspire your next Friendsgiving party. From decor and themes to activities and menu ideas, these easy Friendsgiving ideas will help you create a perfect Thanksgiving dinner party this year for you and your favorite people.
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Friendsgiving Decor Ideas
Setting the right atmosphere is one of my favorite parts of getting ready for a party, and Friendsgiving is no exception. The right decor can transform your space into a warm, inviting haven that captures the essence of gratitude and togetherness. From rustic elements to creative DIY projects, these are Friendsgiving ideas that will make your space cozy and festive and will help make your guests feel right at home.
Rustic Charm
Keep it simple and use burlap table runners, mason jars, and natural accents for a cozy farmhouse feel.
Autumn Leaves Centerpiece
Create a stunning centerpiece for your Friendsgiving table with colorful fall leaves, pinecones, and candles.
Gratitude Tree
Here is a simple and thoughtful Friendsgiving idea. Set up a vase full of tree branches where guests can hang tags with things they’re grateful for. You can download our printable leaves to hang on your Gratitude tree here.
Pumpkin Place Cards
Use mini pumpkins as place-setting holders for a cute and festive touch. If you have beautiful penmanship, use paint pens to write directly on the pumpkins. Or you can opt to fold mini place cards to set on top of the pumpkins.
Fairy Lights Galore
Drape string lights around the room for a warm, cozy ambiance.
Harvest Table Runner
Create a stunning tablescape using mini pumpkins, gourds, fall flowers or greenery, and lit candles. This Friendsgiving idea creates a warm, idyllic ambiance for your dinner table.
Thankful Placemats
Provide kraft paper placemats and colored pencils or markers for guests to write or draw what they’re thankful for. This simple table decor is perfect for Friendsgiving dinners involving the kiddos.
Autumnal Scent Bar
Light fall-scented candles around the room. Or set out warm-scented essential oils that guests can combine with a carrier oil in a glass dropper bottle to create their own custom blend. Here is one of my favorite fall aromatherapy blends that transports you into the mountains during autumn:
Friendsgiving Photo Booth
Create a color-themed backdrop with cute props for memorable photos. This is the perfect Friendsgiving decoration that lends to some of the best mementos.
Unique Friendsgiving Themes
Why settle for a traditional Thanksgiving when you can put a creative spin on your Friendsgiving celebration? Picking a unique theme can add an extra dash of fun to your event, giving your friends something extra to look forward to and talk about long after the gathering is over. This list of Friendsgiving ideas ranges from globally inspired concepts to nostalgic throwbacks, ensuring there’s something to suit every friend group’s personality.
Friendsgiving Brunch
Ditch the traditional Thanksgiving meal and instead, host a late-morning gathering with fall-themed breakfast and lunch options. Opt for pumpkin french toast, sweet potato quiche with turkey breakfast sausage, or whatever your favorite brunch foods might be! Warm up with maple cinnamon lattes. And don’t forget the cranberry mimosas!
Friendsgiving Potluck with a Twist
Allow each guest to choose a country, and have them bring menu items inspired by that cuisine. Upgrade the typical Thanksgiving main dish, side dishes, or desserts, which in my (probably unpopular) opinion, gets rather stale. Swap those mashed potatoes for patatas bravas from Spain or ditch the mac and cheese for Käsespätzle from Germany.
Outdoor Bonfire
Take the celebration outside with a bonfire, warm cozy blankets, and hot drinks.
Decades Theme
This is one of my favorite ideas and I can’t wait to try it! Choose a specific decade and encourage guests to dress up and bring era-appropriate dishes. Grandma’s hand-me-down cardigan and jello mold never looked so good!
Plant-Based Feast
Here’s your chance to plan a delicious Friendsgiving meal for your animal-loving friends! Challenge everyone to bring delicious vegan or vegetarian dishes to your Friendsgiving gathering. As a vegetarian, I can say that such a meal would be much appreciated!
Pajama Party
This might be the easiest Friendsgiving theme idea. Host a cozy Friendsgiving where everyone wears their favorite PJs. No worrying about what to wear and you can head straight to bed with your full belly after the party.
Farm-to-Table Friendsgiving
Level up your Friendsgiving feast. Source all your ingredients locally and create a menu that showcases the best of your region’s seasonal produce, while you support local farmers and ranchers.
Friends-giving
This is the ultimate Gen X/ Millennial Friendsgiving. Make your Friends-giving the real deal with a Friends-themed fall party, complete with matching turkey shirts, a turkey-head hat for photo ops, some Friends trivia, and of course a re-watch of that classic episode.
Fall Festival
If playful is your thing, plan a Fall festival-themed Friendsgiving that will make the neighbor kids jealous. Bring out carnival-style games, snacks, and fall carnival decor. Have bags of caramel popcorn prepared as party favors.
Fun Friendsgiving Games and Activities
Friendsgiving isn’t just about the food – it’s about creating memories and sharing laughs and love with your chosen family. Incorporating games and activities into your celebration can help break the ice and keep the energy high throughout the event. From traditional Thanksgiving-inspired games to creative twists on classic party activities, these unique Friendsgiving ideas will ensure your celebration is filled with belly laughs, friendly competition, and happy people as they go back home.
Game Night
After the meal bring out all your favorite Friendsgiving party games for the ultimate game night with your pals. From family-friendly games to adult-only games, you’ll be laughing for hours! Keep the party going with your favorite game night drinks and snacks!
Check out all our favorite Friendsgiving Game Ideas in this post:
Friendsgiving Bingo
Pull out the Thanksgiving Bingo cards to keep your guests entertained before or after the big meal. Have simple fun but fun prizes for the winners, such as $5 gift cards, mini bottles of liquor, cute Tupperware containers, fall decor to take home, etc.
Pie-Eating Contest
If your guests are into it, host a friendly competition to see who can finish a mini-pie (or full pie if your guests can stomach it!) the fastest. You’d be surprised by how competitive this can get. 😉
DIY Craft Station
Set up an area for guests to make their own fall-themed crafts, like candles, wreaths, or centerpieces. Or get a headstart on the upcoming holiday season with some merry little Christmas crafts!
Collaborative Playlist
Every party can use some mood music. Create a shared playlist where each guest adds their favorite Thanksgiving or friendship-themed songs.
Friendsgiving Olympics
The best Friendsgiving party is full of ridiculousness, and this idea has plenty of it. Bring out your crazy party-planning skills. Organize silly competitions like pumpkin bowling, turkey trot relays, old-school bobbing for apples, and pumpkin spice taste tests.
Gratitude Jar
If you’re not on board with the crazy shenanigans and want to instead foster a gracious and beautiful Friendsgiving atmosphere, create a simple gratitude jar. Throughout the event, have guests write notes of gratitude to put in a mason jar, then read them aloud towards the end of the evening with a toast to your cherished friendships. This is an easy way to add thankfulness to your Friendsgiving celebration.
Seasonal Cocktail Competition
This is guaranteed to make the party even more fun. Challenge guests to create cocktails with a fall theme and then vote on the best one. For non-drinkers and kiddos, create autumn-inspired mocktails instead. I can’t think of a tastier idea for Friendsgiving!
Friend-Themed Charades
This will get you laughing and is perfect if the kids will be involved with the Friendsgiving party. Play charades with words or phrases related to Thanksgiving. You can download my free printable Thanksgiving Charades here!
Friendsgiving Food and Drink Ideas
While turkey and stuffing might be Thanksgiving staples, Friendsgiving offers the perfect opportunity to get creative with your menu. These food and drink Friendsgiving ideas put a fresh spin on holiday classics and introduce new flavors that will have your guests drooling. Whether you’re looking for innovative serving suggestions, unique recipe twists, or interactive food stations, we’ve got you covered!
Cookie Decorating
Set up a space for Thanksgiving cookie decorating. Use either homemade or bakery-made sugar cookies. Provide tubs of icing, sprinkles, and other fall-colored edible decorations. Box them up in little treat boxes as DIY party favors to enjoy at home.
Dessert Potluck
Make a Friendsgiving party a great party with extra desserts! Ask each guest to bring their favorite fall dessert to share. And remember, there’s no such thing as too many pecan pies.
Hot Apple Cider Bar
Want a Friendsgiving party to be epic? This just might be the ticket. Set up a station with various toppings and mix-ins for hot apple cider. Think caramel sauce, cinnamon sticks, red hots, whipped cream, spiced rum, or bourbon.
Friendsgiving Charcuterie Board
Create a large grazing board with meats, cheeses, fruits, and nuts. It’s the perfect appetizer to get the Friendsgiving party started.
Thanksgiving Sushi
If fusion food is your thing, then this is for you: Thanksgiving sushi. Okay, hear me out. Serve turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce rolled in nori for a fusion twist for an unusual yet delicious side dish. (See recipe here)
Fall Soup Party
Forgo all the traditional Friendsgiving menu ideas and plan a Friendsgiving soup party with your favorite fall soups. Think chicken and dumplings, butternut squash soup, zuppa toscana, broccoli cheddar soup, beef stew…are you drooling yet? When it comes to a Friendsgiving with your favorite peeps, sometimes cozy comfort is the best option.
Cranberry Sauce Flight
Offer a tasting of various homemade cranberry sauces. And if you don’t feel like making your own, create your own flight with some of Stone Wall Kitchen’s fabulous gourmet flavors, including Apple Cranberry Chutney, New England Cranberry Relish, Orange Cranberry Marmelade, Holiday Spiced Cranberry Sauce, Hot Pepper Cranberry Jelly, and Cranberry Horseradish Sauce.
Build-Your-Own Pie Bar
Provide mini pie pans, pre-made crusts, and various fillings for guests to create their own individual desserts. Enjoy the aroma of the freshly baked pies that can be eaten at your feast or taken home as a party favor.
Leftover Care Packages
Provide cute containers for guests to take home leftovers. I love these adorable aluminum ones that are super affordable and pretty funny. Let guests bag it up with these autumn gift bags for the most aesthetically pleasing leftovers.
Extra Special Touches to Make It Memorable
Let’s talk about those little extras that really make Friendsgiving pop. Think heartwarming activities that’ll bring out all the feels and fun ways to capture the moment. These Friendsgiving ideas are all about adding those personal touches that’ll make your Friendsgiving feel extra special. Trust me, your friends will eat this stuff up (pun totally intended)!
Friendsgiving Invitations
Create some cute Friendsgiving invitations to send to your guests! You can find so many free options on Canva! It’s my favorite place to find attractive templates that I can edit or create my own designs. These can then be printed or sent digitally. But receiving an invite in the mail does make it feel extra special!
Polaroid Moments
Have a Polaroid-style camera for guests to take and print photos. I love the Fujifilm Instax Mini, as a budget-friendly option with great features and consistent print quality!
Volunteer Together
Spend part of the day volunteering at a local food bank, animal shelter, community clean-up, etc. before your celebration. No time to cook after? Opt for a Friendsgiving dinner out or delicious take-out.
Friendsgiving Awards
Create fun awards and prizes for your guests to make your Friendsgiving even more fun! Award ideas could include “Best with a Carving Knife,” “Most Festively Dressed,” “Sauce Boss,” etc. Keep it silly and light. No one wants hurt feelings at their Friendsgiving Dinner.
Virtual Friendsgiving
This probably isn’t the most ideal Friendsgiving idea. But sometimes distance or illness makes it impossible to be with our closest friends. Set up a video call for friends who can’t attend in person to join in for a Friendsgiving toast or game.
Friendship Plant Exchange
It doesn’t have to be Christmas in order to have a gift exchange. Have guests bring small potted plants to exchange with one another. Plants are one of my favorite gifts and are a beautiful daily reminder of the person who gifted them to us.
“Favorite Things” Gift Swap
If plants aren’t your thing, organize a gift exchange where everyone brings their favorite item under a set price limit. Cozy blankets, a cherished book, or a favorite kitchen gadget are all to-be-loved ideas for a Friendsgiving gift swap with your closest friends.
Friendsgiving Cookbook
Have everyone bring typed copies of their dish’s recipe. Compile all the Thanksgiving recipes into a cookbook. You can purchase inexpensive binders with clear front pockets, print a quick cover, punch holes in the recipes, and tada! It’s a Friendsgiving cookbook you can add to every year! You can access my template here!
Friend-Focused Toast Time
Designate a time for guests to give short toasts celebrating their friendships. This could be before the meal or even after dessert. Find a moment when your guests are feeling relaxed and the mood is high. This is the perfect way to cap off a successful Friendsgiving.
Wrapping-Up: 45 Creative Friendsgiving Ideas
Friendsgiving is all about celebrating our friendships and expressing gratitude for the people who make our lives so much richer. With these 45 creative Friendsgiving ideas, you have a wealth of options to make your Friendsgiving celebration truly special. Mix and match these suggestions to create an event that reflects your friend group’s personality and interests. Remember, the most important ingredient for a successful Friendsgiving is the love and laughter shared among friends. And the food. You can’t forget the food. Happy Friendsgiving!
