How to choose your Friendsgiving ideas
You don't need a theme, three games and a craft station. Most good Friendsgivings have one twist on the food, one thing to do after dinner and a lot of time to just sit. Choose by your group:
- Small group in an apartment: a cozy theme, a long dinner and one table game.
- Big potluck crowd: a clear theme for the food plus something people can join or skip, like a pie contest.
- Friends who don't all know each other: an icebreaker game early, before the food.
- Old friends with history: trivia about your own group always wins.
The basics (date, potluck sign-up, menu, timeline) are in our guide to hosting Friendsgiving. This page is about the fun part.
Friendsgiving themes
A theme mostly decides what people bring and wear. Pick one and mention it in the invite.
1. Cozy harvest dinner
- Budgetlow
- Best forany group
The classic, done with care: candles, a long table, mini pumpkins and the full turkey menu. Ask guests to wear their coziest sweater. The theme is "nobody leaves before ten".
2. Pie party
- Budgetlow
- Best forbakers, big groups
Skip the turkey stress: everyone brings a pie, sweet or savory. Chicken pot pie, shepherd's pie, quiche and tomato pie next to pumpkin, pecan and apple. Set up a long table, hand out small plates and let people try a slice of everything. Add a vote for best pie.
3. Heritage potluck
- Budgetlow
- Best forinternational groups
Everyone brings a dish their own family makes for a holiday: tamales, jollof rice, pierogi, biryani, kimchi pancakes, grandma's green bean casserole. Each person tells the story behind it in two sentences. One of the best Friendsgiving ideas for friend groups from different backgrounds, and the food is always more interesting.
4. Brunchsgiving
- Budgetlow
- Best forbusy groups, families with kids
Friendsgiving at 11 am: pumpkin pancakes, a sweet potato hash, a breakfast casserole, cranberry muffins, coffee and mimosas. Everyone still has the evening free, and nobody has to roast a whole bird.
5. Leftovers party
- Budgetfree
- Best forfriends who go home for the holiday
Held on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving. Everyone brings whatever survived the family dinner, the host provides bread, drinks and a sandwich station. Perfect for groups that scatter across the country for the holiday itself.
6. Fancy Friendsgiving
- Budgetmedium
- Best foradults
Dress code: your best outfit. Cloth napkins, candles, handwritten menus and courses served one by one. The food can still be a potluck. It just feels different when everyone shows up in a blazer to eat mac and cheese.
7. Pajama Friendsgiving
- Budgetlow
- Best forclose friends
Pajamas, slippers, blankets on the floor and a movie after dinner. Ideal for small apartments, because nobody minds sitting on cushions in sweatpants.
8. Fire pit Friendsgiving
- Budgetlow
- Best forbackyards, warm climates
Dinner outside around a fire pit or patio heater with chili, cornbread, sweet potatoes in the coals and s'mores for dessert. Works well in the southern US, and it's the natural choice for a Friendsgiving in Australia, where late November is warm and summer is only days away.
9. Friendsgiving cook-off
- Budgetlow to medium
- Best forcompetitive groups
Pick one category (stuffing, mac and cheese or pie) and everyone who wants to compete makes a version. Number the dishes, run a blind tasting and give the winner a ridiculous trophy, like a spray-painted gold turkey baster that travels to next year's winner.
10. Build-your-own bar
- Budgetlow
- Best forpicky eaters, mixed diets
Turkey tacos, a baked potato bar or a grain bowl bar with toppings people bring. Everyone builds their own plate, so vegans, picky eaters and meat lovers all end up happy. A fun change for groups that already did a classic dinner with their family.
Friendsgiving games for after dinner
Play these between dinner and dessert, when everyone is too full to move but not ready to go home.
11. Gratitude guessing game
- Best forany group
- Time15 minutes
As guests arrive, each person writes one thing they're grateful for this year on a slip and drops it in a jar. After dinner, read them out one by one and let the group guess who wrote it. Funny and touching at the same time, and much less awkward than going around the table.
12. Trivia about your group
- Best forold friends
- Time20 to 30 minutes
The host writes questions about the group itself: "Who got lost on the way to last year's Friendsgiving?", "Who has the most houseplants?", "What was the first concert Maya went to?". Play in teams. The answers lead to stories, which is the point.
Tip: Ask everyone for two fun facts a week before. You'll have more questions than you can use.
13. Thanksgiving charades
- Best foreveryone
- Time20 minutes
Slips with fall and Thanksgiving prompts: carving the turkey, a parade balloon, falling asleep on the couch, the awkward political talk at the family table, running a turkey trot. One person acts, their team guesses in 60 seconds.
14. Wishbone bracket
- Best forfriends
- Time10 minutes
There's only one wishbone, so make it count. Play rock paper scissors in a tournament bracket and the two finalists pull the wishbone. The winner makes a wish and gets bragging rights until next year.
15. Two truths and a lie: Thanksgiving edition
- Best fornew groups
- Time15 minutes
Everyone shares two true and one false Thanksgiving story ("I once set an oven mitt on fire", "We have tofurky every year", "My uncle carves with an electric saw"). Great as an icebreaker before dinner if not everyone knows each other.
16. Pie blind tasting
- Best forany group
- Time20 minutes
Slice every pie, number the plates and let everyone guess who baked what and score each one. Also works with store-bought pies: guess the bakery or the price range.
17. Guess the turkey's weight
- Best foreveryone
- Time5 minutes
A tiny game for arrivals: everyone writes down their guess for the weight of the turkey. The closest guess gets the first slice or the last piece of pie. Zero prep, surprisingly heated.
18. Thankful Pictionary
- Best foreveryone
- Time20 minutes
Pictionary where the prompts are things the group is thankful for or fall classics: cranberry sauce from a can, the pilgrims, stretchy pants, a long weekend. Draw on a big sheet of paper or the paper table runner.
19. Turkey Bowl
- Best foractive groups
- Time30 to 60 minutes
Football is a big part of Thanksgiving in the US, on TV and in the backyard. Organize a casual game of flag or touch football before dinner, or put the game on and run a small pool for who scores first. No pressure for people who'd rather stay in the kitchen.
20. Board game tournament
- Best forgame lovers
- Time1 to 2 hours
Set up two or three tables with quick games and rotate. Points across games, a small prize for the winner. Good for groups that like to stay late. Our Christmas party games list has more group games that work in November too.
Friendsgiving activities and traditions
Not games, just things that make the day feel like your own. The ones you repeat every year become traditions.
21. A tablecloth everyone signs
- Budgetlow
- Best forrepeat groups
Buy a plain white tablecloth and fabric markers. Every year, each guest signs it with the year and one word about how they're doing. After a few Friendsgivings it's the best thing in the room.
22. Run a turkey trot together
- Budgetlow
- Best foractive groups
Many US towns hold a fun run called a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning. Sign up as a team, wear matching hats and earn the second slice of pie.
23. Collect for a food drive
- Budgetlow
- Best forany group
Ask every guest to bring two cans or packaged goods and drop the box at a local food bank the next day. A simple way to share the "thanks" part of the holiday.
24. DIY photo booth
- Budgetlow
- Best forbig groups
A blanket or a wall of paper leaves, some silly props (pilgrim hats, a cardboard turkey) and a phone on a tripod. Take the same group photo every year in the same spot.
25. Thankful tree
- Budgetlow
- Best forfamilies, mixed ages
Branches in a vase and paper leaves with string. Everyone writes something on a leaf and hangs it up. Kids love it, and it doubles as decoration.
26. Recipe swap booklet
- Budgetlow
- Best forpotluck groups
Ask everyone to send the recipe for the dish they bring. Put them in a shared document or a little printed booklet and send it around after the party. People always ask for that one stuffing recipe anyway.
27. Letters to next year
- Budgetfree
- Best forclose friends
Everyone writes a short note to their future self: a guess about where they'll be next Friendsgiving, a wish for the group. Seal them in envelopes and open them next year.
28. Everyone picks the playlist
- Budgetfree
- Best forany group
Ask each guest for three songs a week ahead and make one shared playlist. Guessing who picked which song is a game by itself.
Friendsgiving table and decor ideas
Decorations don't need to be bought. A few touches make a table look loved:
- Kraft paper runner: roll brown paper down the table, write names at each seat and put crayons out. It becomes the Pictionary board later.
- Mini pumpkins as place cards: write names on them with a gold marker. Guests take them home.
- Candles in jars and a few branches or leaves from outside.
- Mismatched plates and glasses: borrow from guests, it looks charming and saves buying paper plates.
- A drinks station on a side table with a big jug of cider, cups and a handwritten sign, so the host isn't the bartender.
Food ideas with a twist
For a full menu and potluck list, see the Friendsgiving menu in our hosting guide. These are small extras that make a potluck feel special:
- Mashed potato bar with toppings: gravy, cheese, chives, bacon, crispy onions.
- Stuffing waffles the morning after, or at a leftovers party.
- A pie flight: thin slices of three or four pies on one plate.
- A snack board shaped like a turkey, with crackers and fruit as the tail feathers. Kids and adults love it.
- A hot cider bar with cinnamon sticks, orange slices and optional rum or bourbon.
- Takeaway boxes with name labels, so leftovers go home organized.
Friendsgiving ideas for different groups
| Group | Ideas that fit |
|---|---|
| Small apartment, 4 to 6 people | Pajama Friendsgiving, cook-off with one dish, gratitude jar |
| Big potluck, 12 or more | Pie party, heritage potluck, photo booth, guess the weight |
| Coworkers | Office potluck at lunch, build-your-own bar, food drive, kind trivia about the team |
| Friends with kids | Brunchsgiving, thankful tree, kraft paper table with crayons |
| Long-distance friends | Virtual Friendsgiving: everyone cooks one dish, one video call, group trivia |
| Canada | Harvest dinner around the October long weekend, with butter tarts and apple everything |
Whatever you choose, all of it falls apart if half the group can't make the date. Sort that out first, then send the invite. Our Friendsgiving invitation wording has samples for each theme above. More guides in Planning.
psst … this makes it easier
Find the day that works for everyone
- Create a poll and drop the link in the group chat
- Everyone taps the days they're free and the best one shows up instantly
- Free, no account, no app
Frequently asked questions
What are fun Friendsgiving ideas?
A pie bake-off with blind tasting, a heritage potluck where everyone brings a dish from their family, a gratitude guessing game and a tablecloth everyone signs each year are all easy and memorable. Pick one theme and one or two activities so the evening has a shape without feeling like a program.
What games can you play at Friendsgiving?
Good Friendsgiving games include a gratitude guessing game, trivia about your friend group, Thanksgiving charades, a wishbone tournament, two truths and a lie and a pie blind tasting. Most need nothing but paper and pens. Board games and a backyard football game work well too.
What are good Friendsgiving themes?
Popular Friendsgiving themes are a pie party, a heritage potluck, a cozy pajama Friendsgiving, a fancy dress-up dinner, a brunch version and a leftovers party after Thanksgiving. A theme mainly tells guests what to bring and what to wear, so keep it to one clear idea.
How do you make Friendsgiving special?
Add one tradition you repeat every year: the same signed tablecloth, a group photo in the same spot, a gratitude jar or a trophy for the best dish. Small personal touches like handwritten place cards or a playlist made from everyone's picks matter more than decorations.
How do you do a virtual Friendsgiving?
Agree on a time across time zones, have everyone cook one dish from a shared recipe or their own favorite and eat together on a video call. Add a short game like group trivia or a gratitude round. Keep it to about an hour so it stays fun.