Friendsgiving is the popular alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving holiday. On this day, people enjoy all the staples of Thanksgiving—great food and delicious desserts and their closest friends.  Perfect for those who can't travel back home to the U.S at this time. This is a great opportunity for young American expats and their friends to create new holiday traditions in addition to doing the classic Thanksgiving activities you already know and love. Here are some fun Friendsgiving party ideas to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible:
Send out cute invitations
 You'll want to make sure you have your besties ready to celebrate Friendsgiving with you, and also that you have enough space to accommodate everyone you invite. Make a list of must-invites and a backup list. This way, you can always open up the invitation to someone else if some of your friends can't make it. 
With your Friendsgiving list planned out, it's time for the cool stuff — putting together your cute invitations! We love the idea of going all-out with your Friendsgiving dinner invitations. If you're a DIY pro, you can make Turkey or maple leaf shaped invitations to highlight the theme of the season. 
If you're not crafty, buy some Friendsgiving invitations at your local card store or make it even easier (and eco-friendly) by opting for online invitations that highlight Thanksgiving aesthetics like autumn leaves, wreaths or a Turkey feast. 
Set a Theme
 Set a theme for your Friendsgiving party to streamline your plans and set the tone for your gathering. Simple decorations are a great place to start if you don't already have a specific theme in mind. 
 Decorations that complement the season best include: Harvest boxes, cornucopia, pumpkins and garlands. Incorporate some festive colors to your Friendsgiving by using hues like browns, oranges and yellows.
 Collective Meal Planning
Food is at the center of Thanksgiving celebrations and this goes for Friendsgiving too. Plan the menu collectively to accommodate everyone's tastes, preferences and diet restrictions. It's also a good way to avoid food allergies. 
 A shared digital spreadsheet with categories like starters, sides, vegetables and desserts will make planning so much easier. All your invited Friends can simply add their names and what they plan to bring to the party. 
 A potluck lets everyone share their favorite recipes with friends, and it can be a great opportunity to bring less "traditional" dishes into the mix.
 Remember, the host gets Turkey duty. The logistics of transporting a cooked turkey are anything but fun.  Therefore, it's only fair that the bird and gravy be made at the host's place. This means the host is pardoned from heavy cooking. 
 Set up a beverage bar
 Ask friends to carry their favorite holiday beverage for sharing at the Friendsgiving bar. It could be a bottle of wine or pumpkin spice flavored non-alcoholic drinks—  no judging.  
 While dinner's getting ready, set out the ultimate Friendsgiving bar where your friends can make their celebratory cocktails & mocktails as they mingle and catch up on whatever's trending on Twitter.  
Set up a seating plan and make personalized place cards.
As the host, it is your job to encourage and facilitate socializing at Friendsgiving.  A good way to do so is using a well-thought-out seating plan. There are plenty of recommendations on how to create the perfect seating plan, but what's most important is to make sure everyone is comfortable.  Make sweet personalized place cards for your guests with Thanksgiving themes. They can carry them home as souvenirs.
 Plan a Friendsgiving Photoshoot
Autumn and photoshoots blend like pumpkins and pie. You and your friends will definitely want to capture tons of pics to memorialize the day. You can find fun fall photoshoot ideas oInstagram or Pinetrest, get some props and take lots of pictures with pumpkins, leaves & haystacks in your backdrop.  
 Play fun Friendsgiving Games
You can make your own Turkey tic-tac-toe board or play Friendsgiving charades. There are plenty of fun choices to try out.  Games are a great way to entertain your friends as they wait for dinner or after the big meal.
 Friendsgiving Movie
How about organizing an all-day movie marathon at the cinemas this Thanksgiving weekend, KenyaBuzz has some great choices. Find tickets HERE
 Party Favors
Wrap up Friendsgiving celebrations with party favors. They're of course optional but a great way to end the day by letting guests carry pieces of the event home with them. You can give out pumpkin spice, succulents, turkey stickers, party themed cookies, caramel apples, Friendsgiving trail mix or whatever crafty gift you can think of. Make sure to pack leftovers and include them in the goody bag.
 
Get Friendsgiving supplies HERE
 
*Image: Unsplash

About The Author

Author
Maureen Kasuku

Maureen is our resident cat lady and Beyoncé stan. She writes about spas, brunch and ballet recitals but has never been to any. Moonlights as a social justice activist in her spare time. She knows things and is obnoxiously opinionated on the internet but not in real life

Subscribe to our newsletters

  • Events
  • Movies
  • KenyaBuzz Kids
  • Whatsapp/Telegram

    The latest buzz and hottest trends in a bite-size daily message