10 Tips for throwing an unforgettable, amazing party (without losing your mind)
It all started on New Year’s Eve, 2024. Somewhere between the midnight countdown and the last glass of prosecco, my friends and I made a spontaneous decision: instead of just setting resolutions we’d forget by February, we’d create a year-long challenge full of fun things to do together. No pressure, no perfection — just shared experiences, wild ideas, and a little chaos.
We scribbled down a list of everything we wanted to try: from winter kayaking and “bad outfit” parties to walking shelter dogs, picking each other’s thrift store outfits, and even getting matching tattoos to mark what we’d completed. And you know what? 2024 turned out to be one of the most unforgettable years of our lives. We laughed a lot, tried things we’d never dare do alone, and made memories that still come up in every group chat.
Now, I want to share this joy. Whether you’re looking for spontaneous weekend ideas or want to start your own year-long friendship challenge, here’s a list of fun, creative, and sometimes ridiculous things to do with friends — no holiday required.
Not every great memory starts with a packed itinerary or a plane ticket. Some of our most iconic moments from 2024 happened right in someone’s living room — with snacks, a playlist, and a ridiculous idea that somehow turned into tradition. Here are some of our favorite modern, easy-to-do, and actually fun at-home activities.
We challenged ourselves to stay at the same table for six straight hours — no phones, no TV, just food, games, and each other. What started as a joke turned into a mini retreat. We played “We’re Not Really Strangers,” drew fake tarot cards, made mocktails, and ended the night writing silly poetry. It was the perfect mix of chaos and closeness.
We all showed up in the worst outfits we could thrift — think glitter leggings, tourist shirts, a feather boa — and had a totally serious, candlelit dinner. It felt like being at a fashion disaster awards night. We ended up laughing until 2 a.m., taking Polaroids like it was prom night. Bonus: we now use those photos as our group chat icons.
One evening in Prague, we each picked one random ingredient (mine was pickled onions, regretfully), and had to create a dish with everything on the table. It was unhinged — and so much fun. One friend made a “sushi pancake,” another created a pasta dessert. The food was barely edible, but the stories? Delicious.
We gave each other a list of weird photo challenges to complete around the house — like “pose like a movie villain using only kitchen utensils” or “recreate your worst passport photo.” It became an indoor scavenger hunt-meets-Instagram experiment. The best shots went straight to our private story.
There’s something about stepping outside your usual bubble — even just for an afternoon — that instantly makes life feel more alive. During 2024, we made it a rule: if the weather is decent and someone says “let’s go,” we go. It led us to some of the most spontaneous, hilarious, and unexpectedly beautiful moments of the year.
We booked this on a total whim while in Austria — convinced by a €10 promo and a guide named Pavel who promised we wouldn’t freeze. He lied. But wrapped in four layers and fueled by post-kayak schnapps, it was one of the most surreal experiences we’ve ever had. Ice floating by, fog over the river, and not a soul around. Just us, paddles, and chaos.
One Saturday, we met at the train station in Budapest and agreed: we’d hop on the third train leaving and figure it out from there. We ended up in a tiny town we’d never heard of, had lunch with two elderly locals who thought we were lost (we kind of were), and ended the day watching the sunset over a frozen lake. Zero plans, 100% magic.
Not every adventure needs adrenaline. One cold morning in Krakow, we signed up to walk dogs from the local shelter. It turned out to be so grounding — wholesome chaos with leashes, muddy shoes, and the occasional dog that refused to walk unless bribed with sausages. Simple, meaningful, and now a regular part of our hangouts.
We made it a game: one person picks a location, the others show up before 6:00 a.m. No questions. We’ve watched the sun rise from castle ruins, rooftop parking garages, and once — very memorably — from a construction crane platform (don’t ask). Sleep-deprived, freezing, and happy every single time.
We realized that the best memories often begin with: “Should we just go for it?” Whether it’s 20 minutes away or in another country, adventure doesn’t always need planning — just friends who are down to say yes.
Not all fun has to be loud or sporty — sometimes, the weirdest ideas spark the best memories. In 2024, we leaned into our chaotic creative side. From drawing silly cartoons to getting matching tattoos (yep), these moments brought out our inner kids, our wild imaginations, and sometimes… our very questionable artistic talents.
One rainy Sunday in Vilnius, we sat down with paper, markers, and exactly zero drawing skills. The challenge: draw each other as cartoon characters. The results? Unhinged. One of us looked like a banana with legs, another like a villain from a 90s cartoon. We framed the worst one. It’s still in someone’s hallway.
We booked a ceramics class in Berlin thinking it would be calm and relaxing. It wasn’t. The spinning wheels turned into a full-on mess, we laughed so hard we cried, and someone made a vase that looked like a squashed snail. But now we all have weird little clay pieces at home that remind us how fun it is to just… try something new.
After ticking off about 10 things from our list, three of us got small matching tattoos — tiny symbols of the chaos we’d survived together. One got a paddle (for kayaking), another got a dog paw (for the shelter walks), and mine? A compass, for all our random journeys. No regrets, only inked memories.
We each drew a name and had €10 to thrift a complete outfit the other person had to wear. Results ranged from “kinda chic” to “walking meme.” Then we all went out to dinner in our ridiculous outfits like it was totally normal. Heads turned. We had a blast.
On a late autumn hike in Slovakia, we each wrote a letter to our future selves (or future friendship), sealed it, and buried it under a tree near a lake. No one remembers the exact spot. We’ll probably never find them. And somehow, that makes it even better.
These creative moments weren’t about being good at something — they were about saying yes to things that felt random, bold, or just plain fun. And they made our year way more colorful.
Sometimes, we just needed to move — not necessarily train for a marathon, but break a sweat, challenge each other, or just laugh our way through something active. These were the moments when friendship felt like team spirit — a little ridiculous, very sweaty, and 100% worth it.
It started as a joke at a park in Bratislava: “Let’s run a mile and then chug a beer like champions.” So we did. Surprisingly, it became a thing. We turned it into a seasonal ritual — every few months, we meet, run (some walk), drink, and toast to not taking ourselves too seriously.
One friend had a foldable table in their garage near Zagreb, so we turned it into a championship zone. We made brackets, wore “team uniforms” (read: matching headbands), and had dramatic walk-on music. We even had a “trophy” — a plastic duck glued to a base. It still rotates among us.
No net, no rules, just snow, a ball, and five friends trying not to fall every two seconds. We played in a random field near our Airbnb in Poland — soaked, frozen, and laughing the whole time. If you’ve never played volleyball in boots, you’re missing out on some quality chaos.
This one surprised all of us. A friend dragged us to a salsa workshop in Lviv, and we left obsessed. Suddenly, we were attending dance events, practicing footwork in metro stations, and having spontaneous dance-offs at parties. It wasn’t about being good — just letting go and moving.
In Hungary, we found a medieval festival and decided to try archery. Turns out, it’s way harder than it looks in movies. We hit more hay bales than targets, but every time someone hit anything, we celebrated like it was the Olympics. That day ended in a group nap on the grass. 10/10.
For someone who’s afraid of heights (me), this was borderline terrifying. But flying in an air tube (like indoor skydiving) is pure adrenaline. We screamed, laughed, and flailed our arms like weird floating noodles. It was one of the most unforgettable 5-minute thrills ever.
These kinds of challenges didn’t just get us moving — they reminded us what it’s like to play. To try new things. To be bad at them. And to cheer each other on anyway.
Not every hangout needs to be wild or adventurous. Some of the most meaningful moments we had in 2024 came from slowing down, being a little sentimental, and just… being present. These low-energy, high-connection ideas were perfect for when we wanted to recharge — without cancelling the vibe.
We realized that none of us had time to finish 400-page novels every month. So we switched it up — each person brought one article they’d read and loved. Sometimes it was deep, sometimes it was weird (someone once brought an essay about IKEA psychology). But every time, it sparked real conversations — all without homework.
After a long week, we met in someone’s flat in Sofia, lit a few candles, did a 10-minute YouTube meditation, and then journaled in silence for 15 more. No pressure to share, but a few of us did — and ended up talking about everything from career burnout to weird dreams. We all left a little lighter.
On a quiet Sunday, we each wrote a letter to open a year later — about what we hoped, feared, or needed to remember. We sealed them and stored them in a shoebox with our names on it. Some of us plan to open them at next year’s New Year’s Eve party. Others say, “Never.” That’s okay too.
We bought the ugliest puzzle we could find — a 1000-piece collage of frogs. Then we paired it with wine, snacks, and a no-phone rule. Three hours passed like magic. We listened to an old Taylor Swift album, shared travel stories, and argued about whether or not to cheat with the box cover.
One lazy Saturday, instead of planning a big brunch, we said: bring your favorite snack, no judgment. We ended up with seaweed chips, Kinder Buenos, pickles, and a loaf of focaccia. It was chaotic, delightful, and somehow very us. We talked, people napped on the couch, someone started crocheting. Pure comfort.
We didn’t have a mountain or a scenic field. Just an open rooftop parking lot in Brno, blankets, and a playlist. We lay there under the stars, pointing out what we thought were constellations and talking about everything we never make time for. That night felt like a secret we all got to keep.
These moments weren’t loud or dramatic, but they stuck with us. Because sometimes the best thing you can do with your friends is just show up — fully, quietly, and completely yourself.
Of course, some nights were made for a little chaos. For the times when we didn’t want to “take it easy,” we leaned into the ridiculous, the spontaneous, and the stories-we’ll-laugh-about-forever type of plans. These wildcards pushed us out of our comfort zones — and usually left us saying “we should NOT do that again… but also, let’s do it again.”
One Friday in Berlin, we set alarms for 5:30 a.m., dressed up, made mimosas, and threw a dance party in someone’s kitchen before work. No one else understood why we were in sequins at 6:00 a.m. — and that made it better. By 9:00 a.m., we were half-asleep and fully happy.
We made a pact: no judging, no pressure, just curiosity. So we went to a strip club in Vienna — dressed like tourists, with the most respectful energy possible. We stayed for one drink, tipped well, and talked about it for hours afterward. It was more fun than we expected, and way more wholesome than we thought.
Someone found tickets to the local racetrack in Prague, and off we went. We didn’t bet (except on who would spill their beer first), but we screamed like it was the Olympics. The vibes were immaculate. The horses? Majestic. The group selfies? Blurry and perfect.
We tried an escape room in Bucharest with exactly zero strategy. We spent 10 minutes arguing over a fake key and accidentally broke a lamp. We didn’t escape, obviously. But we laughed the entire time — and now use “you’re acting like the lamp clue” as an inside joke.
We once rented a small photography studio for a “private rave” with 6 people and a strobe light from Amazon. Another time, we danced in a laundromat (for 15 minutes, before getting kicked out). It’s not about the venue — it’s about saying “why not?” and making it work.
One summer night, we brought sleeping bags, fairy lights, and way too many snacks to a giant city park. We didn’t sleep there, but we stayed until 4 a.m., telling stories, playing music, and pretending we were 18 again. It was low-budget, high-memory magic.
These nights reminded us that friendship isn’t about fancy places or curated perfection. It’s about saying yes, staying curious, and being a little reckless — together.
If you’re reading this, maybe it’s time to start your own version of our year. It doesn’t have to be big or even planned — just gather your people, make a list, and start checking it off. You’ll be surprised how much joy lives in the small, weird, wonderful things.
