Sometimes you just need a good ol’ fashioned girls' night out to blow out the winter cobwebs and take the edge off of life. To reconnect and reset with the help of your nearest and dearest.
In this countdown, we rank the 40 best options for the perfect girls' night out.
40. A night of putt putt.
We’ve all been on that cringeworthy date night where the bloke comes up with the ingenious — and, to him, one-of-its-kind — idea to play some putt putt. But before we take too hard a swing (pun intended) at the idea of spending a night bashing a fluro-coloured ball around a maze of fake turf, it’s worth considering what the night would be like sans the bloke and with your closest friends in attendance to replace his bad jokes and weird, mini-golf-swagger.
Click here for a hit at Holey Moley.
39. A swap night
Relax! Don’t let the title for this one fool you; we’re not hinting at a keys-in-the-bowl turn of events. Instead, have all your friends bring over a small collection of clothing, jewellery, or other items they’d like to give away in a swap for others’ treasure.
38. A night of dessert
Why waste a good girls' night out on a fancy restaurant when you can just skip dinner and go straight to dessert? With so many family and work priorities battling for evening time, catching up later in the night for dessert might be the time-management hack needed to make it happen.
37. A night of blind tasting
This one can work at the bar or in the home. If you’re at the bar, have everyone order a secret round of cocktails and do a taste-test around the group to pick what each person ordered. If you’re at home, have everyone bring a bottle of wine with the label covered.
36. A night of fondue
Ah, fondue. Trust the Swiss to come up with something so simple, yet so delightful, as a pot of melted cheese or chocolate that you dip things into at such frequency and for such longevity that you end up having to roll yourself home at the end of the night. Pure Swiss bliss.
You can hire a chocolate fountain from Xtreme Party Hire.
35. A night at the museum
Now, look. I’ll be the first to admit it. The thought of spending a girls' night out at the museum is not the most enticing at first glance. But museums have an uncanny knack to get more interesting the older you get. And when you pair it with a dinner at a nice restaurant, we’re willing to standby this one as a deserved option on the list.
Click here for passes to Melbourne Museum.
34. A night at the orchestra
Another one that might be a tad boring for some, but if you’re a classical music lover/appreciator you’ll hands-down love every bit of this girls' night out idea. Again, pair it with a meal at a fancy restaurant and you’ll be glad you took our advice.
Click here for tickets to Orchestra Victoria.
33. A themed party night
A classic, for a good reason. Simple: pick a theme (like “Hamptons” or “Christmas”) and throw a party based on the theme. If it’s Christmas, decorate your joint like it’s the house on Home Alone and dress up as a Christmas tree.
32. A night of learning
For this one you can either organise it at home or go to a proper venue, but the basic idea is to spend a girls' night out learning a new skill together. Learn a language, learn pilates, learn how to fly a Boeing 747. Whatever!
31. A “relive the 80s” night
If you grew up squarely in the ‘80s then this idea will be right up your alley. But even if you didn’t, who would turn down a night of partying in leg warmers and a ghastly perm? Not us.
30. A Great Gatsby night
Forget the ‘80s. The real parties took place in the roaring ‘20s, when prohibition was a thing and Jay Gatsby was shelling out serious dough for some serious parties. Why not relive F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic New York party scene with a Great Gatsby-themed girls' night out of your own?
29. A night of mani/pedis
Now we’re talking. Why go out partying and gallivanting around town when you can stay in and rejuvenate your nails with professional or amateur manicures/pedicures? Either bring in an expert or do it yourselves.
28. A book club night
It’s weird to think that a few hundred years ago reading books was as revolutionary as watching Netflix is now (we doubt Netflix will survive another five hundred years). For a very relaxing and mind-enriching girls’ night out, stay in and debate the books you love.
27. A night of photos
Props, costumes, a few bottles of Prosecco, and a camera. The perfect ingredients for a rowdy girls’ night in. Or you can take it seriously and get some good shots of your nearest and dearest.
26. A night at a themed restaurant
Have you ever had a laksa in a laundromat? What about a Tiramisu in a tiki bar? If you search hard enough in your city you’re likely to find some weird and wacky restaurants that will turn your next girls' night out completely upside down. In the best way possible.
For a good themed restaurant in Victoria, try Easeys, Rice Queen, or Truck Stop Deluxe.
25. A night at the ballet
Cinderella, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake. If your group is a lover of the arts, what better way to spend a girls' night out together than at the ballet?
Click here for tickets to the Australian Ballet.
24. A night at the gallery
A night at an inner-city gallery isn’t just for the art lovers amongst us. Galleries are a mesmerising concoction of beautiful creations, beautiful spaces, and beautiful people. Plus there’s often free-flowing champers and delicious canapes.
23. A night at the opera
For something more upmarket than your regular girls' night out, dress up in your Sunday’s best and spend the night at the opera. To look super posh, pick up a pair of these Opera binoculars.
Get tickets for a night at the opera from Victorian Opera.
22. A movie night.
Wine. Netflix. Bean bags. Four rom coms lined up one after the other. ‘Nough said.
...Or even better turn the standard movie night in into the ultimate private cinema party with a backyard movie night kit. Watch your chick flicks on a giant screen, with a banging sound system and binge on all you can eat popcorn - the best part, you can enjoy your cinema experience outdoors and star gaze at the sky.
21. A night of sport
A good girls' night out doesn’t need to be all about the booze and food. For a different take, you could organise a night playing your group’s favourite sport (perhaps harking back to your elite high school days). That said, if you need the booze and food, you could also head to the local stadium or arena and enjoy eating, drinking, and watching from the sidelines.
20. A night of pole dancing
A once covert art, pole dancing these days is an exercise in acrobatics and fitness more than anything else. Plus, it’s a helluva lot of fun. Book in with an expert teacher and spend the night bending your limbs to degrees they were never meant to bend.
Book passes for a night of pole dancing classes with The Pole Room.
19. A night of psychic readings
Even if you don’t believe in the power of fortune telling, you can still have a very fun (and often highly amusing) girls' night out in the hands of a professional psychic.
18. A night at the casino
Dress up, wrap your lips around a martini, and put everything you own on red (not really, gamble responsibly). The main gaming floor of a casino can be a bit of a frenzy but a night amidst the glam and glittering lights of a casino precinct can be the perfect way to blow off steam.
For a great night out, check out Crown Casino.
17. A night in the pool
It’s absolutely the wrong season for this one right now, but when Spring and Summer roll around in a couple months time, take advantage of the warm swing with a girls' night out spent entirely in the pool.
16. A night of volunteering
Bringing your closest friends together for a girls' night out might just be the perfect opportunity for you to give back to those less fortunate than you. Instead of hitting the town, why not hit a local shelter or another organised charity and spend the night volunteering?
15. A night of board games
Charades. Monopoly. Cluedo. Yahtzee. You could spend your girls' night out partying and dancing off that morning’s breakfast in a dank fog of sweat and regret. Or you could dust off the board games that have spent the last 5 years on the top shelf of your bedroom cupboard and relive your childhood’s rainy days of mortal board game combat.
14. A night of fundraising
There are charity balls and fundraising events run all over most cities, all of the time. For a girls’ night out with a cause, get the best of both worlds with a night of fun and merriment where the focus is on raising money for those less fortunate.
13. A night of boozing and cruising
While there’s something inherently risky about pairing unlimited alcohol with a watercraft, there’s no doubt that a girls’ night out aboard a rivercity booze cruise is not a bad way to spend an evening.
Click here for passes on Melbourne’s Party Boat Cruises.
12. A night of comedy
When it comes to a night of comedy, you have three options:
Go see a professional standup do a live show;
Go to an open mic night and enjoy the car crashes on stage (and even participate yourself); or,
Go to a local improv night and reignite your high school acting abilities.
Whichever one you choose, you’re bound to have a good time.
11. A night at a fancy restaurant
Probably the simplest and most popular girls' night out option, not much beats getting dressed up and enjoying a nice meal at a posh restaurant.
10. A night away
Airbnb has made it so easy and affordable to get away for the night that, family-life permitting, you might take the opportunity to get out of town and completely disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the real world.
9. A night of escape
What better use of a girls' night out is there than being locked in a room with nothing but a set of cryptic clues and a deadline to escape? Escape rooms have become all the rage these days and, if you’ve ever done one, you’ll understand why.
Click here for tickets to the Escape Room Melbourne.
8. A night of wine tasting
Whether it’s at home, at a local wine bar, or looking out at the endless rows of vines at a winery, there’s nothing quite like an afternoon or evening taste testing some of the nearest and farthest regions’ finest vintages.
Click here to book a personalised wine tour.
7. A night of karaoke
If you’re uncompromising on your wish to spend your next girls' night out partying the night away, there’s no better place to start than with a drink or two at a cosy karaoke bar.
Click here to book a private karaoke room at KBox Karaoke.
6. A night of progressive binge eating
Now we’re talking. Nothing beats drinks at the local watering hole into Canapés on the river into dinner at a nice restaurant into dessert at a chocolatier into a nightcap at a quaint whiskey bar.
5. A night at the spa
If partying isn’t your go, and you’d rather a girls' night out spent indoors in luxury, book a group session at your nearest luxury spa or salon.
4. A night of live music
Whether you’re headbangin’ in the moshpit or tapping your knee on the balcony, there are few better options for a girls’ night out than a night of live music with your favourite band on stage.
3. A night of yoga
There’s no better way to unwind with a group of your closest gal pals than to tie yourselves up in knots. Be it regular, hot or Bikram, a girls’ night out in the yoga studio is simply a must.
2. A night at a jazz club
Miles Davis. Billie Holiday. Frank Sinatra. Spend a night serenaded by the kings and queens of jazz and try your hardest not to break out in a contagious bout of the boogie.
1. A night at a cocktail bar
In our minds, this is undoubtedly the best way to spend a rollicking girls’ night out. A chilled margarita, your slinkiest dress, and a date with your nearest and dearest friends. Paradise.
Conclusion
There you have it, our countdown of the 40 best options for a girls’ night out. And, if you’re after something really memorable, make sure you check out our curated experiences for friends, which includes our Wine & Cheese? Yes Please!, Pamper Party and Walking Wine Tour.
