Date night ideas that aren’t just dinner and a movie
When it comes to maintaining a long-lasting and healthy relationship, date night is an absolute must. Whether it’s crow-barring one and month in between kids dance classes, work commitments and everything else that comes with married life, or just enjoying getting to know someone at the start of a relationship, the humble date night is the key to strengthening the special bond between you.
For some that might feel like the ultimate pressure, but date nights don’t have to be dinner and a movie, they don’t have to be finest glad rags and eye-wateringly expensive.
Check out our ideas for date nights with a difference from cheap and cheerful to when you are feeling flush.
- Board Game Bonanza
We’re talking Monopoly, Cludeo, Guess Who and Snap here! A good old fashioned games night in the living room. No TV, just a little healthy competitiveness and maybe a bottle of vino to boot.
- Come Dine With Me
Challenge each other to produce a course each and actually sit and eat them together. No tv, no screens.
- Build a Fort & Tell Ghost Stories
Who said sofa forts are exclusively for kids?! Add fairy lights and cozy blankets for extra charm.
- Art Attack
Channel your inner Neil and enjoy a crafty date. Use old loo rolls to create a masterpiece or simply paint on canvas.
- Decorate cupcakes
There’s tons of tutorials on You Tube to get you started, or just go wild with the icing!
- Scare yourselves silly!
Have a scary movie marathon. Turn down the lights, crawl under the blankets together and cuddle up close in your fear fest!
- Write a Story Together
Each person adds a sentence to a spontaneous story. It’s up to you to decide how many Shades of Grey you want to make it!
- Strictly Come Dancing
Learn salsa, swing, or hip-hop together from free online videos.
- Charity Shop Challenge
Each person gets £5 to pick a funny or stylish outfit for the other.
- Sunset Walk & Dessert
Take a sunset walk in the park and grab a 99 from the Icecream man along the way for the ultimate in nostalgia.
- Local Open Mic Night
Open mic nights are awesome for cheap date nights. Most are free to attend and you never know – you might be there in the early days of a star in the making!
- Star Gazing
Head to a park with a blanket and use a star app like Night Sky or Skyview Lite to identify constellations.
- Visit a Botanical Garden
Many have free or low-cost entry days and are great for a hand-in-hand stroll amongst nature.
- Swing High!
Not that kind of swinging! Try a Playground Date. Act like kids again and indulge in the blissful happiness of childhood play!
- Random Bus Ride
Take a random bus, train, or tube and explore where it takes you.
- Coin Flip Adventure
Flip a coin to decide every choice (left or right, coffee or tea, etc.).
- Create a Scavenger Hunt
Create one for each other and get outside!
- Try an Escape Room Together
An escape room is a fantastic double date idea that guarantees excitement and teamwork. You’ll learn a lot about your partner as you race against the clock to solve puzzles—nothing reveals a person’s true nature quite like a high-pressure challenge!