How to Host the Ultimate Friendsgiving in College

It’s that time of year again… holiday season in Dallas! Classes are getting busy, holiday lights are up all around Highland Park, and of course, the weather is as unpredictable as ever. With this season comes many chances to gather with friends and loved ones. But my personal favorite has always been Friendsgiving.

Friendsgiving is the perfect opportunity in college to slow down, come together, and celebrate friendship in a meaningful, cozy, yet fun way before heading home for the holidays. I hosted a Friendsgiving party with my college friends a few days ago and have collected the ultimate tips so that your event can be perfect.

Set the Vibe

Having decorations for a college Friendsgiving may sound extra, but honestly, it made all the difference. The slight bit of intentional effort from adding elements to transform the space makes people instantly excited to have a fun time. When my friends arrived at our place, they immediately had the biggest smiles on their faces and were ready to party. The decor was not only a vibe setter, but an easy conversation starter to get the party started.

And the best part? Yes, it looked great and was a fun setup, but it didn’t need to be complicated or expensive. For my friendsgiving, we created some simple paper chains to hang in the entryway (these are the ones we used), lit some pillar candles around the house, and put up a Christmas tree. This alone created the perfect atmosphere for our party. It was the ideal college cozy, chic vibe.

Let’s Talk Menu

This might be the most essential part of Friendsgiving, so pay close attention. After hosting this party, I have learned the ultimate truth about serving food at a college party: anything that isn’t chips and dip is automatically gourmet. In other words, college students are easily impressed, so you do not have to be serving Gordon Ramsay-quality food to blow people away.

My friends and I love to cook and host people, so this task was exciting for us. Though it was Friendsgiving, we wanted more grab-and-go foods that people could munch on throughout the night. We had jalapeno poppers and a charcuterie board (the easiest dishes to look like a cooking pro). For our “main event” dish, we made smash burger sliders. I recently made the most adult purchase of my life – a Blackstone grill – and have fully become a slider pro. My friends and I cooked about 80 of them, and people were walking around serving them to everyone, like waiters at a fancy dinner. Let me tell you, they were a hit. It was simple, delicious, and totally unexpected. No one at a college party is expecting a perfectly juicy burger, so when they get one, it becomes an automatic crowd pleaser.

The Element of Surprise

Everyone loves a good surprise, right? It keeps things interesting and unpredictable– and I learned that the same is true in hosting a party. Having a little unexpected surprise sprinkled throughout your party keeps the energy up without having to do anything crazy. Don’t overcomplicate either, just a little fun here and there. We made a festive welcome shot to get the ball rolling from the start. This allowed all of us as a group to have a moment together to acknowledge our gratitude for one another in a cheeky, fun way.

Later, once it hit midnight and everyone was having…let’s just say a very good time, we introduced what we called “cookie o’clock.” We brought out trays of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and people lost their minds. This was an instant crowd pleaser, yet so simple. Both of these thoughtful and low-effort gestures kept the energy high and made everyone excited. It also involved getting the group to do things collectively, which in turn made everyone in the party have a further sense of community with one another, which is what Friendsgiving is all about.

Invite a Group That Gets It

At the end of the day, the people create the energy that you want at any gathering. For our party, we wanted to make sure that we had people who wanted to be there. For us, that meant people committed to having a good time, mingling with the other guests, and keeping the energy high. When your group is excited to be there and on the same page, the night flows more easily.
With that being said, it is essential to take the time and thoughtfully invite people who will get along and lend each other for good conversation and laughter. The right group of people makes your Friendsgiving more than a party, but a long-lasting bonding moment to create core memories.

Final Thoughts

If there’s one thing I learned about hosting the perfect Friendsgiving, it’s not that you need to grill your way through the night or take time out to serve your guests a sweet treat. It’s about knowing why everyone is there to celebrate. Friendsgiving is about being grateful for what you have with the little family of people around you. So, if you want to host a Friendsgiving, my one piece of advice: do it. It has become one of my favorite college memories this year and is something my friends and I will continue to talk about for years to come.