I don’t know about you, but I still get really excited about weekends. Just knowing that it’s Wednesday today has got me thinking about Friday and Saturday night and I’ve just planned out my make-it-yourself takeaway-esque treat for the weekend (homemade pizza – woo!). In fact, I’m enjoying my weekends more NOW than before, because I used to work a lot at weekends as that’s when events would be happening. So my weekends now actually feel really exciting..!
Whether you’re working remotely from home, are a key worker or are furloughed at home, it’s still a good idea to follow a weekly routine and to actually have those weekends off. And to really enjoy that time doing something special and something social! But what can you do on a Saturday night when you’re at home? Here are 10 ideas to give you something exciting to look forward to:
1 COMEDY NIGHT
I think I’ve mentioned this before but for the past 4 weeks I’ve been ‘going to’ a comedy night. It’s exactly what I would have chosen to do with my weekends before lockdown (in fact, I already had tickets for 3 comedy shows during this same period that have been cancelled or postponed) so it’s keeping life relatively ‘normal’ for me.
I’ve been watching Comedy at the Covid Arms, Suspiciously Cheap Comedy and Next Up – all live comedy shows via Zoom or streaming apps. Over the past few weeks I’ve seen Mark Watson, Sara Pascoe, Johnathan Major, Aisling Bea, Scott Bennett, Suzi Ruffell, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, and even Ross Noble in Australia!
Our friends also go to the comedy night so we ‘meet up’ for pre-show drinks via What’sApp video calls and can chat about the comedy during the interval. You can either buy a ticket to watch individual comedy nights or subscribe for a month, year or lifetime with the Next Up app. I think it’s a bargain way to see live performances from my favourite comedians and I don’t even have to leave my house.
2 GO DATING!
I watched a feature on TV recently (I think it was on the One Show) about how dating has changed since lockdown, seeing as you can’t meet up with your date and would need to video call each other instead. But really, isn’t that a good thing? I think it’s much safer to meet someone for the first time at a distance. Plus, it’s a kind-of filter (you know what I mean), as only people who are serious about dating ‘properly’ will actually bother to set up a Zoom meeting haha!
If your Saturday nights would usually be about getting dressed up and going out for a drink with a potential love interest, there’s no reason why that can’t continue. There are plenty of free dating sites online to match you with someone who has similar interests and values, so you no longer need to swipe through those ‘who is nearby’ dating apps.
If you’re dating online, there’s nothing to stop you ‘meeting up’ with someone on the other side of the country, is there? Plus, it’s nice to get dressed up for the evening isn’t it? That’s part of the reason why I look forward to comedy night so much – sparkly top, make up, contact lenses, the lot.
A date idea that you can do together is stargazing – no fancy equipment required; all you need is a clear night and your eyes. This can be done anywhere and, if you’re apart, can make you feel connected as you look up at the same galaxy. You can use a star finder website like World Star Register to discover the locations of the planets and constellations, as well as making the moment extra-romantic by naming a star for your partner. Finding your star together is a magical moment that’ll be truly unforgettable.
3 GO TO THE THEATRE
This is another thing I’ve enjoyed over the past few weeks – live premieres of West End theatre shows on YouTube! You have the option to view YouTube without ads, enhancing your evening’s enjoyment. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Shows Must Go On channel offers one free screening of a musical each Friday night and they only announce the next show around the middle of the week so I don’t yet know what musical it will be this weekend. The performance is only available to watch for 48 hours after the Friday night live premiere – so you can still enjoy it on Saturday night too.
I watched Jesus Christ Superstar for the first time a couple of Friday’s ago and my husband and I got dressed up for the theatre last weekend when we ‘went’ to see Phantom of the Opera. These are productions I’ve never had the chance to watch in the past as I don’t get to the West End as often as I’d like so it’s exciting for me to see something new. And it was nice to still be able to enjoy a theatre performance after our booking for Priscilla Queen of the Desert was cancelled this month. Plus, we could enjoy snacks and drinks on our sofa without worrying about rustling sweet wrappers annoying other audience members!
OTHER SATURDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES
I’ve mentioned the three ideas above in particular because they are ‘live’ things you can attend when you’re at home but of course there are many other ideas you can try to entertain yourselves during a Saturday night in:
- Movie night – All you need is Netflix, Amazon Prime, iPlayer or your DVD collection.
- Restaurant meal – Cook a three-course meal at home, lay the table, dim the lights etc.
- Go to a virtual market – @MakersMarketsFromHome on Instagram showcases independent makers who would really appreciate a small purchase if you fancy doing some weekend shopping.
- Pub quiz – Try Virtual Pub Quiz on YouTube – we’ve done this with friends via Zoom (and lost!)
- Dance class – Learn to jive, waltz or cha cha cha with Anton Du Beke on YouTube.
- Takeaway treats – make your own pizza, chinese noodles or curry from store-cupboard ingredients.
- Games night – We’ve played Yahtzee, Whot, Mancala, Backgammon and Scrabble in recent weeks. Just don’t forget the snacks to keep you going during that marathon Monopoly session.
I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration for planning your Saturday night entertainment at home. What should I try next weekend? I’d love to hear what you’ve been getting up to at the weekends so please share your activity ideas in the comments below 🙂
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