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From the Side journal

53+ low-cost things to do with friends this weekend.

A 5-minute read · Updated for 2026

Somewhere between adulthood, group chats, and the feed, hanging out with friends started to feel like a logistics project. It doesn't have to be. The best plans are usually the cheapest ones — and almost always involve putting the phone down.

We made Side to help people spend less time scrolling and more time doing. Here are 53+ low-cost things to do with friends, split by mood. Pick one, text someone, go.

01 — 12 ideas

Outdoors

The cheapest room in the world is the one without a roof.

  1. 01Pack a picnic and find a new park
  2. 02Go for a sunrise walk and grab coffee after
  3. 03Rent city bikes and pick a destination at random
  4. 04Skip stones at the nearest body of water
  5. 05Find a hill, lie down, and watch the clouds
  6. 06Build the worst possible sandcastle
  7. 07Go foraging for blackberries or mushrooms (carefully)
  8. 08Try a new running route together
  9. 09Set up a hammock between two trees
  10. 10Watch the sunset from somewhere you've never been
  11. 11Take a disposable camera on a walk
  12. 12Try outdoor yoga in a park

02 — 12 ideas

At home

A kitchen, a couch, and one good idea is usually enough.

  1. 01Cook a meal from a country none of you have been to
  2. 02Host a no-phones dinner party
  3. 03Bake bread from scratch
  4. 04Build a blanket fort and watch a childhood movie
  5. 05Do a clothing swap
  6. 06Pull out old board games — even the broken ones
  7. 07Try a puzzle with the box thrown out
  8. 08Start a book club with just two people
  9. 09Learn a card game none of you know
  10. 10Host a listening party for one album, start to finish
  11. 11Make pasta from scratch and pretend you're in Italy
  12. 12Have a bring-your-own-leftovers potluck

03 — 12 ideas

In the city

Tourists in your own town, on purpose.

  1. 01Visit a museum on its free day
  2. 02Take the bus to the last stop and walk back
  3. 03Try every coffee shop on one street
  4. 04Go to a market and cook whatever looks best
  5. 05Browse a bookstore and buy one book each — for someone else
  6. 06Take a free walking tour of your own neighborhood
  7. 07Find the highest free viewpoint in your city
  8. 08Sit in a café and people-watch for an hour
  9. 09Visit a record store and pick something blind
  10. 10Hit an open studio night or gallery opening
  11. 11Try a class on something neither of you knows — pottery, drawing, dance
  12. 12Volunteer somewhere for an afternoon

04 — 10 ideas

After dark

The good plans usually start after sunset.

  1. 01Stargaze somewhere without streetlights
  2. 02Host a karaoke night with a Bluetooth speaker
  3. 03Play tag in a park (yes, really)
  4. 04Find a late-night diner
  5. 05Movie night with a projector against a wall
  6. 06Trivia night at a local pub
  7. 07Drive somewhere with no destination and turn around at midnight
  8. 08Catch a free outdoor concert in the summer
  9. 09Have a fire — a bonfire, a fireplace, a candle, whatever's legal
  10. 10Long walk, slow conversation

05 — 7 ideas

Just the two of you

Things to do with one friend when plans fall through.

  1. 01Co-work in a café for the afternoon
  2. 02Voice-note pen-pal: take turns sending long voice memos for a week
  3. 03Pick a recipe, split the ingredients, cook in the same kitchen
  4. 04Walk-and-talk for an hour — no agenda
  5. 05Watch the same movie at the same time, then call
  6. 06Plan a future trip you can't afford yet
  7. 07Teach each other one thing

How to actually make it happen.

  1. Pick one idea, not five. The longer the menu, the less likely the plan. Choose the first one that made you smile.
  2. Text one friend, not the group chat. Group chats are where plans go to die. One-on-one beats group consensus every time.
  3. Set a time, not a vibe. "Soon" is not a time. "Saturday, 3pm, the park near you" is.
  4. Put the phones away when you arrive. That's the whole point.