8 Ways To Bring Your Virtual Party A Game In Lockdown
If Harry Potter trivia is no longer your idea a perfect night in, then maybe this lot will be more in your wheelhouse. From virtual wine tours, to digi book clubs and hen dos, here's how to make the party come to you during lockdown.
There’s nothing like a virtual pub quiz to remind you of how little you know about the lives of Postman Pat and Dolly Parton, is there?
Joining a virtual quiz with your mates, relatives and colleagues is the new Netflix and Chill. You take the Brady Bunch style photo of all your people squished into little rectangular boxes, all pulling some kind of face that strikes a balance between hey look how candid I am and I’m definitely not using this convenient interval to Google the answers, you tally your points and declare a worthy cheater, sorry, winner. WINNER.
The humble quiz has been the ultimate team building pick-me-up during lockdown and it’s spared many of us from tying balloons to our houses and setting off Carl Fredricksen style but there can be too much of a good thing, and even the quizmeister needs a breather from picture rounds and ditloids.
So, if Harry Potter trivia is no longer your idea a perfect night in, then maybe this lot will be more in your wheelhouse. From virtual wine tours, to digi book clubs and hen dos, here’s how to make the party come to you during lockdown.
1. Throw a hen party
If the bride can’t go on her hen weekend, the hen weekend will come to her!
The maid of honour can arrange for a little doorstep delivery for each member of the hen party, packed with all the usual paraphernalia and d*ck-orations one would expect at a hen party. Lockdown or not, no bride gets to escape the cheap penis necklace gags. It’s a rite of passage.
The memory round – ahead of the party, each of the hens give the maid of honour a memory they have. The MOH will then read out each of the memories, if the bride-to-be matches the memory with the person correctly, they have to do a shot. If she gets it wrong, the bride takes a shot. You can also do the same with facts to see how well the bride knows her hen party.
The most likely round – the MOH reads out various statements and the bride nominates the member of the group most likely to fit that scenario. They then have to take a shot (or a generous swig of their drink if they’re already too drunk at this point) i.e. most likely to get fired.
Play ‘Cock or What?’ – So you think you know your schlongs? As the name suggests, this game asks you to guess which images are the real d*cks in the line up and which ones are just perfectly innocent thumbs. Download the digital file, share your screen – and your penises – with the girls and let the crowd go wild!
2. Plan a date night
Whether you’re single and interested in dating during lockdown or in a long-distance relationship and missing your partner in crime, you can still have those date night fireworks in the online world, whatever your relationship status.
Play a game of 20 questions. Get to know your date real quick with 20 pre-planned questions, go DEEP or keep it fun and frivolous. You set the agenda, girl!
Why not play takeaway roulette to change it up a bit and get to know one another if you’re newly dating. Exchange addresses, order each other’s grub and see what ends up on your doorstep.
For the long-distance lovers, this is the perfect time to plan your ideal vacation. So when we’re free to travel and get as much sand in our butt cracks as humanly possible, you will be ready and raring to go. And when that time comes, we will never bemoan such a glorious ‘n’ gritty sensation again. Open the spreadsheets, save a collection of all the hotels and restaurants on Instagram you want to visit, plan it all.
Watch a film together via Netflix Party – a Google chrome extension that allows you to watch films and TV shows together online so you can chat and react in real time. Plan a double date with another couple, do a TikTok dance off or ya know, just have phone sex. If it ain’t broke!
3. Throw a birthday surprise
Make their lockdown birthday their best bday yet with a virtual happy hour with all your bezzie mates in tow. Get the birthday girl / boy to join the video meeting a little later than everyone else so you can warm up your vocals and sing happy birthday when they arrive.
Pick a theme, send a e-invites or go one better and send paper invites to the virtual celebration in the post. Get a birthday cake delivered from a local bakery and some balloons – anything to make them smile on their special day. Just because you can’t pop a bottle in person, doesn’t mean you can’t throw one hell of a popping party online!
4. Try an escape room
An escape room… online? We know, it’s different but it’s GOOD different! Lose yourself at Hogwarts or if CSI is more your jam, solve the mystery of a murder at 30,000ft in the air. Get ready to put your heads together, uncover the clues & gather your evidence – ain’t no party like an adrenalin party.
Harry Potter Digital Escape Room
Know Escape Online Escape Rooms
5. Host a book club
Don’t let quarantine get in the way of a good ol’ book! Just because you can’t meet up with your bookish bezzies IRL doesn’t mean you have to miss out on discussing your latest book club read. Go digital with your discussions, invite all your fellow bookworms on a video call and mull over those juicy plot twists together. Pick a host to prepare some questions ahead of your chat to keep the conversation flowing et voila! PS a bowl of snacks and a decent wine is compulsory prep.
6. Do a virtual cook-a-long
Every friendship group has a Monica Geller, right? For all those of us living miles apart from our squad and unable to reunite over brunch and Aperol Spritz in the garden any time soon, a virtual cook-a-long is the next best thing.
Choose a head chef and a recipe, order your ingredients, set a time and date and away you go! Pin the head chef to the video chat so they can guide you through step-by-step. When it’s ready, you can all sit down and tuck in together – CUTE!
7. Hold a crafternoon
Missing your craft club? Get your usual members together and host a virtual crafternoon! Choose a craft project, order your supplies and set a date and time that suits everyone. From DIY rainbow wall hangings to paper flower crowns or watercolour painting, pour yourself a cuppa – or something stronger – and get crafty. Spending time together, albeit virtually, and doing something creative can be a great stress reliever. Leave your phone in another room and switch off properly. Tend to your wellbeing!
8. Try wine tasting
Happy hour just got sophisticated. Gather your thirstiest friends, family or colleagues online and raise a glass (or ten) together. Sniff, swirl and sip along as your guide talks you through perfect pairing wines and the trophy winners. It’s a great way to celebrate special occasions from home and try wines you’ve never tasted before. Cheers to that!
