Historically, my most memorable moments with friends have been out: at bars, parties, concerts, and other social events. But in the past year or so, there’s been a noticeable shift toward romanticizing staying in rather than going out, especially with Gen Z women. And that trend is only becoming more apparent: In a 2026 Her Campus survey about back-to-college trends, a whopping 98% of respondents said staying in with friends is “in” for the upcoming school year.
So, curious about all the hype, I decided to host a Saturday night dinner party with my friends, as opposed to our usual night out. And honestly? It was the move.
First up was to set the intention for the evening. The goal wasn’t to save money or avoid socializing; it was just to spend intentional time together without the distractions that usually come with a typical night out. Instead of stressing over Ubers and crowded bars, we would be spending a Saturday cooking, listening to music, playing games, and talking each other’s ears off.
Next, we texted over the course of the next few days about the details. Through much consideration, we decided to cook pasta with Caesar salad and a snack board. We aren’t the best cooks, so this was a perfect dinner plan for us. We decided we would go grocery shopping separately and bring the ingredients to cook at my house, making it easy for everything to come together.
Once Saturday arrived, five of my friends came over to my house with supplies in tow, and we began cooking. I quickly realized the key to a fun cooking experience is music — specifically, music that holds memories. For example, we played a lot of country music from artists we had seen at concerts together, which led to lots of singing, dancing, and reminiscing about memories associated with the songs. Honestly, I think this was one of my favorite parts of the night. We were blissfully present — laughing and enjoying each other’s company, something we don’t get to do often when we go to a bar.
While some of us finished up cooking, others set the table on my backyard patio with dishes, glassware, and candles each of us brought from home. Then, we filled our plates with food and headed out to the patio, where we all sat down to eat.
Throughout the dinner, we had amazing laughs, caught up on each other’s lives, and told the same stories we have told a hundred times. We started making small comments like, “I needed this,” and, “We need to do this more often.” Once we finished eating, I brought out a few card games to play, like Taboo and Hot Seat. These games made us laugh until our stomachs were sore.
We didn’t want the night to end, but of course it had to. And when it did, we realized we’d basically forgotten that our phones existed, if only for a few hours. We left feeling more connected, more caught up on each other’s lives, and more grateful. It felt like one of those moments you already know you’re going to look back on and miss someday.
This experience made me realize that as we get older, life gets busier. Schedules fill up, relationships change, and time with the people we love becomes harder to coordinate. Sometimes we don’t realize how much we need genuine quality time until we’re sitting across from someone we care about, feeling fully present in the conversation.
Nothing about the night was particularly extravagant, but it’s easily one of my favorite memories from the past few months. I can’t stop thinking about how everyone could benefit from creating their own version of a girls’ night in with friends. It doesn’t need to be expensive or Pinterest-worthy to be memorable; sometimes, the best nights can be made in your own kitchen.
Ultimately, this night showed me why those 98% of survey respondents are all for more nights in this upcoming school year. When I wake up after a night out at a bar, I rarely remember any genuine moments between my friends and me. However, when I woke up the day after that dinner party with my girls, I recounted countless moments that we shared, and I can’t wait to have more of them in the semester ahead.
