Things To Do

20 Cute Friend Date Ideas Around Perth To Go On With Your Bestie

By Anna Cox
14th Feb 2022

Want to double-down on time with your platonic other half, but not a clue what to do? Introducing: friend dates.

Friend dates are the perfect pick-me-ups and the ultimate memory maker, and can involve literally any idea or activity under the sun. With good plans and even better company, there is no limit to the fun things you can get up to with your crew in the big city.  

Here are some awesome things to do with friends in Perth.

Have A Crafternoon At Home

If the idea of non-stop snacking and Olivia Rodrigo karaoke behind closed doors tickles your fancy, then we reckon a crafternoon at home might be right up your alley. Not sure where to start? House Of Hobby has some great DIY kits that let you make your own earrings, resin boards, or cross-stitch at home. Stitch Embroidery’s kits are another great option if you want to make nan proud while learning how to create some cute craft pieces. And for the DIY queens looking to take their relationship up a notch, why not go all in on a pottery wheel, sewing machine or rug tufting gun hire for the weekend from Art Base. They’ll drop off the gear along with all the instructions you need to get stuck into your next big DIY project.

Cook Up A Storm

Cooking classes are a great opportunity for you and your bestie to a) laugh at how bad you are with knives and b) eat and drink some tasty creations. There are some great classes around, but we can’t go past the dumplings workshops run by Masterchef Alum and founder of much-loved eatery, Bumplings, Brendan Pang. If you’re wanting to get carbohydrated, we also think The Little Italian School can help you out. Besides offering cannoli, gnocchi, and pasta-making classes, they also do pasta parties. So grab a few friends, an apron and discover who should quit their day job and move to Italy.

Paint And Sip Your Night Away

Remember when you were a kid, you and your best mate would sit down with a juice box, some crayons and go to town on the a4 printer paper? There's a reason you look back on this so fondly, so why not do it now as adults? Except the juice in question is wine, and the crayons have turned into acrylic paint because we’re fancy now. Here are some of our fave paint and sip classes around Perth to get you started.

Get Baked

If you were that person who somewhat enjoyed lockdown because it meant you could bake banana bread every three days, you’ll love the sourdough class by Wild Sourdough. There are beginner classes for our rookies and artisan classes for the more advanced who have used their downtime to actually learn a new skill (can’t relate). 

Go For Bottomless Brunch

If our love of avocado toast and mimosas is the reason our generation will never be able to buy a house, then we don't want one. Yep, bottomless brunch has to be one of the best ways to bond with your besties and something we absolutely refuse to give up. Especially if it's from Tiisch, Pogo or Sweetwater. There are plenty of epic bottomless brunch and lunch options popping up, but you can find all our favourites here. 

Dine On Dainty Little Treats At High Tea

Sometimes we like to pretend to be fancy, and that's when we turn to high tea. There's something about a cucumber finger sandwich and a glass of champagne that makes us feel like our life is in order. Why not take your bestie out for a few cups of tea, or something a little stronger? It's the perfect opportunity to prove to each other you're capable of being full functioning adults. See the full list of Perth's best high teas and get booking. 

Head Out For A Boujee Picnic

I think everyone who’s ever been on a picnic has said “we should do this more often” and honestly we can’t think of a much better way to spend a day outdoors with your mates. Plus, with the ease of this pre-assembled picnic pack from the lifesavers at People’s Cafeteria, you can pick up all you need right around the corner from one of our fave picnic spots, Hyde Park, and call it a day. If you need other ideas, though, these locations never disappoint. Otherwise, just pick a spot that is walking distance from home so you can sip through one of these boujee wine bags together.

Distil Your Own Gin

Mix up your next night out by bringing your buddies along to a gin making masterclass at Republic of Fremantle. With an impressive range of flavours and botanical notes to choose from, you’ll be guided step-by-step through the distilling process with an expert to make your own unique combination of flavours, culminating in the perfect gin. And the best part? You and your friends can take your creations home with you in a personalized bottle.

Or Just Go Spin The Gin Wheel

If like us, you miss the Royal Show each year because time somehow seems to escape you, The Flour Factory has the next best thing. Their wheel of gin is a fun spin (pun intend) on fair games, but the adult version. For $10, you can spin the wheel to see which gin you land on. The last time we tried this we found a new favourite gin, plus it was $4 cheaper than what it would've been (gins and wins). Grab your mate, get spinning and hopefully, your head isn’t spinning too much the next morning.

Spend A Day In The Valley Sipping Natty Wines

Forget your foggy memories of 18ths, 21sts and hens party wine tours. There’s a new group on the Swan Valley vineyard block hoping to change that perception. Meet the Swan Garagistas, a new-wave collective of Swan Valley winemakers creating delish natural drops. The name derives from the French word “garagiste” meaning a winemaker that doesn’t adhere to the traditions of the region, which seems pretty fitting. Get the mum of the group to book that maxi taxi, and head out to the Valley for the day. You can pull into one of these top Swan Valley restaurants before you head home.

Make A Run For It

Want to start running with your bestie? You can count on Park Run to facilitate the most fun 5km you’ll ever jog every Saturday morning at 7:45. They have 20 routes dotted around Perth, including Claisebrook Cove, Cottesloe, South Beach and Burswood Penninsula, so there's something for everyone and it's a great way to ease into a new running habit. Just be sure to register here before you go so you and your friends can chuckle at the time it took you to run your first 5km since high school cross country. If you’re an early bird, why not check out the 4:40 Run Club? Don't worry it doesn’t actually start at 4:40, it's just their suggested alarm time. It's another great social running activity in Cottesloe, followed by a trip to the beach and a coffee. They’ve appropriately deemed it the “sip and dip” and it’s a great way for you and your bestie to start the day off feeling on top of the world.

Head Out For A Hike

If running isn’t your speed, you can check out The Hiking Collective's top picks for some of the best hikes in and near Perth. These adventures will take you to beautiful places like Kings Park, Yanchep, Trigg, The Darling Ranges and Bells Rapids, but for a memorable experience and beginner-friendly trail, our go-to has to be the Caves Yoga and Hike tour. Otherwise, just keep it simple and tackle one of our favourite short walking trails around Perth. 

Dive Headfirst Into Your Day

Cold Nips is a beach-going, coffee-sipping and fast-growing collective that meets up mid-week at various beaches around Perth to run headfirst into the ocean at sunrise. It's an early start and you indeed will have cold nips, but it's a great way to kickstart a day with your crew, granted you don’t sleep through your alarm (guilty as charged). Hold hands and just think of the epic early morning brekky that you’ll dig into later—you'll feel amazing afterwards.

Let Your Competitive Side Out To Play

If your ex has ever told you that you’re too competitive, these options are dedicated to you. Friend dates are the perfect opportunity to show off that feisty, determined side of you that the girls haven’t seen since the year 11 Netball season. Challenge your besties to all the games at arcade bars like Palace ArcadePlanet Royale and Archie Brothers, get a hole in one on these fun mini-golf courses, hit a bullseye at Flight Club or do a happy dance after striking all your pins down at these Perth bowling lanes—you're bound to find something you can win at. And while we are big believers that violence is never the answer, when Maniax gets suggested as the next friend date venue, we totally condone hurling hatchets at high speed.

Spend A Day Under The Sea

If you and your mates are doing your best to present as functioning adults (making your own doctors appointments, getting your car serviced etc.) we think you deserve a break. Head down to AQWA with your pals and be reminded of the times you went on school excursions, ate soggy sandwiches and cried when you saw the sharks there. The underwater tunnel is every bit as impressive as you remember, especially if you happen to snag tickets to one of their under the sea dining events.

Share In Some Culture

If you are a proper adult and enjoy adulty things like nodding at art in appreciation, there are some pretty great exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Perth Institute of Contemporary Art to mosey through with your pals. The best part is both of these places have bars attached to them, so you can finish off your art-nodding at the AGWA Rooftop bar or Picabar

Catch An Outdoor Flick

We totally agree that a night in with mates and your other mate, Netflix (and maybe the other friend, rosè) is a great friend date, but why not mix it up with a trip to the outdoor cinemas. Lately, we’ve been loving the Moonlight Cinemas at Kings Park. You can bring your own food and drinks (hello brie, wine and Maltesers) and when you’re there, hire a beanbag for $10 or bring your own cushions. We also have a few other options if you’re not convinced by BYO movie picnics.

Unleash Your Inner Divas

Karaoke brings people together like few other activities. It can be the pregame for a big night out, the main event or the final destination once you’ve had so much to drink you conveniently forget that you can’t hold a tune. Either way, it's hard to have a forgettable night of karaoke. Scope out our fave Perth karaoke bars then round up your crew and start building your showstopping setlist. If nothing else, the Insta stories to come out of it are bound to be hilarious.

BYO Booze On A Self-Skippered River Cruise 

Want to take in the sights of Perth’s most iconic attractions from the Swan River, but don’t have a skipper’s ticket? No problem, as Nauti Picnics have fibreglass boats you can take for a spin, that don’t require having any qualifications. All you’ll need to do is familiarise yourself with the operating rules before you head off. Once you feel ready to go, pack your own snacks and booze (or order one of their pre-made grazing boards), and mosey up the Swan River on a choose-your-own-adventure. Did we also mention you bring your dog too? Yep, both your besties are invited on this one! Read up on this awesome Perth adventure here

Strike A Bargain While Op Shopping

Various Locations

Dress like a boss for half the cost and take the gang to pop some tags on a tour of Perth's trendiest thrift shops. Make a day out of it—try venturing to an op shop you haven’t visited before, or aim to cover as many stores as you can across the span of a day. Op shops are like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get, but we can guarantee you it’s practically impossible to walk away from one empty handed. 

Prefer to keep things simple? Work your way through Perth's best restaurants.

Image credit: House of Hobby 

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