5 Ways To Jazz Up Your Usual Weekend Hangouts

The weekend is a time to hang with friends, unwind from the work week, and spend all night flirting with a guy you won’t remember in the morning (but that you’ll most definitely have pictures of). And while the crew usually ends up at the local dive bar or the one club in town that only plays obnoxious dance remixes, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are many other ways to have fun on the weekend that don’t include warm Coors Lite and the club mix of “Tipsy” by J-Kwon.

Test How Much You Know

A lot of bars host trivia nights, and even if you don’t know the capital of the most populated country in Europe, you’re still bound to have a great time with your friends. With trivia, the more people, the better time you’ll have. Trivia can be really fun because each one of your friends can help out in their own way: Lauren can handle pop culture, Ivan sports, and Brianne’s got anything and everything Grey’s Anatomy-related. And even if your team knows nothing, you’re still having a drink with the people you cherish while simultaneously learning the most random facts and figures. Test your knowledge at Golden Road Brewery in LA while you enjoy $15 pitchers of their house brewed beer.

Laugh Your Ass Off

Another great thing to do on the weekend is go to a comedy show. Because comedy shows usually have a two drink minimum, you’ll catch a nice buzz while laughing with your friends. Many comedy shows require reservations and charge a cover fee so plan accordingly, but it’s well worth it. Check out the Ice House in Pasadena, CA where many well-known comedians have preformed including Robin Williams, David Letterman, and Ellen DeGeneres, just to name a few.

Hate the Player, Not the Game

There are tons of bars in the LA area that double as an arcade. Skee-ball, pinball, bowling–imagine how much fun it’ll be to compete with your friends and place bets on each other, all while drinking a beer. Arguably, everything is more fun with a drink in your hand, and that rule extends to Pac Man. Spending your Saturday night in an arcade is a good way to indulge your inner child. Head to X Lanes in Korea Town in LA for more than 100 arcade games, 24 lanes for bowling, pool tables, and karaoke.

Get into Treble at a Piano Bar

I want to begin by apologizing for that piano joke. But anyway, a dueling piano bar is a perfect to get all your friends together in one place. The more people, the more fun since dueling piano shows tend to be interactive. Usually the pianists take requests, interact with the audience, and use crude humor. The music is great, but the vibe is even better because you’ll spend the whole night laughing and singing with your friends. Sounds like a perfect Saturday night to me. Check out Piano Piano in Claremont, CA for the ultimate dueling pianos experience.

Host a Potluck

When you don’t want to spend money on an Uber or deal with the pushing and shoving that often comes with a crowded club or bar, sometimes it’s best to stay home and invite your friends over. Request that everyone brings either food or drinks over, bust out the board games, and have a great night in. Not only will you waste less money, but you can spend all night in your pajamas. Also, staying in means avoiding all those awkward social interactions that are an inevitable part of the bar scene.

Bars and clubs can be fun, there’s no denying. But once in a while, it’s nice to mix up your usual plans and try something new. Comment below your favorite thing to do on the weekend!