The ultimate bank holiday bucket list
Don’t know what to do on a long weekend? Here are 99 ideas.
First things first: log out of your work email. Or Slack. Or Microsoft Teams.
Dress up in your favourite spring clothing (weather permitting): think floral prints, linen shirts, and sunglasses.
Make yourself a martini, or another classic cocktail.
Go on a picnic - obviously.
Bring back the early-pandemic sourdough bread craze, and enjoy it with fried eggs or your favourite jam.
Make some old school daisy chains to celebrate spring. The mindful aspect of this activity is not to be underestimated!
Change your bed sheets to set yourself up for a weekend of lie-ins. Bonus points if you can dry them outside.
Dye your hair. Or just buy some of the fun temporary stuff.
Do a movie marathon - alone or with your friends.
Go bowling…
Or laser tagging…
Or go-karting.
Organise a themed get-together with your mates. Some ideas include a 90s nostalgia night and a celebrity look-alike contest.
Organise an Easter egg hunt (they’re not just for kids, we promise).
Get all dressed up and head to your local fancy(ish) bar.
Rent a paddle boat at a local lake.
Rearrange your furniture…
Or just spruce up your space with a new plant and some wall art.
Start a book club, by which we mean: choose a book to read alongside your pals and get together to chat about it over a glass of wine.
Whip up a three-course meal for someone you love (or just for yourself!).
Learn to play the ukulele.
Have an shower sing-along concert. You can’t go wrong with this playlist.
Create a bucket list. This can be general, or more specific like ‘10 things to do before my next birthday’.
Brunch. Any excuse for brunch. If you’re cooking, we recommend huevos rancheros, sweet french toast with yoghurt and berries, or this halloumi breakfast hash.
Host a games night. Anything from Monopoly to a traditional card game.
Meet up with a friend and read each other’s horoscopes.
And when you’re finished with that, move onto the Enneagram.
Try out a vegan ‘nice cream’ recipe.
Alter any clothes you’ve been meaning to, for example by fixing a button or shortening a hem. Do it with some relaxing music on in the background or in front of a reality TV show.
Take part in an at-home wine tasting.
Organise an amateur football game.
Do some old school cloud gazing, and describe what shapes the clouds look like. There’s something so childlike and peaceful about lying down and looking up at the sky.
Create a playlist for someone you love.
Indulge your artsy side with an adult colouring book…
Or a painting class!
Play a murder mystery game.
Learn to propagate plants. It’s easy, we promise.
Go to an escape room!
Reach out to a friend you haven’t seen for a while and ask them to grab a cup of coffee.
Fill your home with the amazing aroma of hot cross buns.
Go out for a walk - and leave your phone at home.
Host a karaoke night.
Learn how to French braid your hair - or try out another new hairstyle.
Do a bit of yoga in the mornings - we recommend this lovely eight-minute routine.
Give flower-pressing a go. These tips will help get you started.
Open an old diary and have a read of the person you once were.
Take yourself out on a date. Flowers, wine and candles optional.
Try to recreate Pinterest outfits with what you’ve got at home.
Get back into Duolingo - try learning with a pal to keep each other accountable.
Finally put on that fancy body lotion you’ve been saving for a “special occasion”.
Go for a drive with a playlist you love and sing your heart out.
Take the time to give yourself a pedicure. It’s that time of year!
Build a blanket fort.
Re-discover Marie Kondo and dive into some therapeutic spring cleaning.
Then have your friends grab all of their old clothes, bring them to one person’s place and set up a free second hand clothes swap.
And after that, give your finds a new life with some inventive thrift flips.
Make collage art out of old magazines. We recommend choosing a colour and finding images to match.
Try to write a haiku.
Learn how to say your name in sign language.
Visit a beautiful park or garden near you, sit on a bench and take a moment to think about the things you’re grateful for.
Organise a scavenger hunt for your pals, complete with riddles, dares and prizes.
Take some time to unfollow any Instagram accounts that don’t bring you joy, then re-fill your feed with accounts that do.
Hop over to a trampoline park.
Transport yourself back in time by re-discovering the music you loved to listen to five or 10 years ago.
Surprise a family member you don’t talk to often with a video call.
Make a homemade charcuterie board, and *really* run with it.
Buy some fancy cordial to make all your soft drinks extra special. We love this pomegranate and elderflower one.
Learn a TikTok dance! Recording and posting optional.
Explore your local area by letting a coin flip decide which turns you take.
Go to an arcade.
Take a nap in the afternoon, under a blanket on the sofa.
Pickle something! We recommend homemade pickled onions - or make your own kimchi if you’re up to the challenge.
Organise a blind beer taste test.
Or, if you prefer, a blind chocolate taste to see if your friends or family can recognise the big brands.
Pretend to be a tourist in your own city - go and do all the things a local wouldn’t.
Sign up for free trials of streaming services you’re not subscribed to (make sure to note down when you need to cancel them!). We recommend trying Succession on NowTV or The Americans on Disney+.
Make a homemade face mask.
Take this amazing free course on female sexuality.
Write a letter to yourself - don’t open it for six months and then write a reply back!
Plan your next weekend away. We highly recommend visits to Edinburgh, Paris and Amsterdam if you haven’t already been!
Learn how to make an origami petal crane.
Grab a friend, set a budget, and see who can create the best gift hamper for the other from charity shop finds.
Play mini-golfing.
Or, if the weather’s truly lovely, tennis.
Host a slumber party - mattresses on the floor, midnight snacks, the whole hog.
Learn a poem by heart - check out @poetryisnotaluxury for inspiration.
Try the viral New York Times list of 36 questions to fall in love - and do it with a date, a friend, your mum - anyone!
Learn how to whistle with a blade of grass.
Watch celeb lip sync battles, starting with this iconic clip of Tom Holland performing Umbrella.
Send someone flowers.
Create a moodboard of what you want your summer to look like.
Play a game of Fast Flood.
Finally give your make-up brushes a clean - they probably need it.
Impress your friends by learning how to read palms.
Go rock climbing.
Finally finish *that* book…
Or just pick up a new one. Here are some of our recent recs: The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz, The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak and For Small Creatures Such as We by Sasha Sagan.
Write and perform silly skits with your friends.