How to have fun with your housemates during lockdown in Brighton

Staying positive during lockdown is key

3 years ago

The final stretch to the Christmas holidays is upon us, and like everything else in 2020 it was bound to be a rough one. We are about one week into the November lockdown and as we approach the Christmas assessment period you may have started to find yourself stressed and butting heads with your housemates. In order to prevent further butt heading, it may be time to take a different approach in lockdown, and start planning some entertaining evenings with your housemates. Here are a few examples of activities that you could attempt with your house this lockdown:

Cook with your housemates

Student kitchens sometimes just don’t have the space…

During lockdown cooking can become tedious. Try sitting down with your housemates and discussing group meal ideas to cook and eat together. Cooking with housemates is always a great bonding activity. Not only can it refine your culinary skills but it can potentially even get you to try meals that you might not have eaten before and cook things you would never normally cook for yourself. If you each take on one task, e.g. chopping, stirring, prepping, then group meals become much more time efficient. You could even take part in your own house come dine with me, where you take it in turns to cook for each other and rate each meal out of 10. Hopefully the results can be delivered with no insults of your grace and decorum.

Recreate festivals that you missed this summer

Pretending you are at a festival is better than no festival, am I right?

Grab your music enthusiast housemates and turn your student house into a festival map. Each room can be dedicated to a different genre of music, holding the closing ceremony of the festival in the communal room in the house. Dressing up like you would to a normal festival can add to the experience. Granted, this will never live up to the likes of attending Boomtown, Lovebox, Wireless etc, but it’s a great alternative for housemates to enjoy together, and is pretty easily achieved.

Have a fancy dress competition/themed evenings

I don’t remember bananas in pyjamas being this scary

You may have gone all out for halloween, but that certainly doesn’t mean that fancy dress is out of the question for the rest of lockdown. Evenings with your housemates are always more interesting when having a themed night. Prizes can be given to the best dressed in the house. There’s no need to leave the house for fancy dress either, try making outfits from each others clothes, hats, any old material you have about, get creative! Dressing up as each other is always a fun fancy dress idea, this way you’ll get to see what your housemates truly think about your style.

Host a house cocktail night

Get fancy!

For many students, partying is a big part of the university experience. Since all the clubs, bars, pubs are closed, why don’t you try hosting a house cocktail party! This is very easily accomplished if you all contribute money to buy the alcohol, mixers, fruit etc. You will also almost definitely save money when doing this as a house activity, no more blowing the student loan on £10 Pryzm cocktails (well until they reopen lol). Jazz up the cocktail evening by suggesting everyone dresses in black tie!

Study in a group with your housemates

There’s unlimited coffee supplies at home just saying

Okay maybe not the most “fun” activity ever. However, as Christmas deadlines are approaching it can be nice to have others to stress out with rather than stressing on your own. Doing work in a communal room in your house or even taking a house group trip to the library is a great alternative than worrying in your dark and damp student bedroom alone. Housemates also work as great proof readers if you need a second pair of eyes to look at your essay.

Group exercise

The South Downs has honestly some of the most beautiful walks

Whether you are a runner, jogger, there is definitely an exercise you can partake in with your housemates this lockdown. In Brighton we are surrounded by the South Downs, which offers a number of different walking routes, a lot of which are accessible by foot. If you are lucky enough to live with a driver then there are even more walking routes accessible to you, a personal favourite is Devil’s Dyke. I would definitely recommend going on as many walks as you can during lockdown, it can definitely help clear your head and distance yourself from everything going on right now.