I didn’t grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, but somewhere between long lectures, shared kitchens, and late-night group chats, it became one of my favourite parts of the autumn term. There’s something about stopping everything, the deadlines, stress, the general chaos of university life, and sitting down with people who’ve basically become your family that feels grounding.
If you’ve never hosted one before, or you’re thinking about starting your own tradition this year, here’s how Friendsgiving really works at uni (from someone who’s done the slightly chaotic, very wholesome student version).
- Keep it potluck
The first Friendsgiving I went to, we tried to make everything ourselves. We were ambitious… and also naive. Student ovens are tiny, and somehow we only had one working baking tray. The potatoes took about three years to cook.
The next year, we learned our lesson: potluck.
Everyone brought something, even if it was just garlic bread or a bag of crisps, and it genuinely made the night feel more “shared.” No one overspent, no one panicked over cooking times, and we actually enjoyed the process instead of fighting over oven space.
Potluck is more than practical; it’s symbolic. Everyone contributes something, and that’s kind of the point.
- Make your space feel cosy, not perfect
There’s this illusion online that Friendsgiving requires fancy decor and a table that looks like it belongs in a glossy magazine. Real student Friendsgiving? You do what you can with what you have.
In my case, we used:
- The fairy lights already pinned to my wall
- A £1 tablecloth from Poundland
- A few mismatched plates we borrowed from four different kitchens
And it still felt special. The atmosphere doesn’t come from decorations, it comes from the people sitting around the table.
- Don’t stress about “traditional” foods
At uni, Friendsgiving becomes whatever you make it. One year we had actual roast chicken. Another year someone brought lasagne. One friend once showed up with a massive pot of noodles because that’s their comfort food, and honestly, it was one of the best things on the table.
The beauty of Friendsgiving is that it doesn’t have rules. It’s more about sharing the food you love than trying to recreate a textbook Thanksgiving dinner.
- Start your own traditions (they’re what you’ll remember)
One of my favourite parts of Friendsgiving is that each year ends up having its own little ritual.
Some things we’ve done:
- Everyone shared one thing they were grateful for this term (someone said “my heating finally working,” and honestly, fair enough).
- We wrote small notes for each other and put them in a bowl to read later.
- We took a group photo in the messiest part of the kitchen because that’s where the lighting was somehow best.
- Last year my friend presented her “My Love Life in the past year” presentation and honestly we had so much fun.
These tiny moments are what stick with you. You don’t always remember what you ate, but you remember how the night felt.
- Make time for the “after” part
Friendsgiving isn’t just a dinner, it’s a whole evening. Once you’re full and half-asleep from carbs, that’s when the best conversations happen.
Some years we’ve ended the night with a film playing in the background and everyone sprawled across the floor. Other years we played games, or just talked for hours about life, uni, and what we wanted for the future.
It’s the kind of night that reminds you why your uni friends are so important.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful
Uni life can feel rushed and noisy, and it’s easy to get caught up in constant to-do lists. Friendsgiving is one of the rare moments where you pause and look around at the people who’ve made this chapter of your life feel less lonely and a lot more joyful.
And the truth is, even if the food burns, the kitchen’s a mess, or someone forgets their dish — the night still ends up being something you’ll look back on fondly.
Because Friendsgiving isn’t really about the meal. It's about the people you’ve chosen to celebrate with.
