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How to Host a Very New York Friendsgiving

By Stephen RubinoPublished on 10/19/2022 at 10:14 AMAdvertiser Content From Rebecca Hoskins/ThrillistNew York City: the “fifth character” in your four-person friend group, for those of us lucky enough to live here. Friendsgiving is an established NYC tradition, thanks to rising flight prices and kitchens too small to host our real families. But that’s not to say Friendsgiving is a second-best holiday. This year, we’re seeing it as a chance to celebrate the weirdos we love here and, yes, sigh, our “chosen families.” With that in mind, we’ve put together some ways to celebrate the city we love while enjoying the harvest season with our friends: good food, perfect-weather walks around the neighborhood, and maybe a glass of Basil Hayden Bourbon with friends. Read on for more tips on hosting a very New York Friendsgiving:

Raid the bodega

There's nothing that says you can't host a Friendsgiving with chopped cheese for all, but there are some easy ways to class up your event using just the groceries at the corner store. Most bodegas have fresh fruits available, so grabbing bananas for banana bread or apples and oranges for tarts and fruit salads is a simple upgrade. Add some variety to your bar with mixers like juices and seltzers, and check out what cookies and snacks can be elevated into a new dessert recipe. Don't forget garnishes: bodegas excel in the "cans and jars" category, so keep an eye out for cocktail onions, olives, and maraschino cherries.

Celebrate all five boroughs

Manhattanites (and Brooklynites!) can definitely be insulated when it comes to appreciating all that New York has to offer. So this Friendsgiving, make an effort to include all five boroughs in your feast. That may mean inviting someone from every part of NYC (be inclusive: New Jersey and Long Island count as well), or serving up classics from different parts of town. If you can get dumplings from Flushing, zeppolis from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and pizza from Staten Island, you’ve got yourself a real New York feast. Rebecca Hoskins/Thrillist

Stock the bar with New York-y cocktails

Friendsgiving is what you might call an "experimental" holiday, so it opens up plenty of opportunities for sophistication where you want it and flexibility where you don't. The must have on-hand is Basil Hayden, perfect for all the NYC classics (The Manhattan, The New York Sour, etc.) as well as some others. The classy move is to greet guests with an aperitif like a Boulevardier to kick the night off on the right note. From there, get whimsical with your cocktail ideas and see if you can create a few of your own, too.

Make use of the city parks

One of the biggest perks of living in NYC is the parks: did you know the city hosts more than 28,000 acres of park land? This Friendsgiving, enjoy the last of the nice weather by making use of those green spaces. The Thanksgiving expanded universe wouldn’t be complete without some football, so host a pre-dinner game to build up an appetite, or work off some of the calories with an after-dinner walk around your local park. Alternatively, if it’s nice enough out, change up your plans with a Friendsgiving picnic — it’ll require some coordination to get all the dishes, place settings, and drinks outdoors, but enjoying the fall colors with dinner will be well worth it.

Don t stick to the same old menu options

Remember, this is Friendsgiving, not Thanksgiving. Save the stuffy classics (including, literally, stuffing) for the family gathering you’re less-than-jazzed about. If you like turkey, feel free to spend the hours needed to prep it, but if not, don’t feel obligated. Instead, rely on New York’s greatest strength: multiculturalism. If you’ve got any international guests, have them bring a traditional fall dish from their home country. Crack open an under-used cookbook (ideally one that focuses on non-American foods) and try your hand at a new recipe. If it’s an amazing addition to the meal, it might just graduate to Thanksgiving favorite. And if it’s less than stellar, your friends will tell you the honest truth.

Embrace your neighbors

Thanksgiving is a time to make friends, meet those around you, and share the love. New York, especially, has a high number of transplants that can’t make it back to their hometown for Thanksgiving, so inviting them to your gathering is a great way to expand your circle. The more truly is the merrier. Another group you should consider connecting with: your neighbors. Rather than just saying hi in the mailroom or the staircases of your building, offer them an invite to stop by for some Friendsgiving dishes and cocktails. If your favorite sitcom characters befriended those across-the-hall strangers, you can too.By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.