Lockdown date night ideas you can do at home

Ideas for date night are extremely limited under a nationwide lockdown.

While you might miss lounging on the rolling green fields of a wine estate or gazing into each other's eyes over a vanilla and raspberry crème brulée from your favourite restaurant, there are still so many ways to keep the romance alive.

Whether you’re engaged, married with kids or still swooning over one another during the honeymoon phase, for a healthy relationship, it’s important to spend quality time together. And no, washing the dishes, doing the laundry or passing out on the couch after a long day doesn't count.

A lockdown isn’t the most romantic setting for dates. Many restaurants are closing early, bars remain unopened and for health and safety reasons, most people are choosing to leave home only when necessary. However, having a date night doesn’t necessarily mean getting all dressed up for a night out on the town.

You’ve got to get creative. If you can’t go to your favourite places, try your very best to bring those places to your home. From movie nights to picnics, there are so many fun ways to treat the one you love to a special evening you’ll both enjoy.

6 lockdown date night ideas:

Create a cosy alcove

Sometimes the only date night you need is time alone time together. Hideaway in a den of blankets and pillows, bring along your favourite snacks, a book to read and soak up being in each other's company. For an added element of romance, string fairy lights around your little den.

Art night

Ever attended one of those art and wine nights? Well, why not have your own version at home? Gather together some art supplies, set out a cheese board for nibbling on and follow an online tutorial. Doing an activity together is the perfect opportunity to go outside of your comfort zone, let loose and take pride in the final product - or laugh, not everyone is handy with a paintbrush.

Movie night

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Flavoured popcorn, interlocking fingers and a shoulder to rest your head on, there’s no reason to miss the movies when you can bring it home. Make your bedroom or lounge super comfortable with blankets and cushions. If you have a projector, all the better. However, a TV or laptop will do.

Picnic

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There is nothing quite like the merry atmosphere that envelopes a picnic. The simplicity of creating your own little area just by laying out a blanket over the freshly manicured lawn of a botanical garden or the warm sand at the beach immediately sets the scene for a wonderful afternoon outdoors.

Even with a lockdown, picnics are still such a fun date idea. Whether you have a garden or not, you can always build your own cosy space on the living room floor or balcony and pack a basket filled with all your favourite treats. Fairy lights, cushions scattered over a patterned rug and a smorgasbord of snacks to complete the picture and you’ll have yourself a setting straight from Pinterest.

Candlelit dinner

Cooking a meal together can become mundane if you’ve been doing it every night of the lockdown. Take a break from the kitchen by ordering from your favourite restaurant. Set up the table with a tablecloth, flowers, your best cutlery and candles for the full restaurant feel.

Game night

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It’s time to whip out old favourites like Scrabble and checkers for a game night. Create a leaderboard tallying eachother's score and heighten the stakes by allocating prizes for different categories. Ranging from the usual titles like “Overall Winner” to funnier one's like “The First Person To Throw Their Cards On The Floor” during Monopoly or a card game, you’ll have lots of fun whether you win or lose.