Some of us student-Philadelphians come from near and far, and sometimes it isn’t easy to get home for the break. So if you can’t make it home for the holidays or if you’re just celebrating early with some friends, you can make sure you eat all the food you can and have an unforgettable Friendsgiving.
Have a dinner with all of your pals
There are many ways you can go about your Friendsgiving dinner. First, I would recommend finding out how many of your friends will be around, maybe the weekend before thanksgiving before some of them head home for the holiday. In order to give yourself a break, have a little sign-up system and everyone to bring their favorite Thanksgiving dish, that way you can have a full spread with all the trimmings! The great part about all of this is that everyone can contribute.
What you’ll need:
- Lot’s of food! (Your college friends understand if you can’t make a proper turkey.) Ah the perks of store-bought rotisserie chicken. Hey, it’s the thought that counts.
- Dessert: all the pie you can find and make.
- The proper décor: red table cloths, orange cups, fall themed plates, (leaves from outside?) whatever screams “Thanksgiving!” to you and has a picture of a turkey on it will work.
- If you’re all over 21, make sure you bring the wine.
- Twister: This my fourth Friendsgiving is coming up. Trust me when I say Twister has never failed us.
Find out which places are serving Thanksgiving dinners
If it’s just you and a few friends and you want to spoil yourselves for the holiday, you can catch some of Philly’s best Thanksgiving dinners. Some of the most affordable deals in the city are this Thanksgiving buffet at the Randor Hotel, this traditional meal at Bridget Foy’s, and this three course meal at Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
Get your Thanksgiving dinner to-go!
Don’t feel like figuring out how to stuff a turkey? Order some Turkey Day take-out! While this definitely isn’t the cheapest route to go, you could go for it and personalize your dinner and split the cost with your whole party. You could go with Jake’s Sandwich Board and feed up to 24 of your friends with Turkey-stuffed sandwiches or order from Relish and get all of the sides and desserts you can think of. We also promise not to tell if you just make a traditional college student decision and stock up on a bunch of Wawa’s delicious Gobblers.
Looking for more sandwich options? Here’s where to find 10 Thanksgiving sandwiches in Philly.
Make sure you catch the 97th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade
Don’t miss the best way to begin your Thanksgiving day! Head over early to the Parkway to catch the floats and balloons, Santa and all your favorite characters. This is great to do with your friends that are sticking around in the city with you!
After the parade, make your way to the Comcast building for the first day of ‘Comcast Holiday Spectacular,’ which transforms the building’s lobby into a winter wonderland. “The lobby transforms into a bona fide winter wonderland. At the top of every hour, visitors are invited to gaze at the Comcast Experience video wall, one of the world’s largest and highest resolution LED displays, for a show they won’t soon forget.”–uwishunu.com
Hit the stores
You can’t forget about the shopping deals. Everyone wins big when we support local business, so shop on Saturday, November 26, a.k.a. “Small Business Saturday.” As students it is our duty to snag the best deals we can. Not to mention you can grab holiday presents early for your friends and family members.
