Forget what the movies tell you – love doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need a moonlit beach, a sweeping orchestra or to hang upside down from a ladder in the rain for your first kiss (that’s right Spiderman, we’re looking at you). All you need is the right person and an excuse to spend some time together.

We can’t help you find the perfect partner, but we can help you with a few creative, alternative date night ideas. Check out our suggestion list below for something a little different from the usual dinner and movie combo. We’ll let cupid take it from here...

Cook for Each Other

Whip up some romance and set to simmer.

For a fun, budget-friendly date night idea, you need to go no further than the kitchen (though maybe have takeaway menus on hand, just in case). Agree on a budget to spend on ingredients without telling each other what you’ll be buying.
Then see what creative dishes you can come up with using the results. Sure, you may end up with a homemade tuna spaghetti fajitas — but that’s half the fun, right?

Go Dog Walking

And they called it ‘Puppy Love’.

Take a trip to a local dog sanctuary! Load up on treats, tennis balls, and toys (for the dogs, not your date) and spend some quality time with some four-legged friends. The dogs will love you for it, and you could end up making it a regular trip.

Try packing a mini picnic and making an afternoon of it. Just make sure not to mix up the snacks — chicken liver treats aren’t as romantic as you might think.

Take a Ghost Tour

Who you gonna call?

Channel your inner Egon Spengler and opt for an evening of ghost busting. Ghost walks, haunted houses and creepy old mansion tours are perfect date night ideas for couples who want an excuse to hold hands (for safety... obviously).

Sweaty palms, racing heart, first date jitters? It’s not the nerves, it’s the ghosts. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.

What Next

You never know what the future holds.

No 'Big Potato' date night suggestion list would be complete without at least a few board games for couples. OK, so we could fill a whole page with them, but for now, we suggest giving What Next a try for some unpredictable fun at home.

Choose your own adventure, complete the mini-challenges, and watch out for rampaging Koala bears – good dating advice for any occasion, we feel.

City Exploring

The concrete jungle is waiting for you.

City exploring is one of the most budget-friendly fun things for couples to do. All you need are walking shoes and a sense of direction – or at the very least, Google maps. For bonus points, try to find offbeat places like canal tunnels, urban gardens, and quirky streets.

Just remember to make sure you’re not on private land and only explore areas open to the public. An arrest for trespassing doesn’t make for the best first date ending.

 

Find the Strangest Local Museum

Eat your heart out, Museum of Natural Sciences.

Did you know there’s a museum of pencils in the Lake District? Neither did we until recently, but we’re certainly ‘pencilling’ a trip into our calendar. Cool and unusual museums are a fun couple’s destination, and you might learn something fascinating neither of you knew before.

You could always try the House of Marbles or the Greenwich Fan Museum. Now, if only we could find a museum of dice and rum.

Music Puzzle

Some things just fit together.

 

Put on a chill-out playlist, pour yourself and your date a glass of wine, then spend a few hours unwinding with a puzzle. Perfect for rainy day dates, you start by completing the puzzle, before trying to solve the musical riddles inside the box.

For a real party vibe, try out the Day at the Festival puzzle. You could even wear your best muddy boots and rain poncho for that extra authenticity. We love it when everything falls into place.

Immersive Theatre

Forget Shakespeare at the Globe.

Culture vultures of the quirky-kind, unite. Forget about Romeo and Juliet — why not take in a sock puppet production or visit an immersive theatre instead? You’ll find shows that take place in castles, parks, and even out on the city streets.

You can sometimes even find small-scale or amateur community productions in local pubs. Why not take in a drink and a show? To beer or not to beer? That is the question.

Volunteer

Because no act of kindness is ever wasted.

Nothing says I care like volunteering to help a cause that means a lot to your date. Never mind flowers and chocolates, getting your hands dirty on a beach clean-up would be a far quicker way to our hearts. Think local and look for community projects that need a helping hand.

Your partner will see your compassionate side, and you’ll get to feel good about sharing your date- time with a worthy cause – what’s not to love about that?

It’s a Knockout

They do say love is a battlefield.

Show off your stamina and athleticism by signing you and your date up for an inflatable obstacle course or ‘it’s a knockout’ style activity. These have been all the rage in recent years, and you can find them (blown) up and down the country.

Just don’t forget to put sunscreen on each other – the healthy glow of physical exertion can be very attractive. Lobster-red, painful sunburn? Not so much.

Spa treatments

Soothe away the stresses of the week.

One of our favourite date night ideas – treat yourself and your significant other to an at-home spa evening for a calming end to a stressful week. Lots of spa retailers offer do-it-yourself kits you can order online, so bust out the scented candles and get ready for a relaxing, cosy night in.

For a bit of luxury, you could even hire out a hot tub for the weekend. Heck, this one is so good we’re not even sure we need a date for it.

Take a Class

And no, we’re not talking algebra here.

You’re never too old to learn something new. Taking a class together is a fun way to discover the weird and wonderful. You might have partaken in a cooking lesson or two before – but have you ever tried a didgeridoo class? What about glass blowing?

You don’t need to be a master craftsman, it’s just the effort that counts. We’re very proud of our handmade bowl/vase/sculpture/unidentifiable lump of pottery.

Cosplay Convention

Be each other’s comic book heroes.

Embrace your inner comic-book-geeks and head to a local convention. If you want to really get in the mood, then why not try your hand at cosplay and go as your favourite characters? Cosplay doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive - think Shaggy and Thelma from Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter, or Jessica Jones.

Or, go all in and build yourself a costume to impress even the most discerning of dates. Now, where did we put that double-sided tape?

Whether you’re going on your first date or thirtieth, never forget that the best way to show someone you care is to make time for them. It doesn’t matter if a date costs an arm, a leg, or less than what you’ve got in your pocket right now. It’s always the thought that counts. You never know — this could be the start of something beautiful.