Weeknight Date Ideas That Are More Creative Than Happy Hour

If you’re going on a date on a weeknight, you probably only have a few hours to spend together before you risk losing sleep and ending up groggy and grumpy at work the next day. But that doesn’t mean you need to give up weeknight dating — after all, more than half of the week is made up of weeknights. That just wouldn't be practical!

Plus, when you think about it, weeknight dating just makes sense. If you’re going on a first date, you might not want to devote precious weekend hours to meeting up with someone you might never see again. Statistician Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight once studied OKCupid data and discovered that Wednesday was the most popular night for a first date, followed by Thursday. On the other hand, if you’re dating someone you’ve been with for a while, you probably want to see them on weeknights in addition to seeing them on weekends.

It can be hard to think of weeknight date ideas that are a bit more creative than grabbing happy hour drinks. Don’t worry — we’ve got you.

Make like Taylor Swift and learn a few classic cocktails together — most classes last only an hour or two.

An art museum might be too time-consuming for a weeknight date, but an art gallery isn’t.

Instead of ordering Seamless, get out a cookbook and spend some time together in the kitchen.

Show each other your favorite — and least favorite — books at a library or bookstore, which lets you get personal without spending much (or any) cash.

Cue up Beyoncé’s “Blow” and spend an hour or two at a roller rink.

Don’t have enough time for a three-hour movie but want something a bit more special than rewatching an episode of the Office? Cue up a short film or two and feel cultured.

Free and cheap comedy events are a common weeknight occurrence...

… and the same goes for live music.

Instead of going to your favorite restaurant, try a new place for a little variety.

You might still be at work when the sun sets in the winter, but in the summer, you can catch a romantic sunset with your partner at a park or rooftop bar.

You can challenge each other to board games at a café, pinball at an arcade, or darts at a bar — or break out your Scrabble board at home.