Rediscover the art of staying in with these five dark night hobbies
Harrows Darts is encouraging people to take up new evening hobbies as the darker nights return.
From a bottle of wine and a round of darts to cards around the kitchen table, darker evenings are the perfect excuse to rediscover the art of staying in. The clocks have gone back, the evenings are drawing in and the temptation to head straight home and hibernate is very real.
But staying in doesn't have to mean spending the next five months scrolling on the sofa or asking: “What shall we watch?”
Brits are taking up “hobby hibernation”, embracing the darker months by rediscovering hobbies that give us something fun to do once the sun goes down. While some are perfect for a quiet night alone, others provide an excellent excuse to get friends round, open a bottle of wine, put some music on and inject a little friendly competition into an evening at home.
So, as the clocks go back, here are five dark night hobbies Harrows Darts think are worth bringing back this winter.
1. Rediscover a pack of cards
Dig out a pack of cards and make this the winter you finally learn the games you always pretend to understand. From poker and rummy to fast-paced games for a group, cards cost virtually nothing, require no charging and can become fiercely competitive remarkably quickly.
For an easy night with friends, ask everyone to teach the group one game they know.
2. Bring back darts night
There’s a reason darts has been a pub staple for generations – you don’t have to be particularly good at it to have a good time.
A dartboard at home can turn a casual evening with friends into a tournament surprisingly quickly, and you can play for ten minutes or let the competition take over the entire night.
If you’re completely new to the oche or an at-home pro, Harrows Darts’ October launch has everything to kit out your darts den. Harrows Darts is also running a bundle offer this month to help you make your home darts ready.
Get a few friends round, create a tournament, put some music on and see who earns the bragging rights.
3. Take on the 1,000-piece challenge
Jigsaws have had something of a makeover in recent years, with everything from stylish artwork to fiendishly difficult designs now available.
The trick is not to pick something you can finish in an hour. Choose a puzzle ambitious enough to become a fixture of the darker months, commandeer a corner of the dining table and chip away at it whenever you have a spare evening.
For a more sociable take, get friends round, set a timer and see how much you can complete in one night.
4. Start a kitchen table craft club
Knitting, crochet, painting and other crafts are no longer hobbies reserved for your grandparents. Rather than signing up for an elaborate new skill, choose something you can do while chatting and encourage friends to bring their own project.
Add snacks, drinks and a good playlist and you have a low-effort alternative to meeting at the pub – with something to show for it at the end.
5. Turn dinner into the night’s entertainment
Instead of cooking before the fun starts, make cooking the activity. Pick something that takes a little more effort than the usual midweek meal – homemade pasta, dumplings, pizza or an ambitious bake – and get everyone involved.
You can even make it competitive by splitting into teams or challenging friends to bring a dish based around a particular ingredient. It might take longer than ordering a takeaway, but that’s rather the point.
As Britain heads into months of 4pm sunsets, embracing a little “hobby hibernation” could be the secret to making darker evenings feel less like something to endure – and more like a reason to get friends round.