WhosFreeWhen?

The free Friendsgiving planner

Plan a Friendsgiving your whole crew can make

November weekends disappear fast between family plans, travel and work events. Find the date that works for your friends before the calendar fills up, then get back to arguing about the stuffing.

Free to get started

How precise should availability be?

One answer per date. Best for picking a day for a night out or a trip.

You'll get a shareable link. Drop it into the group chat. Everyone taps the November dates they're free in 20 seconds. You see instantly which date works for the most people.

No account for guestsWorks on any phoneAny group sizeReady in seconds

Built for a big, busy friend group

Friendsgiving means one weekend dinner, a dozen people with holiday plans, and a potluck to coordinate. These features handle exactly that.

Best weekend: Nov 21 to 22

Saturday

11 of 12

Sunday

8 of 12

Best available weekend

Friendsgiving is a weekend dinner, so this card picks out the November weekend most of your friends can make and shows Saturday and Sunday side by side.

What's the main?

Classic turkey67%
Honey-glazed ham33%

Group decision polls

Settle the main dish, the host's house or who brings dessert with a quick vote, right next to the date, instead of forty messages in the group chat.

Hey Jess, 9 of us can do Sat Nov 21. Can you add your dates so we can lock in Friendsgiving?

Copy nudge message

Personalized nudge messages

There's always a friend who hasn't replied. Send a nudge that names the date they could unlock, which works far better than another “guys??”

View all features

Picking the date is the hardest part

The recipes are the fun bit. The real challenge is finding one November evening when a dozen friends aren't traveling, hosting family or stuck at a work event. Get the date right and the rest falls into place.

Easy

Each friend opens the link and taps the dates they're free. No account, no download, no fuss.

See the best date instantly

A color-coded calendar shows which November dates have the most people free. No scrolling back through the chat.

Done in a day

Beats a week of “maybe” replies. Lock in the date before everyone's November gets booked up.

How to find the best date for Friendsgiving

  1. 1

    Create your Friendsgiving event

    Name it and you're done. We've already set the date range to November. Ten seconds.

  2. 2

    Share the link with your friends

    Drop it into the group chat, a text thread or Instagram DMs. Nobody needs an account to open it.

  3. 3

    Everyone taps the dates they're free

    Twenty seconds per person, on any phone. Friends can update their answer if plans change.

  4. 4

    Lock in the winning date

    Pick the date with the most people free, confirm the host, and start planning the menu.

Start planning now

The 5-minute Friendsgiving plan

A great Friendsgiving comes down to six steps, in this order.

  1. 1
    Lock the date first. Poll the group in late October or early November. The Saturday before Thanksgiving is the classic choice.
  2. 2
    Confirm the host. Whoever has the biggest table and the most patience. Agree whether they're cooking the main.
  3. 3
    Set the headcount. Decide on plus-ones early. Every extra guest means another chair, another plate and more food.
  4. 4
    Divide the potluck. Assign categories: the host takes the main, everyone else claims a side, dessert or drinks.
  5. 5
    Check dietary needs. Ask about vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergies before anyone shops, not at the table.
  6. 6
    Plan one tradition. A gratitude round, a pie contest or a post-dinner game. One thing to look forward to is plenty.
Read the full Friendsgiving guide

Which date should you pick for Friendsgiving?

Every slot in November has trade-offs. Here's the honest ranking:

The weekend before Thanksgiving

The classic choice. Festive, close to the holiday, and most people haven't left town yet. Book it early because it goes fast.

Early to mid November

Underrated. Calendars are emptier, nobody's turkey-tired yet, and you dodge the pre-holiday rush.

Tuesday or Wednesday of Thanksgiving week

Great if your friends grew up in the same town and come home for the holiday. Tricky for anyone still traveling.

Thanksgiving weekend itself

Only works if most of the group stays in town. Everyone else is with family or on the road. Leftovers potluck, anyone?

Saturdays get the highest turnout. A Sunday afternoon dinner is a strong second if Saturday is crowded.

Common Friendsgiving mistakes

  • Waiting until mid-November to pick a date

    By then half your friends have committed to family plans and travel. Start the conversation in late October.

  • Asking 'when works?' in the group chat

    You get three answers, two maybes and a meme. A shared availability link gets everyone's dates in one place in a day.

  • An unplanned potluck

    Leave it open and you'll end up with four bags of chips and no mashed potatoes. Assign categories.

  • Forgetting dietary needs

    A vegetarian who can only eat rolls, or a friend with a nut allergy and pecan pie everywhere. Ask before anyone cooks.

  • Underestimating the oven

    One oven, a turkey and six dishes that all need reheating at 6pm. Ask people to bring food that's ready to serve.

Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving guides

Frequently asked questions

When is Friendsgiving usually held?
Most Friendsgivings happen in the two weeks before Thanksgiving, and the Saturday before Thanksgiving is one of the most popular choices. Some groups meet on the Tuesday or Wednesday of Thanksgiving week, when friends from out of town are already home, or on the Friday or Saturday after.
When should I start planning Friendsgiving?
Early November at the latest, and late October is better. Weekends in November fill up fast with family plans, travel and work events, so the earlier you lock in a date, the more of your friends can make it.
How do you find the best date for Friendsgiving?
Collect everyone's availability before you suggest a date. Send one shared availability link instead of asking in the group chat. Everyone taps the November dates they're free, and you pick the date with the most people available. WhosFreeWhen? does this for free, and nobody needs an account to respond.
Should Friendsgiving be a potluck?
For most groups, yes. A potluck keeps the cost and the cooking fair. The host usually handles the turkey or main dish and everyone else brings a side, a dessert or drinks. Agree who brings what in advance so you don't end up with five pies and no stuffing.
How do I stop everyone bringing the same dish?
Assign categories rather than leaving it open: mains, sides, desserts, drinks. You can use a quick poll on the event page to let people claim a dish, so the whole list is visible in one place instead of scattered across a group chat.
What if some friends can't make any date?
With a big group there's almost always someone. Pick the date that works for the most people, and especially for the host. If a close friend genuinely can't make it, a smaller catch-up later in the holidays keeps everyone included.
Can I use this for a Thanksgiving dinner with family?
Yes. Thanksgiving Day itself is fixed, but plenty of families still need to agree on which day of the long weekend to gather, or when to fit in a second meal with the other side of the family. The same shared link works for both.
Is WhosFreeWhen? free?
Yes. The free plan covers one active event for a small group, and nobody responding ever needs an account. Pro is a one-time upgrade if you need bigger groups or extra features like polls and reminders.

Ready to get the whole crew around one table?

Lock in your Friendsgiving date in under 24 hours. Free, no sign-up, no app for your friends to download. Just a shareable link.

Start your Friendsgiving poll