Restaurants, bars and cinemas across the country may be temporarily shut, but that doesn’t mean that date nights have to be on hold too! Here at The Light, we’ve pulled together a list of five date night ideas that are perfect for a romantic evening during lockdown.

Make your own pizzas

Missing your pizza fix from Zizzi or Prezzo? Then why not test out your own pizza-making skills? Cooking together to make your own pizza dough can be a super fun and easy date night. And the best bit is you can customise your pizza exactly how you like it!

If you’re in need of a good pizza dough recipe, check out the Zizzi recipe here. And even better, you can find the exact recipes for your favourite Zizzi dishes online here – everything from linguine to arancini!

Have a games night

Missing Escape Hunt and Junkyard Golf for your date night activities? Don’t panic! There are loads of fun games that you can play as part of your romantic evening in. You can even bring Escape Hunt into your own home, with three virtual games available online.

The original virtual game, ‘Stolen’ revolves around five priceless treasures which have been stolen across London. The five dastardly thieves have escaped the police’s clutches, but intelligence has it that they will strike again soon.

You and your partner in crime must work your way through the evidence and reveal which thief stole which item and where they’ll strike next.

All three games are available to buy here.

Create an at-home cinema experience

Lockdown is the perfect opportunity to watch those films that have been your ‘must see’ list for months. If you want to create the authentic cinema-feel, make sure to turn off your phones, dim the lights and play the film through some quality speakers. And of course, get that popcorn ready!

This is a great option for couples that live separately too, thanks to the new Netflix Party feature. Available through Chrome Browsers, this extension lets you watch the same series or film simultaneously, and even have a group chat to discuss it as you go!

Bring the restaurant into your home

Just because we can’t go out to our favourite restaurants, doesn’t mean we can’t recreate them at home! From online recipes to help you make the dishes yourselves, to contact-free takeaways, there are loads of ways to still enjoy your favourite eateries.

Once you’ve decided on the food, make sure to create that restaurant feel by choosing the right music and adding some candles and decorations to your table.

Double (virtual) date with friends

Lockdown doesn’t have the mean the end of double dates! It’s super easy to host a virtual dinner party, thanks to the likes of Zoom and FaceTime. The key to a virtual double date is to make sure that it at least feels like you’re in the same room as your companions.

Make sure to agree a theme for the evening beforehand, so you can all plan your menu, decorations and outfits accordingly. Then simply position your laptop at the end of the table so your guests can see you and vice versa, and you’re good to go!

For more advice on how to host a virtual dinner party, read our blog here.