50+ friendship anniversary ideas for celebrating your platonic soulmates

An illustrated cat and ladybug cook together to make soup; the cat is stirring the soup while the ladybug uses her many hands to shake in salt and pepper while chopping a carrot.

How often do we really get to celebrate our friendships? Of course, the usual moments come to mind—birthdays, weddings, housewarmings, celebratory “you finally got that promotion!” drinks. But we rarely pause to acknowledge the wondrous gift of finding (and keeping) a true friend.

That’s why I’m a big advocate for honoring friendship anniversaries! Cherishing the memories you’ve made with a friend and the impact they’ve had on your life is beyond confetti-worthy. So if you’d like some ideas to make it meaningful and extra magical, keep scrolling. 😊

Inspired? Create and share by tagging @HallmarkStores.

Disclaimer: You don’t need to know the exact date you met someone to celebrate your friendship anniversary. You can pick a special date that has meaning for both of you, like the time you went to your first concert, accepted each other’s terrible singing and instantly knew that you’d be best friends forever. Or choose a time of year when you could both use some cheer! For example, if you struggle with winter blues, that could be the perfect season to celebrate your friend anniversary so you have something special to look forward to.

Fun activities to celebrate a friendship anniversary  

Clear your calendar for the day—you’ve got friend date plans! From chill activities inside to outdoor adventures, we’ve got ideas for whatever your hearts desire.

  • Have a Hallmark+ movie marathon. Or find a new series to start together (and please, for the sake of your friendship, don’t watch the next episode without each other!!!).
  • Do a photo shoot together. You might try one of these fun themes: dressing up as famous dynamic duos; wearing bright, matching colors; dressing up as each other (this is especially fun if you have wildly different styles); pulling out the fancy clothes that permanently reside in the back of your closet…what better occasion to wear that long sparkly dress or that fabulously oversized hat?
  • Schedule a mani-pedi and get matching nail designs.
  • Try a new sport together. Just remember—you’re there to have fun! It’s not high school gym class. *shudder*
  • Reprise a favorite past outing you’ve shared, like a trip to a museum, baseball game or that cool jazz bar with the best loaded tater tots.
  • Explore a new city or place together for a day or weekend trip.
  • Go out to dinner dressed as something funny, such as your favorite celebrity or a meme (chronically online people, this is our moment!).
  • If you’re both into tattoos, design a unique one and get inked together!
  • Re-create the first time you met with a scavenger hunt.
  • If you share a favorite treat, hop around your city/town for a day trying it at different places. Hear us out: Eat all the crème brûlée you can.
  • Get matching personalized bracelets.
  • Paint a portrait of each other. Just don’t get offended if they don’t make you look good—it’s the thought that counts!

 

An illustrated cat and ladybug cook together to make soup; the cat is stirring the soup while the ladybug uses her many hands to shake in salt and pepper while chopping a carrot.

Free ways to celebrate a friendship anniversary  

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to show up and be intentional about what their friendship means to you. These budget-friendly ideas are still sweet and meaningful.

  • If you’re both outdoorsy, walk, hike or bike a mile for every year you’ve been friends. If you’ve been friends way too long to do that, drive a mile for every year you’ve been friends (ideally to a fun destination).
  • Take a new version of an old photo you took together (similar outfits, poses, etc.).
  • Make a small photo album documenting a chronological look at your friendship. Write down the memories you associate with each photo.
  • If you both have dogs, go on a bestie double date. If it’s nice out, a walk with coffee is perfect. Or you can find a pet-friendly restaurant nearby!
  • Create a new “best friend” recipe that you can cook together once a year. You can create something from scratch or re-create a meal you both love from a restaurant.
  • Create a list of things based on the number of years you’ve been friends: “8 Fictional Characters You Would Be BFFs With” or “8 Times I Realized We’re the Same Level of Weird.”
  • Create a playlist together of all your favorite songs. Consider it your friendship soundtrack, ready to be used during road trips, karaoke sessions before you hit the town on a night out and all your other bestie activities.
  • Do a sugar roast for each other. Say only nice things you love and appreciate about each other.

Wanna keep the friend-tastic fun going? Check out our full list of over 50 fun things to do with friends, packed with great ideas for every season, interest and member of your friend group.

Long-distance friendship anniversary ideas  

You don’t have to be together on your special day to still feel connected. Try some of these sweet gestures to send love from afar:

  • Surprise them by having lunch or dinner delivered from their favorite restaurant.
  • Send a care package! We’ve got so many fun ones to get you inspired.
  • Get flowers delivered to their office.
  • Send them a Gift Card Greeting. It’s super convenient and you know they can treat themselves to something they’ll love. These gift card message ideas are great to add a personal touch, too.
  • Do a mini podcast in their honor. Talk about all the reasons you love them or learn about one of their passions. For example, if they’ve been recommending the same book to you forever, read it and give a review. There’s nothing like someone showing genuine interest in something you care deeply about.
  • Have a virtual watch party.

Funny friendship anniversary gift ideas  

Make their day with something absolutely ridiculous, wacky but ultimately sentimental (kinda like your friendship). For example:

  • Something from their favorite fandom. Chances are, they loved some of these as a kid (or still do, let’s be honest). We have tons of fun stuff from Disney, Harry Potter, Peanuts, Star Wars, and so many more!
  • A funny mug. We have lots of creative ways to gift mugs, too!
  • For a childhood friend, a poster of the celebrity crush you heard them swoon over all the time.
  • Create a custom T-shirt that features all your favorite inside jokes.
  • A shared doc with all your favorite memes.
  • Something related to a hobby you both share. If you both love gaming, try any of these gaming-related goodies.
  • A funny certificate proclaiming them the best friend ever, awarding them a world record for having the goofiest laugh or certifying that one of the squirrels in the park has been officially named in their honor.
  • A shirt with your/their face on it.
  • A Hallmark Photo Card with the wackiest picture you can find of you together.
  • Leave sticky notes all over their home with sweet/funny compliments.
  • Write them a friendship song parody and perform it.
  • Frame significant mementos of the friendship, like your first text thread if you still have access to it.

 

An illustration of keepsakes and ephemera from the escapades of a cat and ladybug friend duo, including concert tickets, notes, photos form a rollerskating outing, and stickers.

Thoughtful friendship anniversary gift ideas  

A good friendship is like, 90% jokes and 10% really serious moments where you both acknowledge how truly amazing it is to be friends. These gift ideas are dedicated to that 10%. 😂

  • Send them a card shower, and add tuck-in gifts to make it really special.
  • Matching lockets with a cute picture of you two inside.
  • A journal to write down things you’d love to do together in the future.
  • An art piece that displays their favorite mantra or a silly nickname you have for them.
  • A pair of Better Together magnetic plush that matches your friendship.
  • Curated gift bag/basket of their favorite things—teas, candy, salty snacks, fragrance, lotion, etc.
  • Stationery for keeping in touch when it’s hard to do so in person.
  • A favorite book that you’ve inscribed with a personal dedication or thorough annotations. Bonus points if friendship is a prominent theme in the book.

Inexpensive friendship anniversary gift ideas  

If your friend really appreciates experiences over tangible gifts, they’ll definitely love these ideas!

  • Offer to take care of their to-do list for the day—laundry, meal prep, cleaning the bathroom.
  • Send them a long, detailed appreciation card.
  • Friendship scrapbook. Fill it with pictures, tickets from concerts, movies or theme parks, and more random trinkets that are personal to your friendship.
  • Gather stories of mutual friends’ favorite memories of them and share (could be a video, a custom book, etc.).
  • Bake them their favorite dessert or try a new recipe they might love!
  • Write a card/letter for every year of friendship you’ve shared. You can also invite mutual friends/their family to join in! 5 years of friendship = 5 letters from people who love you.
  • Cook their favorite meal for them. Knowing that you planned the meal, got all the ingredients for it and successfully prepared an edible meal is quite special.
  • Host an old-school sleepover with cozy blankets, a pillow fort and all their favorite snacks.

Friendship anniversary message ideas  

Step 1: Pick a friendship card that speaks to your incredible bond.

Step 2: Fill it with a heartfelt message like one of the ones below!

 

Milestone messages:

  • Here’s to (5) hilarious, supportive, life-saving, amazing years of our friendship!
  • I can’t believe how much you’ve changed my life in only a year. I’m so grateful for you and our friendship.
  • Nearly all of my favorite memories in the past year include you. How special is that?!
  • Who knew a stranger could become like family in only a year?
  • Cheers to our (10) years as friends!
  • There aren’t a lot of people who could put up with me for (12) whole years! Thanks for being such a loyal friend.
  • They say if someone’s stuck around for at least 7 years, it’s likely that’s a friendship for life. I’d just like to say I could have called that on day one.

 

For your best friend:

  • Forget finding a life partner. I’ve got my bestie already.
  • We’ll grow old together, but it’ll never get old.
  • I’m so lucky we found each other.
  • Thanks for making me feel less alone in the world.
  • Having someone understand you is the best thing ever. I’m so glad you’re my person.
  • Besties are their best selves when together.
  • Shoutout to my twin flame.
  • Thanks for keeping me sane, dude.

 

Childhood friends:

  • I’m lucky to have a friend who feels like home.
  • You will always be a part of my most magical days.
  • I’m really glad we’ve stayed in touch all these years.
  • Cheers to my longest relationship!
  • They said we’d never make it…BUT HERE WE ARE!
  • We’re getting to that age where we say sentimental stuff to each other so, hey, you mean a lot to me!
  • My life wouldn’t have been the same without you in it. So lucky for a friendship like ours!
  • We could totally blackmail each other, but we’re too awesome for that.
  • Glad we’ve grown together, not apart!

 

Making a friend is truly more magical than we realize. You were both in the right place at the right time. You somehow understand each other’s sense of humor. The world seems bigger and brighter because there’s at least one person cheering you on (and totally sending you silly memes when things go awry).

I hope you tell your friends how much they mean to you and make even more wonderful memories to reflect on during your next friendship anniversary!

 

Want even more ideas for connecting with your best buds? Check these out: