As the sun peeks through the curtains in the morning, I am sure we are all counting down the days until the summer holidays. The lazy lie-ins, gazing at the stars and the challenge of eating an ice-cream before it melts everywhere is all I have been clinging onto through exam season and cold, rainy mornings.
If you are dreaming of a Pinterest-worthy, High School Musical 2 summer, this bucket list is filled with loads of ideas to make summer 2026 unforgettable.
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Image Credit: Raphaël Biscaldi from Unsplash
1. Visit Fun Fairs/Carnivals
There is something magical about a fair in the evening. From the sweet smell of cotton candy wafting in the breeze, racing your friends on bumper cars or riding the ferris wheel, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
2. Host a Summer Party
Summer parties are a the perfect excuse to gather your friend and soak up the sunshine.
Inspiration:
- Pool party: blow up some flamingo floats and stock your freezer with as much ice-cream as possible
- Sunset soirée: decorate a long table with orange and pink accents and enjoy dinner as the sun sets
- Beach day: pack suncream, lots of snacks and visit a beach with your friends
3. Have a Themed Photoshoot
From your phone camera to a Polaroid, set up a cute back drop, coordinate outfits and try some new fun poses.
4. PowerPoint Nights
PowerPoints nights are the solution to any boredom or awkward "so what do you want to do?" at hangouts.
Inspiration:
- Predictions of the future
- Hot takes
- Plan your wedding/birthday party/ideal holiday
- If you were a place/person/subject, what would you be?
5. Have a Water Gun Fight
Picture this: the sun is smiling down on you, laughter echoes through the streets and cold water is being sprayed at you.
Don’t have a water gun? Take an empty plastic bottle and poke a hole through the lid, you now have a water gun. I made this whilst I was on holiday in Greece and it was the best way to cool down in the heat (it was also pretty fun to spray my brother).
6. Bake or Cook a Treat
Baking and cooking are not only useful skills but fun and (usually) result in a delicious product. Blast a playlist or watch a movie, whilst the smell of fresh bread wafts through your kitchen. Recently, I made a Victoria Sponge Cake for someone’s birthday and it actually turned out quite well.
Inspiration:
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Bread
- Mini cakes
- Scones
- Fresh pasta
- Ice-cream.
7. Plan a Picnic
Gather your friends and everyone brings a dish something, and enjoy good food and even better company. You could also do an activity simultaneously. For example, candle painting, painting with your friends switching canvases every five minutes or making friendship bracelets.
8. Mini Golf or Bowling
A little friendly competition never hurts. From scoring a hole-in-one to a strike, these nostalgic activities are summer classics.
9. Movie Night
Whether project a movie onto a sheet in your garden or a cozy set-up in your bedroom, watching movies are the best way to unwind.
Inspiration:
- 500 Days of Summer
- Mamma Mia
- The Summer I Turned Pretty
- White Chicks
10. Summer Scrapbook
A summer scrapbook captures all of the magic from your summer. Whether you make it with your friends or on your own, collect random receipts from your shopping trips, photo booth pictures or a ticket from mini golf to preserve the summer memories.
Image Credit: Chris Galbraith from Unsplash
For some of us, summer means endless adventures with your friends but for others summer is a time we dread because we get sucked into a black hole of doom-scrolling. Whilst everyone is not lucky enough to have a massive friend group to explore with or a beach to spend hours on, there is magic wherever you are and whoever you are with.
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Solo Summer Activities
1. Sunset Painting
Whilst the sun sets, set up a painting easel and a snack outside from anywhere to your garden to the beach.
Inspiration: the sky in front of you looks like a water-coloured painting full of orange and pinks hues so why not paint that, or a landscape from one of your favourite holidays.
2. Journaling
Journaling is one of the best ways to clear your head and understand yourself better.
Inspiration:
- Dream journaling
- List of your favourite things
- Scrapbooking
3. Work experience
If you are looking for an academic approach to your summer, work experience, volunteering or a summer internship can aid your applications for jobs or university and develop your employability skills.
4. Exploring a New Topic, Recipe or Place
The possibilities for this item are literally endless. You have loads of time to research anything you are interested in, explore places near you (could be local or a city) or learn a new skill.
Inspiration:
- Bake chocolate chip cookies
- Walk around a new area near you
- Researching a topic your passionate about (psychology, history of science, mythology)
5. Summer Playlists
This may be the most important item on the list. Having a playlist for every mood can romanticise life and make even the most mundane of tasks enjoyable.
Inspiration:
- Summer playlist to blast in the sunshine
- Rom-com playlist to listen to whilst you bake
Conclusion
There are two options: either you can spend six weeks of total freedom stuck inside, wishing your days away or make a best of whatever you have.
Life is composed of finite time but the memories that can be made are infinite. Spend your summer making every moments worth it because in a few years time you can look back regretfully and say "I wish I had done that" or "I can’t believe I did that."
So, take the trip, say yes to the spontaneous excursion or wear the outfit because summers does not last forever but the memories do.