View the VIBE Toronto
  • Cool Vibes
    • Cool Vibes
    • Gift Guides
    • Eats+Drinks
    • Travel+Hotels
    • Health+Fitness
    • Style+Beauty
    • Life+Culture
    • Dating+Relationships
    • Events+Nightlife
    • Cannabis
  • Best in The 6ix
    • Best in The 6ix
    • Restaurants
    • Hotels
    • Things to do
    • Coffee Shops
    • Spas + Beauty
    • Barbershops
    • Retail
  • City Life
    • City Life
    • Pride
    • #TTCLife
    • #BossLife
    • #DatingLife
    • Seen+Heard
    • COVID-19
    • Quarantine Chronicles
    • Submit a Q.C. Post
  • Going Down
    • Today
    • This Week
    • This Month
    • Submit an Event
SPACES Yorkville
Join the Conversation
Facebook 6K Likes
Twitter 12K Followers
Instagram 22K Followers
Pinterest 150 Followers
View the VIBE Toronto View the VIBE Toronto
  • Cool Vibes
    • Cool Vibes
    • Gift Guides
    • Eats+Drinks
    • Travel+Hotels
    • Health+Fitness
    • Style+Beauty
    • Life+Culture
    • Dating+Relationships
    • Events+Nightlife
    • Cannabis
  • Best in The 6ix
    • Best in The 6ix
    • Restaurants
    • Hotels
    • Things to do
    • Coffee Shops
    • Spas + Beauty
    • Barbershops
    • Retail
  • City Life
    • City Life
    • Pride
    • #TTCLife
    • #BossLife
    • #DatingLife
    • Seen+Heard
    • COVID-19
    • Quarantine Chronicles
    • Submit a Q.C. Post
  • Going Down
    • Today
    • This Week
    • This Month
    • Submit an Event
Virtual Happy Hour Wine Night Social Distancing - View the VIBE
  • City Life

11 Virtual Activities to Stay Connected While Social Distancing — and enjoying Wine!

  • March 31, 2020
  • 5 minute read
  • Angela Aiello
Total
20
Shares
19
0
1
0
0
0

Fight boredom while COVID-19 social distancing using these free tools.

As we all count our days in self-isolation and help stop the spread of COVID-19, we all continue to learn about how to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues using online portals and apps. Whether you’re a gamer, just missing movie nights with your favourite people, or an avid wine enthusiast, we have you covered. Here I’ll show you how to host your own virtual get togethers in a number of different ways during these times of social distancing.

As a wine enthusiast and a member of a pretty big family with members across the world, I’m staying connected as much as possible to help ease anxiety and talk about life while sharing a glass of wine with the people I love. Recently I was able to connect with renowned Los Angeles-based budget travel and lifestyle expert, Lindsay Myers, who’s regularly featured on Access Hollywood. We had a great discussion on why it’s so important to use the internet and the useful apps and tools available to us during this time to stay connected. 

“It’s very important for us all to stay connected right now.

We need each other more than ever. Even though we can not physically be around each other, doesn’t mean we can’t connect—and thankfully technology makes it easier for us,” said Myers.

We both agreed that tapping into virtual social activities is the best way to connect, communicate and celebrate with each other—not to mention bring some laughter to our current state. By now I think we are all leveraging video tools as much as possible. Particularly in our WFH environments, and there are many newly discovered tools to help bring social virtual activities to life too! 

“From Facebook Workplace, [and] Zoom, to Instagram live, Google Hangouts, and Skype, there are many apps and websites that allow us all to group chat and keep the ‘happy hour’ going.” said Myers, and I totally agree. Bringing back happy hour is a great way to stock your wine cellar, taste wine with friends and celebrate the end of the work day. 

Here is a list of activities and ideas to help bring your virtual social activities with your friends and family to life.

11 Top Virtual Social Gathering Ideas:

1. Virtual Wine Tastings (or Wine Night In)

Go on a wine adventure! Plan a night where you and all of your friends buy wines from the same region and compare notes and travel stories. Invite a sommelier you know – who might be out of job right now and ask them to lead you through the tasting notes. This is a great way to host a happy hour and reminisce about your travels abroad and learn about wine as well! 

If you’re looking for an upcoming virtual wine tasting event, WineOnline, Canada’s premier online wine store, has got you covered! With a portfolio of over 300 wines from around the world, the store launching a series of free, online wine tasting events with head sommelier Samuel Fritz-Tate. The first wine tasting will be on June 6 at 3 p.m. and will highlight Niagara winery, Leaning Post. In advance of the wine tasting event, WineOnline is also offering a mixed case of twelve bottles of Leaning Post wines (not available at the LCBO). The mixed case costs $306 and includes free, contactless delivery within 1-2 weeks, anywhere in Ontario.

2. Cocktail Party

Bring on the Aperitivo hour! Create a cocktail theme, then see how many different versions you all have as a group. You might even want to invite a friend who is a bartender to help lead you through a DIY cocktail class 

3. Dinner Party

Whether you’re all eating the same type of cuisine, supporting your local restaurant through delivery or just eating and hanging out, it’s all about the company. You can even get creative and find a friend who is a chef and ask them to host a cooking class online for you and your friends.   

4. Dance Party

Looking for your Saturday night fix? Create a playlist on Spotify that can be shared as your dance list for the evening and listen as a group as you all dance your heart away. This is a great exercise, not to mention a great way to get that stress out of your body. You can also integrate a cocktail party and a wine tasting into this type of party! If you use zoom premium, you can have a dance party with up to 10,000 views. Pretty sure you might have a DJ friend who could make this one happen—or tune into one of the celebrity DJs doing a LIVE stream on Instagram.

5. Movie Night

The new version of Netflix and Chill. Have you heard about the new Netflix Party? Available only as a Chrome extension, Netflix Party allows you and your friends to watch any show or movie from the Netflix catalogue together. Not only can you all watch the same movie synchronized, but there is also video playback pauses, plays and stops for everyone (ideal to fill up your glass of wine, and make some popcorn), plus there is a group chat feature for those inter-movie questions, comments and chatter. 

6. Book Clubs

The club doesn’t have to end just because of the situation. Pick – up a book and have weekly virtual meetings for discussion and debate. My newest and most recent book is ‘Wine Girl’ by Victoria James, you can even listen to the audiobook for free when you register for Amazon Audible. 

7. Get Crafty

Want to learn a new craft or share yours with the world? Meet-up with your crafty friends and share ideas around how to get craft around the house and then video chat about the finished project, or do them while you are chatting (knitting, painting, jewelry etc.). Once again, got a crafty friend? Get them to teach you something new in a class or tutorial.

8. Costume / Theme Party

Name that theme and everyone dress up! You can integrate this party with any of the above, heck, you could throw a Spanish wine themed pyjama party if you wanted too.

9. Birthday / Anniversary Party

So many people are missing their birthdays with those they love right now. Just because you can’t see each other doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate. Have a cake delivered to that person’s door (ecakes.ca is still delivering in Toronto during COVID-19), and all of you can sing through video making them feel loved and appreciated! 

10. Games Nights

Looking to plan a night challenging your friends to the games you love? Download the Houseparty app (offered on iOS, Android, Mac OS, and Chrome). It offers free trivia games and video calling for some of your favourite classic games.

11. Instagram Feed Party

Looking to scroll through instagram with a friend? Instagram just launched a new live chat tool that allows you to view Instagram your feed together.

Total
20
Shares
Like 19
Tweet 0
Pin it 1
Like 0
Share 0
Share 0
Tags
  • book clubds
  • coronavirus
  • covid_19
  • COVID-19
  • ecakes.ca
  • Happy Hour
  • houseparty
  • instagram live
  • netflix
  • pyjama party
  • social distancing
  • virtual happy hour
  • virtual parties
  • virtual party
  • wine night
Angela Aiello
Angela Aiello

Wine Columnist, Ask Super Wine Girl. Check back soon for Angela's monthly column.

You May Also Like
Investing in a Pandemic Finance Tips
View Post
  • City Life

The Dilemma: Investing During a Pandemic–Smart or Unethical?

  • December 1, 2020
  • Phyllis Scully
View Post
  • City Life

Quarantine Chronicles: Restaurateur Speaks Out in Emotional Public Message to City Officials –and How YOU can help!

  • November 15, 2020
  • Guest Submission
View Post
  • City Life

How to Find the Perfect Casino Game

  • October 4, 2020
  • Joel Levy
OPEI TurfMutt Leaf Blowing Fall Months Toronto
View Post
  • City Life

7 Tips for Readying Your Outdoor Power Equipment for Winter Storage

  • October 1, 2020
  • VIBE Team
View Post
  • City Life

Quarantine Chronicles: Design and Interior Spaces in a Post-COVID World

  • July 2, 2020
  • Guest Submission
View Post
  • City Life

Quarantine Chronicles: Luxury Wine and Spirits Executive Speaks Up on #ComingTogether

  • June 23, 2020
  • Guest Submission
Toronto: Skyline at Sunset
View Post
  • City Life

Reasons Why Toronto Is a Great Place to Live

  • June 17, 2020
  • VIBE Team
View Post
  • City Life

Quarantine Chronicles: Creative Entrepreneur Speaks Up on Designing the Future

  • June 15, 2020
  • Guest Submission
Trending Posts
  • stock portfolio 1
    5 Ways to Diversify Your Stock Portfolio
    • December 26, 2020
  • team-building exercise 2
    3 Surprising Benefits of Cooking as a Team-Building Exercise
    • December 7, 2020
  • 3
    2020: A Test of Mindset
    • January 4, 2021
SPACES Yorkville
GOING DOWN IN #THE6IX:
Mon 18

Mr. Brainwash “We’re In This Together” Canadian Exclusive Pop-Up

October 20, 2020 @ 11:00 am - January 19, 2021 @ 7:00 pm
87 Yorkville Ave.

View More…

ADVERTISE WITH US
Learn about our
partnership opportunities.

Inquire Now

 

LATEST NEWS
SPACES Yorkville
Going Down in #The6ix
« January 2021 » loading...
M T W T F S S
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Mon 18

Mr. Brainwash “We’re In This Together” Canadian Exclusive Pop-Up

October 20, 2020 @ 11:00 am - January 19, 2021 @ 7:00 pm
Mon 18

Mr. Brainwash “We’re In This Together” Canadian Exclusive Pop-Up

October 21, 2020 @ 11:00 am - January 20, 2021 @ 7:00 pm

Subscribe

Be in the know. Get the latest updates, and giveaways!

about
View the VIBE
View the VIBE, partially owned, and operated by STAMINA Group Inc., launched in 2010 as a video restaurant and spa guide, later evolving into a recognized digital Toronto-lifestyle authority, producing fun, edgy and informational editorial content. Establishing itself as a voice for restaurant reviews, trending stories, and excellent vibe videos.
Learn More
Partner Network

SWAGGER Magazine, North America’s
Online Men‘s Luxury Lifestyle Magazine.

Learn More

 

Divine.ca, Canada’s Bilingual Online
Women’s Lifestyle Magazine.

Learn More

 
WanderEater.com, leading those wandering aimlessly for food.

 
GTA Lifestyle Magazines, for all things GTA for the most affluent.

 
Part of the STAMINA Group
of brands.

Learn More

Navigation
  • Cool Vibes
    • Cool Vibes
    • Gift Guides
    • Eats+Drinks
    • Travel+Hotels
    • Health+Fitness
    • Style+Beauty
    • Life+Culture
    • Dating+Relationships
    • Events+Nightlife
    • Cannabis
  • Best in The 6ix
    • Best in The 6ix
    • Restaurants
    • Hotels
    • Things to do
    • Coffee Shops
    • Spas + Beauty
    • Barbershops
    • Retail
  • City Life
    • City Life
    • Pride
    • #TTCLife
    • #BossLife
    • #DatingLife
    • Seen+Heard
    • COVID-19
    • Quarantine Chronicles
    • Submit a Q.C. Post
  • Going Down
    • Today
    • This Week
    • This Month
    • Submit an Event
Join the Conversation
6K Likes
12K Followers
22K Followers
150 Followers
View the VIBE Toronto
  • Contact
  • Masthead
  • Subscribe
  • Send us a Tip
  • Legal
  • © 2020, STAMINA Group
The VIBE authority of The 6ix.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.