Let’s be honest – Galentine’s Day is always better than Valentine’s Day. If you’ve never heard of Galentine’s Day, it’s typically celebrated on Feb. 13, the day before V-Day. It isn’t restricted to just gals; anyone can be at your Galentine’s event! It’s meant to celebrate friendship (since Valentine’s Day celebrates lovey-dovey-ooey-gooey romance, you know?). Who needs a significant other when you’ve got your pals to watch “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” over pints of Ben & Jerry’s? As Leslie Knope said, “What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year.” Here are a few ideas for a lovely Galentine’s Day party.
- Have a Movie Night
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A night full of female empowering chick-flicks, rom-coms and endless popcorn – what more could you need? Here are some options: “Someone Great,” “Legally Blonde,” “Bridesmaids,” “Princess Diaries,” “Mean Girls,” “A Cinderella Story” (the Hilary Duff one), and “Booksmart.”
- Snacks, Drinks and Treats Galore!
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You can never go wrong with a sweet charcuterie board. Load it up with chocolate covered strawberries, pink and red cookies, and candy sweethearts (those little candies that say “Be Mine” and “XOXO”) and you’re ready to roll. There’s a TikTok trend in which each guest makes their own, fun themed cocktail/mocktail. Look up “red and pink drinks” and bring all of the ingredients! If you are celebrating with friends outside of your roommates, treat bags are a great option for COVID-safe goodies. Fill them with individually wrapped candies, chocolates or even Goldfish (who doesn’t love Goldfish?)
- Galentine’s Day Photoshoot
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If you have a Polaroid camera, or a disposable camera, you can take some great candids all throughout the event. Make a Galentine’s Day backdrop by buying some red and pink streamers, or XO shaped balloons, and go to town!
- Spa Goodie Bags
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Grab a face mask, nail polish and lotion for each of your guests, and tell them to come with a robe and a pair of fuzzy socks. Burn some candles, turn on the sound of crashing waves and get relaxed.
- Have a Game Night
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“For the Girls” (by “What Do You Meme”) is basically built for a Galentine’s Day game night. Whip out some cards and play Spoons, or “Cards Against Humanity.” Game nights bring out some playful competition, and guaranteed laughs with your pals.
- Valentine Boxes
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Remember in elementary school when you used to have Valentine’s Day shoe boxes? You would give everyone in your class a piece of candy taped to a Lisa Frank valentine card (look it up – I promise this will recover a memory you didn’t know you had). Throw it back to 2007, decorate an old shoe box and have a valentine exchange! You could grab some premade Scratch & Smell mini valentines, or you could write a note to each of your friends saying what you love about them.
- Paint
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Whether you take a virtual painting class or just get some canvases from Walmart, painting is perfect for a COVID-safe Galentine’s Day. It could also be the perfect gift for your partner on Valentine’s Day. Or, you could write “love stinks” on a canvas and call it a day.
- Bake and Decorate
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Make some cupcakes with pink icing or bake a red velvet cake and write “uteruses before duderuses” on top (funny, right?). Baking treats with your best friends sounds like a pretty sweet night to me.
Galentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to remind your friends how much you appreciate them. It’s not necessary to spend money, just sending a thoughtful text or inviting them to hang out is enough to show them you love them. Now that you have some inspiration, go out there and have some Galentine’s Day fun!