Valentine’s Day is a day all about love – but it’s not for everyone. If you’re single, the floods of gushy messages, chocolate hearts, and red roses might leave you cold. But there’s still something to celebrate this February – Galentine’s Day! An occasion all about the girls, it’s the perfect opportunity to gather the gang and show them just how much you love and appreciate them.
It’s not often that something from pop culture sticks around long enough to become a yearly tradition. But the unofficial Parks and Recreation holiday, Galentine’s Day, has become an absolute favourite of women across the world, giving them the perfect excuse to celebrate.
Got a Galentine’s Day-themed celebration on the horizon? Don’t turn up empty-handed. Our wonderfully talented creators have designed a whole bunch of Galentine’s Day cards, ready and waiting for you to explore:
And if you’re looking for something a little different, you’re bound to find a card you love in our full collection of friendship cards. The cherry on top? Our wonderful range of gifts. From candles to drinks and pamper packs, go on, show them how much you appreciate them.
What is Galentine’s Day?
Galentine’s Day is celebrated on the 13th of February, and it’s a day to appreciate your best mate, sister, mum, or any woman in your life for that matter. Rather than celebrating a significant other, Galentine’s Day is all about celebrating that unique love that only friends can have. The kind of love that means you can chat about anything and everything until the early hours of the morning, or be that ever-present shoulder for someone to cry on after a massive heartbreak. It doesn’t matter if you have an army of girlfriends or a small squad, it’s about enjoying time with each other and celebrating the blessing that is female friendship.
Where does Galentine’s Day come from?
We’re used to holidays being adapted from old religious holidays or ancient traditions – but Galentine’s Day is a little bit different, because it was invented by… a fictional character. That’s right – Galentine’s Day was invented by Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation.
Parks and Recreation (which is well worth a watch) is a sitcom about the Parks Department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana, USA. The second season’s 16th episode was called ‘Galentine’s Day’ and aired – appropriately – on the week of Valentine’s Day, February 11th 2010. In the episode, the sweet and earnest lead character, Leslie Knope, throws her annual ‘Galentine’s Day’ brunch party for her female friends. In her own words:
“Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies.”
Since the episode aired, Galentine’s Day has transcended the airwaves to become a bona fide social media phenomenon, all about – as Leslie said – ladies celebrating ladies.
Image source and credit: NBC
Is Galentine’s Day just for ladies?
While Galentine’s Day is technically reserved as a day of empowerment for women everywhere, it’s quickly become an occasion celebrated by everyone. Let’s face it: we’ve all got friends of every sex and gender, and there’s no reason we can’t share the love with them too.
Galentine’s Day ideas
You can celebrate Galentine’s Day in any way you want, and there are a variety of fun Galentine’s activities out there. The only rule is that you need to celebrate it with friends and let them know how much you care.
Here are a few of our favourite Galentine’s ideas – corralling them into one place via WhatsApp (or wherever your group chat takes place) is all on you though, we’re afraid…
1. Galentine’s brunch
Take a leaf out of Leslie Knope’s breakfast-food-loving book and host a brunch for your best girls. Head to your favourite boozy brunch place, hang out with a glass of something bubbly, and enjoy your favourite breakfast foods while you catch up. Or, since Galentine’s Day is only a couple of days before Pancake Day, why not practice your pancake-flipping together and host a prosecco and pancake party at someone’s house? Hopefully they don’t mind pancakes stuck to the ceiling.
2. Secret Cupid
Why should the people in relationships get all the Valentine’s presents and chocolate? Organise a Secret Cupid with your gals instead. Like Secret Santa, this way everyone gets something for Valentine’s, even if you’re single! Pull names out of a hat and send each other a Galentine’s Day card – and to make your gifting even easier, with thortful you can add flowers or chocolates to your card with a single click.
3. Game night
For a night that’s guaranteed to cause giggles, plan a game night. No, that doesn’t mean you all need to suddenly develop first-person-shooter skills, there’s still plenty of other games you can play. You might be surprised how much fun you have! The traditional games of charades and Pictionary might sound lame, but when you’re a few glasses of wine deep, you’d be surprised how hilarious trying to mime ‘The Lion King’ becomes…
4. Wine tasting
If you and your friends love nothing more than a gossip over a bottle of wine, why not host a Galentine’s Day wine tasting? A week before, each of you recommends your favourite bottles – then trades your suggestions so everyone gets to try something new. Make sure you’ve got some cheese and grapes handy and settle in for a night of sophisticated wine reviewing.
5. Prosecco, pizza, and pampering
For a fun, fizzy night in, enjoy a classic girly night with prosecco, pizza and pampering in your PJs. Get your girls all together, pick your favourite romcom, weepie or standard girly movie, then enjoy pampering with facemasks and nail painting. You could have a slumber party in your cosiest pyjamas, a movie night dressed up as all your favourite iconic movie characters, or even a cocktail evening in your old prom dresses!
If you’re planning a girly pamper night, check out our guide to having a spa day at home for everything you need to know. And if you’re looking for some movie inspo, here are our top picks:
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- Mamma Mia!
- Clueless
- Booksmart
- Easy A
- Mean Girls
- 27 Dresses
- Dirty Dancing
- Pitch Perfect
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Coyote Ugly
6. Make your own cocktails
Next up, let’s talk Galentine’s Day-themed cocktails! Have a quick search for some recipes you like the sound of, then head out to the shops to pick up a bunch of ingredients. How about ‘Cupid’s cocktail’ for some name inspiration, perhaps featuring sweet strawberry flavouring and candyfloss decorations? Or, if you’re feeling fancy, dive into our guides on gin cocktail recipes and mocktail recipes!
Go all out with fancy glasses and edible glitter, then set up your very own cocktail-making station for you and the girls to enjoy.
7. Host a bake-off
Whether it’s an impressive three-tiered extravaganza or some more basic chocolate chip cookies, why not gather your pals and get stuck into a day of baking this Galentine’s? Expert chefs or complete novices, you’re bound to create some hilarious and wholesome memories.
Once you’re all done with decorating, vote on your favourite creation and crown your very own baking extraordinaire.
8. Paint and sip
Sipping wine whilst painting your very own masterpiece—what’s not to love? Perfect for artsy friend groups, all you’ll need to do is snap up canvases, paints, and brushes and you’re good to go!
All paint the same masterpiece and vote on a winner, or better yet why not try painting portraits of each other? The grand reveals are bound to spark some hilarious reactions.
9. Karaoke night
Everyone has a signature karaoke song. So, why not gather your best mates and take it in turns listening to one another sing (or should we say screech) your favourite hits? From Beyoncé to ABBA – or even Whitney, if you’re feeling brave – select your song and prepare to put on the performance of a lifetime.
Head to a nearby karaoke bar in town or do a DIY karaoke night at home, and have fun letting loose with your pals this Galentine’s.
10. Host a nostalgic sleepover
Gathering all your friends for a sleepover certainly doesn’t need to be a thing of the past, so why not get everyone around and enjoy a night of pure nostalgia this Galentine’s Day? We’re thinking face masks, movie marathons, and plenty of popcorn, chatting the night away like you used to when you were twelve – for further inspiration, we’ve got a whole other guide full of sleepover ideas and tips.
We could all use a few more reasons to celebrate – even if this celebration is new to you and your best girl friends, why not make it a new tradition? Whether you use our Galentine’s Day ideas or come up with your own, take the opportunity to tell the ladies in your life just how much you love them.
Next, head over to the thortful blog for more fun reads. And for all the lovebirds out there, check out our ranges of Valentine’s Day cards in time for the big day.
If your Galentine’s celebrations are done and dusted and you’re looking for something special to do with your partner, make sure to check out our Valentine’s Day date ideas. Hoping to go all out? Then our guide on Valentine’s party ideas might be the one for you.
