Halloween provides the opportunity for dressing up, Christmas gift exchanges are fun, and Friendsgiving leaves us in a food coma (in a good way). But perhaps our favorite event of the season is a Galentine’s Day party celebrating the most friend-centric holiday of them all.
Galentine’s Day falls on February 13 every year, the day before Valentine’s Day, and it’s all about expressing your love for your ladies. Created by the best best friend who ever lived (Leslie Knope from the TV show Parks and Recreation) the reason for the season is simple: partying with your best friends.
Read on for some of our best Galentine’s Day party ideas, inspired by many of the events we’ve attended over the years and extensive social media research. From themes to product recommendations to activity suggestions, you’re in for the best night ever.
21 Galentine’s Day Party Ideas That Rival Leslie Knope
1. Have a theme.
What’s a party without a theme? Here are some fun theme ideas for the uninspired:
- English tea party. Pinkies up!
- Spa day. Think face masks and mimosas.
- Apres ski. All the fun of apres without the sweating.
- Elevated slumber party, complete with silk jammies.
- Glamping.
- Decades party, with each party-goer dressing in their favorite historical era. The playlist is gonna be bumpin’.
- Pet party. Everyone brings their pet and you make pet-themed crafts.
2. Send invitations.
Old fashioned mail may have gone the way of the printing press, but we’re here to tell you that receiving a physical invite to a party feels utterly luxurious.
If you’re unsure whether your friends even check their mailboxes, you can always send an Evite instead. They have some super cute Galentine’s invitation designs ready made.
3. Don’t forget a dress code!
If you’re going for a theme, tell your guests to dress accordingly. Slumber party? Bring your jammies. English tea party? Don’t forget your best Kate Middleton impersonation.
Even if your theme is just “Galentine’s,” you can ask your guests to wear shades of pink and red. You know, for the ‘gram.
4. Food, food, and more food.
If your friends are anything like ours, they aren’t showing up anywhere if there isn’t a promise of food. Wow your guests with a Galentine’s Day dessert board, or dazzle your besties with some cheese fondue.
Throwing a brunch party? Grab a heart-shaped waffle iron, some berries, and don’t forget the whipped cream.
5. Get some cute decorations.
We’re fully obsessed with Target’s Valentine’s Day line, and luckily, all the decor works equally well for the gals. Plus, it’s super affordable. Talk about a triple win.
Some of our favorite picks are the “Hello Love” garland, a neon heart-shaped light, and their heart-print table runner, all of which will serve as the perfect backdrop to your TikTok video.
6. Put together goodie bags.
Oooh, goodie! That’s what everyone says when you hand them a goodie bag. Make your BFFs feel super special by giving them an assortment of sweet treats, makeup, or other fun trinkets to take home with them.
All you have to do is pick up some gift bags, add some conversation hearts, add some festive chocolates, and top it off with a heartfelt card.
7. Serve a signature cocktail.
Galentine’s Day is in February. Dry Jan was so last month. Bring back being buzzed with a delicious cocktail. Bonus points if it’s pink.
You know what would make this even cuter? Serving your fancy pink drink in a fancy pink champagne flute. No need to thank us, really. We live to serve.
8. Play a Galentine’s game.
What is a Galentine’s game, you ask? Seriously, what would you do without us?
For a fun get-to-know-you-better option, Target sells a four-pack of themed card decks. Trying to get a little more wild? We recommend For The Girls. Hold onto your bras.
9. Make friendship bracelets.
Don’t listen to the haters. You’re never too old to make friendship bracelets!
Design your own, or – better yet – design one for each of your besties. Let’s bring back regular jewelry exchanges in 2023, okay?
10. Bake a pink dessert.
Basically, to throw a successful Galentine’s party, put together a regular party and then make it all pink.
There are tons of pink dessert recipes available online, all for varying degrees of skill sets. Or just ask your crafty baker friend to supply the goods.
11. Paint each other’s nails.
Does anyone else severely struggle to DIY a mani? Get your steady-handed friend Sarah to do it for you. Just avoid telling her that you hooked up with your Uber driver last night in the middle of it.
Grab some of Essie’s new Valentine’s Day nail polish colors to really stay in theme and round out your pop-up nail salon.
12. Make it a potluck.
Everyone brings a dish – or make it a baked goods swap instead if your friend group has got a sweet tooth.
This takes some of the pressure off you as the host, while still providing a banging party ambiance for the masses.
13. Decorate a Valentine’s Day cookie house.
Our favorite part about baking is doing the decorating. Our least favorite part? Waiting for the baked good to cool down to get to the decorating.
This ready-made kit comes with baked cookie house pieces, candy, and icing. Plus, it’s pink.
14. Get custom matching shirts.
Get each member of the girl gang a conversation heart shirt with a word describing her personality or something she loves. You could go funny, sentimental, or even just use her zodiac sign if she’s into that kinda thing.
Since you asked, we want ours to say “tacos.”
15. Do a feminist puzzle together.
And no, the puzzle isn’t, “how did Elon Musk get so rich, anyway?”
This one from Uncommon Goods features amazing women like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Frida Kahlo. Not only can you and your BFFs swoon over each other, you can swoon over other inspiring women, too.
16. Make it virtual.
Between long distance friendships to concerns over health, there are plenty of good reasons to host your Galentine’s Day party over Zoom.
Paper Source is hosting a Galentine’s Day Virtual Hangout that you could get all your friends in on. Or, you can tell everyone to hunker down with a glass of wine and gossip together via FaceTime.
17. Watch romantic comedies.
It’s so much more fun to watch a rom-com with your girlfriends than with your man. Bust out Bridget Jones’s Diary or 27 Dresses and let the sap-fest commence.
Psst…don’t forget the popcorn.
18. Make it a goal-setting night.
Picture this: everyone prepares a PowerPoint with their goals for the year or month ahead, and you all share. Homework can be fun sometimes.
You just found yourselves accountability partners. And, did you know you’re more likely to achieve your goals if you share them with others?
19. Discuss a powerful book.
Galentine’s Day is all about female empowerment. What if you turn your party into a book club?
Choose an inspiring memoir like Michelle Obama’s Becoming or Chanel Miller’s Know My Name, or indulge in some fiction by a great writer like Taylor Jenkins Reid. A tipsy, chocolate-fueled book discussion is the kind of shindig we’re stoked about.
20. Practice self care.
Face masks. Moisturizer. Foot scrubs. Maybe even massaging each other, if you can do that without breaking into a fit of laughs?
Make this night full of the true rest and relaxation you all deserve.
21. Invest in flowers.
Maybe fresh flowers feel like a waste of money, but for a day that’s all about things feminine and gorgeous, floral arranging is a must.
Pick out a pretty pink and white set from Trader Joe’s and display it next to the chocolate. We all know who the real star of the show is, but the flowers will still be appreciated as we scarf down another Dove bar.
