Valentine’s Day is reserved for sharing a day of romance with your partner. But February 13 is all about ladies celebrating ladies! Thanks to Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec, we can leave the men home and gather with our gal pals instead. Check out these adorable Galentine’s Day ideas and start planning your party.
What is Galentine’s Day?
👱🏻♀️ According to the bubbly and fiercely loyal master of friendship, Leslie Knope:
Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. 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. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.
It’s truly a day to celebrate all the wonderful female friendships in your life! Take extra time this year and plan a party that creates some scrapbook-worthy memories.
1. Plan a paint n’ sip party
For a creative group of ladies, a Galentine’s Day painting party is perfect. Have your guests bring their own bottles of wine and set up a fun wine bar. Provide a few tasty apps and pass out boxes of chocolate for everyone to enjoy while they paint!
🍷 Decor
Set up easels, jars of paintbrushes, and paint — white, black, blue, yellow, and red are the basics to have on hand. Passing out personalized aprons or wine glasses is an adorable touch and doubles as party favors. Our friends at Porch have more great tips on getting set up for a perfect wine and paint party.
🍡 Menu
Since it can be a bit difficult to paint and eat, aim for finger foods. Some easy choices include mini quiches, meatballs, slider bites, and cake pops. Get creative and research which flavors go best with your crowd’s favorite wines. You could even do a food and wine tasting for your party!
🎨 Entertainment
Hire a painting party host to help design a painting to match your theme and then lead the group in creating their keepsake.
2. Kick it breakfast-style
To truly recreate the Parks and Rec-inspired Galentine’s Day, you must have waffles. Throw a Knope-worthy brunch complete with personalized gifts and dedicated time with each of your best gal pals!
💟 Decor
String up a heart-shaped garland and hang pictures of you and your friends from good times past. Add bunches of balloons to fill the space with a festive feeling. And while you may not have time to crochet everyone’s face on a pillow, giving each friend a special candle or bath bomb can mean just as much.
🧇 Menu
Provide all the brunch-worthy favorites like frittatas, muffins, and fresh fruit. If you’re really dedicated, add some heart-shaped waffles and whipped cream! Don’t forget a fun mimosa bar where the gals can create a festive drink.
🎹 Entertainment
Book a local female singing guitarist, pianist, or harpist to provide that Lilith Fair atmosphere – but you know, without the angst.
3. Set up a spa day at home
From taking care of kids, pets, partners, and households — women work hard! And they deserve a day to themselves. Celebrate self-care with your best pals and treat yo’self to a Galentine’s spa day. For all the moms with little ladies at home, you could include them for a mommy-daughter kids spa party!
🌿 Decor
Focus on soft, feminine colors like mint green, spa blue, or peachy pink. Use candles and vases filled with pastel flowers to set the tone for a day of luxury. The scent of essential oils or stovetop potpourri can encourage relaxation, too. Set your table with a place setting that includes a mirror, headband, towels, and anything else needed for pampering.
🍓 Menu
Nothing says bougie like a charcuterie board! Offer a variety of nice cheese, meats, fresh fruits, vegetables, and dips. A yogurt bar with toppings like granola, fruit, and nuts is a great alternative to sugary desserts. If the sweets call to you, try color-coordinating macarons or simple shortbread cookies. Sparkling fruit-infused water, wine, and hard seltzers are festive drink choices for a spa day.
💆 Activity
Bring in the pros for your Galentine’s Day of relaxation. Book a massage therapist to come to your party and give chair massages to each guest. Or hire a mobile spa to do mani-pedis or even lead the group in a lesson on making natural body scrubs or face masks.
4. Host a rom-com roast
Whether rom-coms make you swoon or sick, a Galentine’s Day movie screening is always a fabulous idea! Have a blast berating When Harry Met Sally or telling those nerds in The Notebook to get a life. Or, if your group is less cynical, pass out the tissues and sob together through the end of Me Before You.
💔 Decor
Movie posters and heart-shaped decorations (ripped in half) make an excellent setting for a rom-com roast! Offer cozy blankets and encourage guests to dress comfortably for an adult slumber party vibe.
🍕 Menu
Theme your menu around whatever movie you and your gals are watching! For example, serve Greek pizza for My Big Fat Greek Wedding or chocolate-covered strawberries to honor Pretty Woman. Try this recipe straight from the source with Reese Witherspoon’s favorite apple pie, paired with a viewing of Sweet Home Alabama.
📽️ Entertainment
If the weather permits, rent an outdoor movie screen and take your Galentine’s party to the backyard for a fun rom-com night under the stars. Serve mugs of hot cocoa for some added warmth!
5. Learn something new
For a group of gals that loves interacting and learning new skills, gather together for some lessons in fun! Think about an activity you would all be open to trying and start planning. Learning to make a signature cocktail or a lesson in yin yoga can be a wonderful bonding experience.
⭐ Decor
Focus on some themed party favors instead of decorations for this Galentine’s Day event. For example, pass out cute tank tops for a yoga class or personalized aprons for a cooking lesson.
🥐 Menu
Keep it simple since you’ll be busy learning a new skill! Stick with light crowd-pleasing favorites like chicken salad croissants, fresh fruit, and iced tea.
🧘 Entertainment
Book a belly dancer to lead your group in some new dance moves, a yoga instructor to help you relax, or a personal chef to spice up your recipe books.
6. Let the good times roll
Would you rather cut loose during your Galentine’s Day celebration? Hey, that’s why party buses exist! These rolling nightclubs combine awesome soundtracks with killer cocktails. It’s the next best thing to a road trip with your favorite ladies! Make a few stops or just drive around town for a couple of hours.
✨ Decor
The bus is probably already filled with neon or black lights to create a party atmosphere, but you can add to it with creative party favors. Pass out glow-in-the-dark necklaces, martini glasses, or “night out survival” packs with lip gloss, face blotting tissues, and breath mints.
🍪 Menu
It may be a good idea to have the party bus pick you up from your favorite dinner joint before embarking on the evening. But be ready for those late-night munchies with grabbable snacks like mini bags of chips, cookies, and chocolate. Provide small bottles of water, soda, or even wine if you want to sip in between stops!
🎶 Activity
Create a party bus playlist filled with all the biggest divas like Whitney, Mariah, Beyonce, Kelly, and Britney. Who runs the world? Girls. Check out our Galentine’s Day Girl Power Playlist for inspiration!
🎉 You might also like: Valentine’s Day Party Ideas to Celebrate with Those You Love
Whatever you choose to do for your Galentine’s Day soiree, channel your inner Leslie Knope and remember: Friends, waffles, and work — the stuff that dreams are made of. Until your next celebration, keep the Leslie spirit alive and continue spreading the love! 🥞💕
Book something sweet for Galentine’s Day! Find the best entertainment and event services on GigSalad.
Megan is the Director of Customer Experience at GigSalad and has gained 9+ years of insight on what makes a great event on both sides of the booking process. Her favorite things include books, true crime podcasts, coffee, hiking, puns, and making people laugh.