This Galentine’s, celebrate the women who show up, hold you down, and make love feel bigger than romance.
Valentine’s Day may arrive lacquered in red roses and commercial romance, but Galentine’s is where the whimsy and true love story unfold. Love is often synonymous with romance: the candlelit dinners and the bouquets. But love is broader than that. No definition of love should exclude the women who have seen you cry in bathroom mirrors, celebrated your soft launches, and sent “are you home?” texts at 1:13 a.m.
If February insists on centring love, then let’s widen the lens. Let’s toast the friendships that have outlasted relationships, survived career pivots, moved across cities, and evolved alongside us. Galentine’s is an excuse to take a day off, outside of their birthdays and Christmas, to celebrate them.
Now we know that your girls are hard to please, but we have narrowed down a few activities that are bound to be cherished memories. Continue scrolling to explore various ways to celebrate your girls with style and just the right amount of indulgence.
Throw a pizza & prosecco night
There’s something inherently intimate about cooking together, plus Galentine’s is today, which is a Friday. Not the rushed, midweek, so there’s an opportunity for a slow, laughter-laced cooking session. Set up a DIY pizza bar with thoughtfully arranged toppings: roasted peppers, spicy chicken, mushrooms, fresh basil, and three kinds of cheese. Let each friend build a pizza that mirrors her personality.
Pair it with chilled prosecco, sparkling rosé, or beautifully garnished mocktails. Create a playlist that moves from nostalgic R&B to the latest Afrobeats hits. Watch your friends sing along to Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body”.
The beauty of the evening lies in its imperfection and connection — flour on countertops, someone dramatically losing themselves to a song, a toast made mid-bite.
Read also: Believe me, these romantic perfumes will make your partner want to take a bite out of you
Host a relaxing sleepover
One thing about us is that we will always desire a “soft life”. There is luxury in slowing down. Transform your living room into a cocoon of plush throws, pyjamas, scented candles, and skincare rituals.
Bring out the good glassware, yes, even for sparkling water.
Between face masks, gossip sessions, and chocolate-dipped fruits, create space for intimate conversations. What are you unlearning this year? What does joy look like now? Who are you becoming? Spice things up by playing board games.
A grown-up sleepover fuels our nostalgia itch, and it also restores our inner child. It’s selecting a calmness that you haven’t explored in a long time.
Organise a movie night
This Friday is also the 13th… Sometimes the chicest plans are the simplest. The idea presents itself, a curated movie night — maybe horror — can feel just as relaxing as any night out. Choose a direction: iconic rom-coms, female coming-of-age classics, magical girls’ shows, early 2000s nostalgia, or even fashion documentaries for the style-obsessed.
The key factor is the decor! Create an atmosphere that rivals a boutique cinema. Dim lighting or candles, flower petals, and plush seating. A snack bar that goes beyond popcorn — think shortbread, cookies, Haribos, or a DIY chocolate station. Pour wine into fancy glasses. Dress according to the theme if you’re feeling playful.
It is perfect for an intimate connection, and it could even turn into a soft life sleepover.
Read also: 10 romance film tropes that always hit during love season
Celebrate Galentine’s with a dinner party
For the friend whose love language is hosting, Galentine’s is the perfect justification to curate an atmosphere. Think layered tablescapes, handwritten name cards, and candles casting a dramatic glow.
Between courses, introduce conversation prompts that elevate the night: What’s a win you haven’t celebrated enough? What fear are you quietly facing? What does success look like this year?
The right question can open a room and remind your friends that you are their safe space.
Book a creative experience
There’s intimacy in trying something new together. A pottery class, a painting workshop, or a cocktail-making session. Creativity dissolves pleasantry, and suddenly everyone is laughing at uneven brush strokes at a sip-and-paint or debating garnish choices at a pasta-making class.
You’ll leave with something tangible — a handmade mug, a custom scent, a signature drink — but more importantly, you’ll have a shared vulnerability. Friendship deepens when you allow yourselves to be beginners together.
Design a vision board & champagne evening
There’s no better gift than that of direction and fulfilment. Galentine’s sits perfectly between reflection and anticipation.
Lay out magazines, scissors, glue, and printed affirmations. Pour champagne. Let the dreaming begin. Careers. Travel. Financial goals. Romance — on your own terms.
At the end of the night, have each friend share one intention aloud. Speaking your desires in front of women committed to your growth and well-being holds power.
Have a girls’ day out
Sometimes a celebration requires a change of scenery. Plan a day trip to a beach, art gallery, countryside café, or hotel pool you’ve been meaning to visit.
Play nostalgic music in the car and sing at the top of your lungs. Take slightly chaotic photos. Order dessert first. Stepping outside your usual routine provides an avenue for new conversations, new jokes, and new memories. Even a short escape can feel expansive.
Wellness, reimagined
If your group chat has been heavy with “I’m tired,” consider a wellness-centred Galentine’s. Book a group spa appointment. Try Pilates together, or create your own ritual at home: guided meditation, journaling, stretching, and green juices in stemware.
Wellness can simply be honest and homemade. A sitting circle where you admit recent obsessions. Healing is an intimate activity, too.
A classy yet intimate brunch
Never underestimate the power of a long, unhurried brunch. A beautiful table with perfectly arranged snacks. An outfit you’ve been saving for “somewhere special.”
Brunch works because it’s deceptively simple. There is no agenda, yet conversation flows. Time stretches. You look around the table and realise — this is romance too.
The ignored love story
Galentine’s is about honouring the women who have witnessed your becoming. The ones who send job links without being asked. Who sits with you in heartbreak without rushing your healing? Who claps the loudest when you win?
We often see romantic love as the ultimate milestone, but choosing to centre friendship feels equally satisfying. It’s a reminder that love exists in many forms.
So this February, don’t settle for a rushed dinner squeezed between obligations. Plan something, dress up, light the candles, ask better questions, and toast each other properly.
Today, if Valentine’s Day is about falling in love, Galentine’s is about recognising the love that has carried you all along — the kind that doesn’t fade with seasons.
