15 Galentine’s Day Party Ideas to Celebrate with Your Best Gals

Galentine’s Day party ideas are about to become your new February obsession—forget the roses, we’re talking champagne brunches and sequin dress codes with your favorite humans. Leslie Knope knew what she was doing when she invented this February 13th tradition on Parks and Recreation, and honestly?

It’s become the ultimate excuse to throw a bash that celebrates female friendships without any of the Valentine’s Day pressure. Whether you’re planning an intimate gathering or a full-blown celebration, these ideas will help you create a night (or day) your crew won’t stop talking about until next year.

Think pink cocktails, personalized party favors, and activities that actually bring people together instead of awkwardly sitting in a circle. Ready to plan the anti-Valentine’s party your friends deserve?

The Galentine’s Day Phenomenon: Where It All Started

Leslie Knope’s fictional holiday hit differently because it filled a real gap—a day to celebrate platonic love before Valentine’s Day took over the calendar. Since that 2010 Parks and Recreation episode aired, Galentine’s Day has evolved from a TV joke into an actual cultural moment, with searches for “Galentine’s Day” increasing by over 300% on Pinterest in the past five years.

What started as ladies’ brunch has morphed into themed parties, spa days, and full weekend getaways dedicated to friendship. The beauty of this celebration? There are zero rules. You can go glamorous with a cocktail party, keep it cozy with a movie marathon, or split the difference with a DIY craft session followed by dinner.

It’s become particularly popular among millennials and Gen Z women who prioritize intentional friendship and aren’t afraid to make a big deal out of non-romantic relationships.

15 Creative Ways to Celebrate Your Galentines

Here’s the thing about Galentine’s Day party themes—they work best when they reflect your actual friend group’s vibe, not some Pinterest fantasy that requires three weeks of prep and a professional event planner.

Some squads want fancy; others want funny. These ideas cover the full spectrum, from budget-friendly hangouts to splurge-worthy experiences, because your celebration should feel authentic, not like you’re trying to impress people you already know will love you even in sweatpants.

1. Bubbly & Brunch Bash

Start the day right with a Galentine’s brunch featuring a DIY mimosa bar, heart-shaped waffles, and those Instagram-worthy charcuterie boards everyone pretends they don’t spend an hour arranging. Set up a bubbly bar with champagne, prosecco, and various fruit juices—orange, cranberry, grapefruit, pomegranate—plus fresh berries, edible flowers, and fun garnishes.

The food can stay simple: a frittata or breakfast casserole you prep the night before, pastries from your favorite bakery, and fresh fruit. Decorate with blush and rose gold accents, keep the dress code “brunch chic,” and watch your friends actually show up on time for once.

Styling Tips & Details: Ask everyone to bring their favorite juice or fruit addition for the mimosa bar to keep costs down. Use vintage teacups or champagne coupes instead of basic flutes for elevated vibes without the elevated price tag.

2. Self-Care Spa Night at Home

Transform someone’s living room into a ladies night party spa with face masks, mani-pedis, plush robes, and cucumber water in actual wine glasses because we’re classy like that.

Set up different stations—a facial bar with sheet masks and serums, a nail station with polishes in every pink shade imaginable, a hair mask corner, and a relaxation zone with eye pillows and calming music.

Stock up on affordable spa supplies from drugstores or beauty retailers, light some lavender candles, and make it a BYOB (bring your own bathrobe) situation.

Styling Tips & Details: Create personalized spa kits for each friend in small organza bags—include a face mask, nail file, mini hand cream, and hair tie. Play a meditation or spa music playlist, and serve light refreshments like infused water, herbal teas, and fruit skewers.

3. Vintage Valentine’s Tea Party

Channel your inner grandma with the good china, tiered cake stands, finger sandwiches, and floral teacups that don’t match but somehow work perfectly together. This Galentine’s Day party theme works beautifully for daytime celebrations and gives everyone an excuse to wear dresses and maybe even gloves if you’re feeling extra.

Serve various teas (English breakfast, Earl Grey, chamomile, fruit blends), petit fours, scones with clotted cream and jam, delicate finger sandwiches (cucumber, salmon, egg salad), and macarons. Decorate with vintage doilies, fresh flowers in mismatched vases, and plenty of pink and red accents.

Styling Tips & Details: Hit up thrift stores for mismatched vintage teacups and saucers—they’re usually under $3 each and create that collected-over-time aesthetic. Make a playlist of jazz standards or classical music to complete the throwback vibe.

4. Craft Cocktail & Charcuterie Workshop

Turn your squad into amateur mixologists with a cocktail-making session where everyone learns to shake, stir, and muddle their way through signature drinks. Pair it with a charcuterie board assembly lesson because apparently, we all need to know the “correct” way to arrange cheese.

Pick 2-3 cocktail recipes to make together—maybe a classic French 75, a berry smash, and an espresso martini—and set up a bar station with all the ingredients, tools, and garnishes.

For the charcuterie component, provide various cheeses, cured meats, crackers, fruits, nuts, jams, and honey, then let everyone build their own boards to photograph before devouring.

Styling Tips & Details: Print recipe cards for each cocktail so friends can recreate them at home. Use mini wooden boards or slate tiles for individual charcuterie creations instead of one massive board—better for photos and portion control.

If you’re looking for more February celebration inspiration, check out our February outfit ideas for women to nail the dress code for this event.

5. Movie Marathon with Themed Snacks

Pick a theme—rom-coms, comedies featuring female friendships, or revenge movies if your group is going through collective breakups—and create a cozy screening room with blankets, pillows, and enough snacks to supply a small country.

This anti-Valentine’s Day party approach works for friends who’d rather laugh at love than celebrate it. Set up different snack stations: a popcorn bar with various seasonings and toppings, a candy station, a nacho bar, and a hot chocolate station with mix-ins.

Create a proper movie lineup (3-4 films), make ballots for everyone to vote on favorites, and settle in for an actual marathon, not just “let’s watch one movie and talk through it.”

Styling Tips & Details: Assign each person to bring one snack category to distribute costs. Create a voting system for movies so everyone gets input. Use string lights and floor pillows to make the space feel like a legitimate screening room instead of just a living room with the TV on.

6. Wine & Paint Night (But Make It Actually Fun)

Ditch the stuffy paint-and-sip formula and let everyone create abstract art, paint flower pots for spring, or customize canvas tote bags while working through a few bottles of wine. The goal isn’t masterpieces—it’s laughing at your collective lack of artistic ability.

Grab canvases, acrylic paints, brushes, and palettes from any craft store (they run sales constantly). You can either follow a simple tutorial on YouTube or go completely freestyle. Provide paint shirt protection (old button-ups work great) and set up a designated painting area covered with plastic tablecloths or old sheets.

Styling Tips & Details: Choose a simple project everyone can actually complete in 2-3 hours. Painted wine glasses, flower pots, or tote bags tend to work better than complex canvas paintings. Set up a photo backdrop to capture everyone with their creations at the end.

7. Dessert Bar Extravaganza

Skip the full meal and go straight for what everyone actually wants: an obscene amount of desserts. Think chocolate fondue, build-your-own sundae bar, cupcake decorating station, and maybe a candy buffet because calories don’t count on friendship holidays.

Set up different dessert stations with activities: a fondue station with fruits, marshmallows, and pretzels for dipping; an ice cream sundae bar with various toppings; plain cupcakes with frosting bags and decorations for customizing; a candy buffet with scoops and bags for creating custom mixes. Add some champagne or dessert wines to balance the sugar overload.

Styling Tips & Details: Use tiered stands and cake pedestals to create height and visual interest on your dessert table. Provide cute boxes or bags so guests can take leftover sweets home—this prevents the host from eating everything themselves the next day.

For a thoughtful addition to this sweet celebration, pair it with ideas from our Valentine gift ideas for girlfriend guide for party favor inspiration.

8. Karaoke Competition

Rent or buy a karaoke machine (or just use YouTube karaoke tracks and a Bluetooth microphone) and let your friends’ hidden Beyoncé impressions shine. Add a “competition” element with ridiculous categories like “Best Air Guitar” or “Most Dramatic Performance” to keep things interesting.

Create a song list in advance pulling from different decades and genres so everyone finds something in their comfort zone.

Set up a small stage area with a ring light for maximum drama, provide props like boas, sunglasses, and inflatable instruments, and maybe establish a two-drink minimum before performances start.

Styling Tips & Details: Make physical awards or certificates for different categories—print them from Canva templates for free. Create a performance schedule so there’s structure but keep it loose enough that people can request encore performances or group numbers.

9. Cooking Class Party

Pick a cuisine everyone loves—Italian pasta-making, sushi rolling, taco night with homemade tortillas—and turn dinner prep into the actual entertainment. You’ll eat better than ordering in, and someone might actually learn something.

Choose recipes that involve participation, like hand-rolled pasta, homemade dumplings, or build-your-own pizzas. Set up stations for different components, assign teams, and work through the cooking process together. Bonus points if you print recipe cards everyone can take home.

Styling Tips & Details: Test the recipe yourself beforehand to work out timing kinks. Prep some components in advance (like making pizza dough the night before) so you’re not spending four hours just waiting for things to rise. Provide aprons if you want cute photo ops.

10. Game Night Tournament

Pull out board games, card games, or party games and create a bracket-style tournament with an actual trophy for the winner. Include games like Cards Against Humanity, Codenames, Telestrations, What Do You Meme, or classic options like Pictionary and Charades.

Create teams or play individually depending on group size, keep score throughout the night, and award a ridiculous prize to the champion—maybe a tiara, a sash, or a trophy from the dollar store.

Styling Tips & Details: Set up different game stations if you have enough people so multiple games run simultaneously. Provide plenty of snacks that don’t require utensils—finger foods work best when you need to keep hands free for cards and game pieces.

11. Outdoor Picnic (Weather Permitting)

If you’re in a warm climate or unseasonably lucky with February weather, take the party outside with blankets, baskets, finger foods, and rosé. It’s like a regular Galentine’s party but with Vitamin D. Pack portable foods like sandwiches, salads in jars, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, and individually wrapped treats.

Bring oversized blankets or outdoor cushions, a portable speaker for music, and games like badminton or frisbee if your group is activity-oriented. Choose a scenic location—a park, beach, or even a nice backyard works.

Styling Tips & Details: Pack everything in actual picnic baskets or cute tote bags for transport. Bring wet wipes, hand sanitizer, and trash bags because outdoor cleanup requires planning. Check sunset times and plan accordingly for that golden hour lighting everyone loves.

12. Pajama Party with All the Nostalgia

Embrace full throwback energy with matching pajama sets, pillow fights (gentle ones, we’re adults with responsibilities tomorrow), facemasks, truth or dare, and staying up way too late talking about everything.

This best friend celebration idea requires zero fancy setup—just comfort, snacks, and willingness to regress to your teenage sleepover days. Everyone wears actual pajamas (bonus points for matching sets), you create different activity stations throughout the night—nails, braiding hair, face masks, making friendship bracelets—and you end with a late-night snack run or ordering ridiculous amounts of pizza.

Styling Tips & Details: Send out coordinating pajama sets in advance or have everyone shop from the same retailer for that matching photo op. Set up sleeping arrangements with air mattresses and extra pillows if people are actually staying over. Make a nostalgic playlist from your high school years.

13. Drag Brunch Experience

If your city has drag brunch options, book tables for an unforgettable experience filled with incredible performances, bottomless mimosas, and entertainment that will make you cry-laugh. This Galentine’s Day party idea works for groups who want something completely different and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

Reserve tables well in advance (these sell out fast), prepare cash for tipping performers generously, and come ready to participate—drag brunches are interactive, not spectator sports. Most venues have food and drink packages, so budget accordingly.

Styling Tips & Details: Dress to impress—performers notice and appreciate when audiences bring energy. Coordinate group outfits for a cohesive look in photos. Research the venue’s tipping culture and etiquette beforehand so everyone knows what to expect.

14. Pottery or Craft Workshop

Book a group pottery class, candle-making workshop, terrarium building session, or macramé class where you’ll create something to remember the day by. Many studios offer private group bookings for occasions like this.

Look for local studios that offer group workshops—pottery wheels, hand-building clay classes, candle-pouring, plant terrarium creation, or fiber arts like weaving or macramé. Most provide all supplies and instruction, making it genuinely beginner-friendly.

You leave with an actual creation plus memories of your friend who definitely shouldn’t be trusted with a pottery wheel.

Styling Tips & Details: Book well in advance and ask about group rates or party packages. Some studios let you bring your own drinks and snacks. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy—clay, wax, and soil don’t care about your new white jeans.

15. Progressive Dinner Party

Turn your neighborhood into a restaurant crawl by hitting different friends’ houses for each course—appetizers at one place, mains at another, dessert at a third. It’s like a pub crawl but with actual food and slightly more dignity.

Plan the route logistically so you’re not driving across town between courses. Assign each host a course and let them choose what to serve. This works beautifully for larger friend groups where hosting everyone at once feels overwhelming.

The movement between locations keeps energy high, and sharing hosting duties means no one person does all the work. If you’re planning something equally special for your partner, our Valentine gift ideas for girlfriend post has you covered for romantic gestures too.

Styling Tips & Details: Keep courses relatively close together geographically if people are driving. Establish a firm timeline so you don’t end up eating dessert at midnight. Arrange designated drivers or rideshare budget if alcohol is involved at multiple stops.

Conclusion

The best Galentine’s Day party ideas are the ones that actually match your friend group’s vibe—whether that’s elegant brunches or chaotic game nights.

Focus on creating real moments instead of Pinterest-perfect setups, and your celebration will be exactly what your gals need. Pick an idea, send the invites, and remember that celebrating the women who’ve been there through everything is always worth the effort.

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