5 Fun Ways to Celebrate Galentine's Day

We all know that Valentine’s day is a celebration of love. And if you’re celebrating this year with your special someone, we’re happy for you!

But let’s not forget about Galentine’s Day, the (arguably superior) celebration of female friendship that takes place the day before.

On February 13^th each year, women everywhere can exchange tokens of love and appreciation with their best gal pals.

Never heard of the holiday? Galentine’s Day was invented by one of our favorite fictional women, Leslie Knope from the hit TV show Parks and Recreation.

If you’ve seen the show, you know that Leslie is the ultimate go-getter and gift-giver. She invented Galentine’s Day because she wanted an extra day of the year just to celebrate her favorite women and enjoy brunch together.

Inspired by her tenacious spirit, we’ve put together a guide to help you honor your friends, sisters, aunts, and mothers with the most thoughtful (and safe!) party ideas for the best Galentine’s Day yet.

Do a Virtual Yoga Class Together

There’s not much better in this life than popping over to the yoga studio with your bestie for some much-needed relaxation. Oh, how we miss those days!

Luckily, there are hundreds of studios and personal trainers hosting yoga, Pilates, exercise classes online–some heavily discounted or free to the public.

All you and your friend need is a decent Wi-Fi connection, and you and your favorite gal pal can exhale away the stress of the day.

Our longtime favorite is Adriene Mishler’s YouTube channel Yoga with Adriene. She’s got thousands of videos for all kinds of yoga skill levels.

If you and your friend want to keep the party going past Galentine’s day, you can even try one of her 30-day yoga challenges together.

Even better, you won’t have to stress about getting a spot or feeling crowded with a bunch of sweaty strangers since you’ll be in the comfort of your home.

Virtual high five!

Host a Galentine’s Day Cocktail Hour

Just because you can’t sit at your go-to happy hour spot with your bestie doesn’t mean the party has to end. Get the girls together on Zoom, House Party, or FaceTime for a night of catching up and tasty beverages.

You can swap stories about your bestie’s greatest achievements over pink drinks, or send over her favorite cocktail recipe to make together. Of course, it doesn’t have to be pink — but that definitely makes it more festive.

We suggest a classic Cosmopolitan:

• 2 parts vodka
• 2 parts Cointreau
• 2 parts cranberry juice
• 1 part lime juice

This makes for an easy and crowd-pleasing Galentine’s Day drink that your friends are sure to love!

Send Your Galentine a Special Scrapbook

Are you the type to go the extra mile for your friends?

This Galentine’s Day, put together a scrapbook kit to mail to each of your friends, and set up a time to craft together virtually. 

A scrapbook is one of the most fun ways to celebrate and remember the good times (pre-quarantine). Plus, it’s a fun and easy craft to get into, even if you’re not artsy.

Here are some recommended supplies to get started:

• Cute notebook or three-ring binder (with clear plastic binder sleeves)
• Glue stick
• Stickers
• Glitter or bedazzling elements
• Colored and patterned paper
• Markers
• Printed photos of you and your besties

It’s way more fun than the crafting you did in elementary school, we promise! Especially if you pair it with some fun cocktails from above.

Make a DIY Self-Care Kit Together

We could all use a little self-care day, wouldn’t you agree?

If you have a girlfriend who isn’t into drinking (or could just use some time off after a long holiday season), try making a DIY self-care kit together instead.

You can make your own homemade sugar scrubs, face masks, or shampoos for a day of treating yourselves!

Our friends at Blue Verve Project love this Galentine’s Day idea since in addition to being a fun activity, you’re also replacing plastic packaging and helping the environment.

To get started, try out this super easy and luxurious body scrub recipe:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup solid (but soft) coconut oil
• Extra additions (vanilla extract, essential oils, etc.)

The best part about this scrub? It’s edible!

Send the World Some Love

One gal pal who could certainly use some love from everyone this year is mother nature. Why not (safely) get your friends together to give back to the planet?

A great way to do this is to get outside and find ways to clean up your local community.

Try grabbing some gloves and a trash bag, and walking your favorite trail or greenbelt. You can pick up any litter and trash you see along the way, and enjoy some safe and socially-distanced time with your gals.

You can also plant trees with The Parks Project, or volunteer to clean up the ocean with 4Ocean if you live on a coast.

Talk about a wholesome way to spend your Galentine’s Day!

Ready to Have the Best Galentine’s Day Yet?

At Sherpani, we love celebrating strong women and all the ways they inspire us to take on the world. We agree with Leslie Knope when she said that Galentine’s Day is the best day of the year!

2020 was a long year of social-distancing and isolation from those we love. This Galentine’s Day, why not pull out all the stops for one of your favorite ladies and send them a little something special?

Shop our Galentine’s Day collection now >

 

By women for women, the Sherpani Travel Blog talks about all things travel (& all things Sherpani!). Explore topics like solo travel, destination guides, women's travel safety, personal essays, and much more! This is a space to amplify female voices and celebrate our belief that travel restores the human spirit.