Galentine's Day 2023

What is Galentine's Day?

When someone mentions Valentine's day people automatically think of romance, dates, flowers, and fancy gifts. However, on the 11th Feb 2010, a new day was created called Galentine's day which was sparked by the TV show Parks and Recreation, where one of the characters invented the holiday to celebrate her closest friends and their friendship.

To some people, Valentine's day is a constant reminder of their singlehood which can really get people down. This is why getting your gal pals together to celebrate Galentine's day is great for reminding each other of the love you have around you and recognising the importance of the friendships you have. There are numerous proven benefits of having strong friendships, some of these include lower stress levels, improved self-confidence, decreased depression, and providing a sense of purpose and belonging.  

When is Galentine’s Day 2023?

Galentines Day is celebrated every year on the 13th of February, which means that Galentine's day in 2023 will fall on a Monday.

Although it is not widely advertised like Valentine's day, which takes over the aisles at your local supermarket, every year it is becoming more popular with companies now offering deals and promotions to celebrate what some people see as the ‘national day of friendship’.

Galentine's day is not a national holiday, just as Valentine's day isn't. However year after year the amount of people celebrating Galentine's day is on the rise.

Whilst some people see Galentine's day to be centered around female bonding and empowerment, it can be celebrated by anyone and everyone, as love knows no gender or boundaries and it is all about celebrating all of your non-romantic connections. So whether your best friend is your mum, siblings or a group of guys show them that they are appreciated on Monday 13th February 2023, and celebrate having people in your life who make your world a better place!

Galentine’s Celebration Ideas

There are no set traditions for Galentine's day therefore you and your friends can celebrate it in any way you like. Whether it be something small like a coffee catch-up or something big like throwing a party. Here are some Galentine's celebration ideas for you to consider:

Volunteer - Galentine's day is all about sharing the love so why not share the love with your community and connect with local organizations and charities
Girls' night in/slumber party - food, wine and movies or a pamper night
Brunch - get your money’s worth with a bottomless brunch and drink your body weight in Prosecco!  
Spa day
Night out
Coffee date
Shopping spree
Activity dates - such as bowling, mini golf, or a hike
Throw a party
A weekend away/girls' holiday

What is the best way to collect money from a group?

Galentine’s day is a time for valuing each other and spending quality time with those that matter most in your life.

However, the fact remains that when it comes to money, it doesn’t matter how much love someone has for you, how much history you have, all the memories you’ve created….they will still not pay you the money they owe you.

This isn’t an intentional slight on your character, a passive aggressive way of telling you you’re in the bad books or an attempt to ‘get away without paying’. No no, this all comes down to the fact that it can be complicated to pay someone, and if you add friction to any process, some people will simply not do it. They will, with the very best will in the world, promise themselves that they will ‘do it later’, but then with three kids hanging off them or an impromptu call from a heartbroken friend it gets forgotten about and doesn’t happen. It then relies on you to remind them…which gets pretty awkward at the third time of asking.

Most of the activities you are going to look at for Galentine’s day - axe throwing, bowling, crazy golf, a spa day or a weekend away are going to need a deposit to secure them and often the balance paying in advance. So you put the cost on your card and, quite rightly, expect everyone to pay you back. But sadly that doesn’t happen, there is always one, maybe even two, and I’m pretty sure you can name them right now, that won’t pay.

So instead of enjoying Valentine’s day, you have this cloud looming over you about having to play debt collector. Feeling the dread as you creep up on the unsuspecting victim and remind them that they haven’t paid you for the deposit, balance, or the food budget.

So how about an alternative? A nice easy way or creating a pool, or multiple pools, each describing the element they are for (for example ‘pamper day’, ‘food budget’, ‘accomodation’) and simply sharing the payment link to your Whatsapp or IMessage group?

Each person simply taps to pay and they’re done. No downloading of an app for those paying in, no creating of an account and no banking. No excuses. Just you getting paid!

Download the Collctiv app today and say goodbye to all of these woes!

Galentine’s Day Decorations

Whether you want to decorate your home or office or if you are throwing a party at a venue, the main colours for Galentine's day are red, pink, and white. Some decoration ideas include balloons, bunting, banners, flowers, and confetti to name a few, as well as using the Galentine's day colours as the scheme for the event.

If you decide to have a night in you could invite your friends to bring a board/drinks. This is where your friends have to bring a board of food or a selection of drinks. For example, each person could bring a different colour food board such as one with pink foods, one with red, and one with white, etc or create a cocktail and give them funny and funky names.

Galentines Gifts

If your friends live far away you can always celebrate by having a virtual celebration/catch-up or by sending a gift to let them know they mean a lot to you.

Some gift ideas include;

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Sending flowers
A box of chocolates or a sweet box
Gift sets (Spa day, candles, alcohol, or makeup to name a few)
Jewellery
Personalized gifts

Alternatively, you could team together with your friends to send a gift to someone who means a lot to your friendship group. Especially if one of your friends has been going through a tough time it would be a great way to show them how much they mean to you and to uplift them.

Simply download the Collctiv app, create a pool for the gift, share the link with all of your friends (bar the one for whom it is for of course!) and get everyone to put in. That way you’ll know exactly how much you have to spend when you go for the gift.

Galentine Sweet Boxes

Now more than ever there are more sweet boxes available online, and a Galentine's day sweet box is a great way of showing your appreciation to your friends, I mean who doesn’t like sweets? You can buy these online or make one yourself by picking out your friend's favorite sweets and delivering it to their door. This gift is great as it suits all budgets whether you want to spend £10 or £100. Different sweet box ideas include American sweets, retro sweets, fizzy sweets, gummy sweets, or a chocolate mix instead.

Galentine Cards

Galentine's day cards can be bought from many shops, supermarkets, and online and are a great way to show your appreciation to your friends and family by sending a card with a thoughtful message. Or why not get creative and make your own?

Galentines Events

There are many Galentine's events held all over the world as it is celebrated in many countries not only in the UK and the USA but Spain, China, and Finland. Some Galentine's day events in 2023in the USA and the UK include

Galentines Ball in Liverpool
Galentine Bottomless Brunch in Birmingham
Galentines Tarot reading in York
Galentines Day Wine Pairing in Canton OH New York
Galentines Day events in San Diego, Oklahoma, Texas and Chicago

If you research events in your local town or city you are sure to find a Galentine's day event.

Remember to use Collctiv if you and your Galentine’s pals are attending one of these events to ensure you have all of the money in advance before you buy the tickets. There’s nothing worse than someone who hasn’t paid you cancelling last minute, leaving you holding the bill.

Download Collctiv and start collecting money today!

Organisers bring people together

Since 2019 Collctiv has helped over 550,000 people from 97 countries come together by making it simple for Organisers to collect money from groups of people. Whether it's a Galentine's event, a gift, or grassroots sports - download our free app today and start bringing people together!