February is here, and so is the incessant infiltration of all things pink, red and heart-shaped. It’s the season to celebrate your loved ones, and for some that means a romantic date night with your partner, while others will enjoy the company of their best friends.
Girls in particular have Leslie Knope to thank for the creation of the unofficial holiday celebrated Feb. 13 that allows us to cherish the ones who know us best and to celebrate a love that romantic partners can’t mimic.
Friendship is not something to take for granted, so use this Galentine’s Day to do all the group activities that have yet to make it out of the group chat. Here are a few recommendations for how to make this fake holiday a real celebration of your closest girlfriends.
Go out to eat (and/or get drunk)
Warning: Do not embark on Galentine’s Day activities with an empty stomach. If you have yet to try Butterbird — the retro hotspot on Regent St. for fried chicken and comfort food — now’s your chance. Feb. 14 and 15 (so, not technically Galentine’s Day, but who says a fake holiday can’t be a whole weekend) will be the restaurant’s first-ever “Lovebird” pop-up event. The event will feature free strawberry champagne Jell-O shots, heart-shaped soft pretzels, red velvet shakes and the restaurant will be showing rom-coms all day.
If you’re looking for more of a classy avenue for some drinks and light bites, I always find Leopold’s to be the perfect atmosphere for a good old-fashioned catch-up/rant session with your girls. Try the London Fog Toddy to warm up from the blistering cold or the Espresso Martini to keep up the energy for the rest of the night.
Bake (bonus points if chocolate is involved)
Because what’s Galentine’s Day without chocolate? If you’re anything like me, you don’t need a holiday to find an excuse to indulge in a sweet treat, but for the sake of the special day, and as a fun activity to do with the girls, try baking some chocolate lava cakes. This rich, gooey dessert will be the perfect follow-up to your fried chicken meal, should you choose to explore the “Lovebird.” After all, it’s not a successful Galentine’s Day if you aren’t clogging your arteries. Find easy recipes online from sites like New York Times Cooking.
Settle in for a movie
Now that you’re nearing the precipice of a food coma, it’s the perfect time to wind down for a good movie to end the day. Picking a movie with friends can oftentimes be a dicey endeavor, but there’s no need to let the decision ruin any friendships — especially on Galentine’s Day! Use this movie guide of romance or romance-adjacent films based on your personality type to determine what’ll best serve as a resolution to your special day.
For the textbook romantics, “The Notebook” will be a forever-classic, and for good reason. I can think of no better nightcap to your Galentine’s Day than you and your girls collectively gawking over a young, rain-soaked Ryan Gosling professing his undying love for Rachel McAdams.
“When Harry Met Sally” is another great pick for the romantics, and what I love about this movie is that it encourages interesting discourse between you and your fellow viewers. It asks the age-old — if not a bit dated — question: can single, straight men and women ever really be just friends?
If you’re celebrating Galentine’s Day as a single woman, there’s the other possibility that you aren’t looking to spend your day soaking up the romantic passion of others through the TV screen. In fact, you may be seeking an antithesis to romance as an act of rebellion against the holiday.
If this is the case, hats off to you. Here’s some entertainment to satisfy your day of righteous sulking. “500 Days of Summer” is a gratifyingly frustrating display of cynical realism that does not often permeate romantic films.
Though the 500-day relationship between protagonists Tom and Summer is charming on the surface, the film explores the difference between being in love with an idealized version of a person versus the person themself.
Another spin on an anti-Valentine’s Day film is “La La Land,” though this is a bit more devastating, for those looking for a cathartic cry to end Galentine’s Day.
Whether you are protesting your situationship, celebrating out of a vehement opposition to Valentine’s Day or simply reveling in your overwhelming love of friendship, the unofficial Galentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity set aside your responsibilities to get drunk, eat delicious food and consume some media that will either restore your faith in love or drive you far from it — the choice is yours.
