Galentine's Day is on its way, which means it's time to start brainstorming Galentine's Day party ideas. For those of you familiar with the now iconic Galentine's Day, you'll know it was started by Amy Poehler's irrepressible Leslie Knope on (first celebrated in Season 2, then again in Season 4) as a celebration of all things girlfriend. Galentine's Day traditionally takes place the day before Valentine's Day, on Feb. 13, but you can celebrate it any old time you want in the next month, because the brilliant thing about a celebration of love, any kind of love, is that it can be done at any time. So book your official Galentine's Day celebration now, and make sure all your best gals have it on their calendars.
Galentine's Day isn't just for singletons either — it's an opportunity for all gals to celebrate their friendships with other gals, regardless of what other happy romantic relationships they might be having. If you want to know more about Galentine's Day, take Leslie Knope's description of the day for inspiration: "Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!" And if you need even more inspiration for celebrating Galentine's Day this year, here are a few Galentine's Day party ideas for you and your BFFs.
1. Potluck Dinner Party
I am a big fan of throwing a potluck dinner, because it distributes the burden of creating impressive food equally among all guests. Get all your gals together, and each cook your favorite dish. Then sit around eating and making each other laugh for an evening. Perfect. Night.
2. A Wine Tasting Party
If you have a whole day to devote to Galentine's Day, find a local winery, and coordinate a tour. Nothing says "GALS!" or "PARTY!" quite like "WINE!"
3. Magic Mike Double Feature Party
Magic Mike (especially XXL), was made for Galentine's Day, so you could even incorporate a double feature into your potluck dinner. You definitely will want to bring along a bottle of wine from that tasting too. Sit back and experience the joy of Channing Tatum grinding to "Pony" with your best Galentines, which is the way this movie was intended to be enjoyed.
4. Two Words: Dance. Party.
I don't know about you, but I don't dance like I used to. Mostly because I'm 30, and nowhere I know of plays a mix of Third Eye Blind, Usher, and Britney Spears. Meanwhile, most dancing places are filled with 20-year-olds groping each other and spilling drinks on me, which is not my scene. If you've become a bit of a curmudgeon like me, organize a dance party with your girlfriends at home. Or if you're a bit more adventurous than I am, put your freakum dress on, find out where they at least play old Destiny's Child songs, and hit the town for a night of girls-only dancing.
5. A Bake Off Party
Get baking with the girls. Either book yourselves into a fun class, or ask each person to bring their best recipes to someone's apartment and get to beating those eggs. When you're done, you can all eat cake.
6. Campaign For A Cause (An Altruistic Kind Of Party!)
Why not mobilize your best Galentines to spread the love to some other gals? A "party" doesn't necessarily just involve boozing. Take up a cause, and do something good on Galentine's Day. Maybe you and your friends put together a pool and donate to Planned Parenthood, or the Malala Fund, or any of the other worthy charities championing women's rights. You could start a fundraiser, or maybe you all find a local women's charity or event to volunteer at. Galentine's Day is for celebrating women, so you could do it by reaching out to those who might need an extra little dose of love on the best holiday of the year.
7. A Parks & Rec Marathon Party
Go back to where it all began with your Galentines, and enjoy some Parks & Rec. Suck in that Leslie Knope vibe and watch her friendships with Ann, April, and Donna bloom. Hug your friends, and vow to spend every day, not just Galentine's Day, being the best Leslie Knope to them that you can be.
