6th November 2023
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I love any excuse for a girls’ night. Whether it’s a chilled facemask and chick flick marathon with your housemates or rounding up all the girls for a (potentially very messy) night in concert square. What better reason do we have than the official day to ‘celebrate your love for your lady friends’ on 13th February. Originally from Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s seems to be growing in popularity every year – last year I enjoyed celebrating Galentine’s with my best mates more than I did celebrating Valentine’s. I don’t know about anyone else, but I could not have got through the last year without my friends. We’ve moved houses together, lost our jobs together and essentially planned the rest of our lives together. If, like me, you want to make the most of a whole day of girl gang appreciation, but can’t quite decide what to do, don’t worry because we have plenty of inspiration for you!
This may be a blast from our lockdown past, but you really can’t go wrong with a cocktail night. Each person in the group chooses a cocktail to make for everyone, making for a night of boozy fun! You may remember the trend on TikTok last year, which prompted friend groups to get creative either putting a twist on classic drinks or concocting their own! Why not come up with a theme for your drinks, such as basing them on your own personalities, inside jokes, or simply Galentine’s itself? If you’re stuck on what cocktail to choose, check out our DIY cocktail night on a budget article.
If you’re looking to celebrate your girlfriends in a big way, how about throwing a Galentine’s party? Gather every girl you’ve ever met at uni (I mean maybe not every girl, but you get my point) and throw a girls only get-together! I’m talking pink and red dress code, girl boss anthems and plenty of cute snacks. A Galentine’s party doesn’t even have to be a ‘we hate men’ vibe, just girls supporting girls, dancing the night away. For the ultimate girls party vibes, checkout Pinterest!
Now, this might just be one of my favourite Galentine’s activities for this year. I love, love, love flowers; they’re so simple but can mean so much. Gather your girl squad and buy a bouquet each (they can literally be as cheap as £2). After laying them out on a table, begin assembling your own individual bouquets using the different flowers chosen by the group. This way you each end up with a cute bunch of flowers made with the love of friendship! Because who needs boys to buy you flowers?
PSA: when the flowers start to die, you could dry them out in the oven to preserve them!
All I’ve wanted to do this week is ditch studying to bake pretty heart-shaped cakes to share with my friends. I mean, everyone loves cake, so this would be the perfect Galentine’s treat for you and your besties. Part of the fun could be decorating the cake together! Even better, why not make a few small cakes or cupcakes and have an evening decorating your own (maybe even turn it into a Bake-Off style competition). What will you go for? Red and pink swirls covered in sprinkles? Cute fondant icing frogs? A cheesy quote or inside joke? The possibilities are endless!
If the messy drunk vibes of a cocktail night aren’t quite for you, then how about a chilled dinner party? A sophisticated evening of cooking with your besties might be just what’s in order after a long week of lectures. Whether you cook a massive pot of fancy pasta to share, or decorating homemade pizzas is more your thing, a low-key dinner party is the perfect way to catch up with your gal pals this Galentine’s. Create a cosy atmosphere with fairy lights, candles and Spotify’s finest Italian bistro playlist! And hey, if a few bottles of wine end up being drunk, who’s going to complain?
Let’s not lie, this whole weekend might be a bit of a sore spot for some of us. Whether you had your heartbroken last week or last year, sometimes all that’s needed is to let off some steam with your besties. Enter… plate smashing. First, you need to buy a cheap (smashable) plate each and some permanent markers. Then everyone needs to write down all their thoughts and feelings on the plate. Angry thoughts, sad thoughts, even the happy nostalgic thoughts. Get them down. Once you’ve finished writing on the plates put each one in a plastic bag, to contain all the mess. Finally, SMASH THOSE PLATES INTO SMITHEREENS! I’m not saying that smashing plates will solve everything, but I think it’s definitely a good place to start. Hopefully now you have plenty of inspiration for Galentine’s weekend with your girl gang, whether you want to go crazy, heal some heartbreak or eat some yummy food. Because boys can come and go, but your girls are for life. 💖
Feature image by Aline Viana Prado from Pexels
