Galentine’s Day Ideas

Galentine’s Day is a fake holiday designed to celebrate the love between a woman and her best girl friends! The idea for Galentine’s Day originated on Parks and Recreation, a hit US comedy TV show on which lead character Leslie Knope hosts an annual Galentine’s Day to lavish love on her closest female friends.

Galentine’s Day is on 13 February (just before Valentine’s Day) and is all about sharing your love for your pals whether they’re single or not. Celebrating Galentine’s Day in Belfast? We’ve rounded up the top ideas of things to do on or around 13 February 2020 and over Valentine’s weekend.

Catch up over an indulgent afternoon tea in one of Belfast’s hotels or cafés. Three tiers of finger food, pastries and scones combined with luxury loose leaf tea is the ultimate afternoon delight and a great antidote to Valentine’s Day. Read our guide to discover places serving afternoon tea in Belfast.

It’s a great time of year to detox and chase away the winter blues with your bestie. So why not treat yourselves to spa session in the Merchant Hotel or Culloden Estate and Spa? Both offer an irresistible range of massages, facials, scrubs, beauty and hydrotherapy treatments where you can let life stress melt away and share some ‘you’ time together.

Book a cocktail-making masterclass at Fitzwilliam Hotel, House of Zen or Havana Bank Square. If you’re a wizardry fanatic, The Cursed Goblet is a fully immersive cocktail-making experience where drinks come with a cloak, wand and special effects. Or simply head to Margot, Santeria, or another of Belfast’s best cocktail bars and work your way through the menu!

If you’re arty types, visit one of the art or photography exhibitions on in the city over the Valentine’s weekend. Murmur and Photography from China at Belfast Exposed contain the stunning works of a range of renowned photographers. Or see the works of Belfast artist Sam McCready’s, at A Celebration at ArtisAnn Gallery, and an international artist’s work at Colouring the Past at the Public Records of Northern Ireland in Titanic Quarter.

If your friends group’s deepest love is gin, Belfast has a lot to offer to fuel your romance. Book a session with Belfast Gin School where you’ll make your very own gin and enjoy lots of gin-infused sweet treats along the way. Or continue your love affair with a tour of Copeland, Echlinville or Rademon Estate distilleries. Read our gin tasting blog for more ideas.

Pug Uglys hosts their comedy club every Thursday. Get together with the girls and go along on Galentine’s Day, Thursday 13 February, for local or touring comedians that are sure to have you all in stitches together. Visit Pug Uglys’ social media for line-up details, drinks offers and to reserve seats. Try one of their signature sourdough pizzas and enjoy live music in the downstairs bar.

Put your creative skills to use (and recreate that scene from Ghost) with your bestie! This fun event at Loaf Pottery and Café in Crawfordsburn, on Thursday 13 February, includes a pottery workshop with a professional potter followed by a tasty serving of woodfired pizza. You can bring your own beer, wine or bubbly too.

Looking for a gift for your friends? You’ll find adorable Galentine’s presents in St Georges’ Market, Born + Bred and UNIQUE, which sell handcrafted candles, jewellery, mugs, arts, trinkets, tote bags and more.

Got a girl group that’s crazy about chocolate? Taste and Tour will satisfy your sweet tooth as they dip into Belfast’s underground chocolate scene. Join their three and half-hour tour on Friday 14 February and discover Belfast’s chocolatiers and how the ingredient is used in cocktails, savoury food and local dishes.

Share the love over a tasty breakfast! Read our guide to the top places for brunch in Belfast, from cute cafés to grand eateries in five-star hotels. Then catch up over sweet pancakes or eggs Benedicts and a tasty coffee – the perfect way to brighten each other’s mornings.

Go to Little Wings on Thursday 13 February and enjoy two 11-inch pizzas and a bottle of prosecco for £30! Little Wings is known for its delicious Naples-style pizza cooked using time-honoured methods in a traditional wood stone oven, all served in a warm and friendly atmosphere.