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If you’re a fan of celebrating female friendships, you might already know about Galentine’s Day. But did you know this once-fictional holiday began on a sitcom?
What is Galentine’s Day?
Galentine’s Day is a celebration of female friendships, and the holiday originated on the hit NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation.”
“It’s an alternative to Valentine’s Day, created by the writers of ‘Parks and Rec,’” the show’s star Amy Poehler explained on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in 2020. “Leslie Knope would get all her gals together and shower them with weird gifts.”
The celebration kicked off in Season 2, Episode 16—aptly titled “Galentine’s Day”—which first aired on February 11, 2010. According to Poehler’s Knope, Galentine’s Day is “only the best day of the year.”
Today, this unofficial holiday has taken on a life of its own, giving women the chance to celebrate their closest friendships. “It’s kind of caught on as a fun, fake holiday, just like Valentine’s Day,” Poehler added.
What Is the Origin of Valentine’s Day?
The holiday was preceded by an ancient Roman festival, though two medieval poets and a Catholic pope are credited with its invention.
The holiday was preceded by an ancient Roman festival, though two medieval poets and a Catholic pope are credited with its invention.
When is Galentine’s Day?
Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. The timing was intentional, according to former “Parks and Recreation” writer Aisha Muharrar. Galentine’s Day is meant as “the main event” rather than “a consolation prize” to Valentine’s Day if the romantic holiday didn’t turn out as planned, she told NPR in 2019.
How did the ‘Parks and Recreation’ characters celebrate?
Each Galentine’s Day, Knope gathered her best gal pals to enjoy breakfast and mimosas. She also made them handmade gifts. “Every February 13, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies,” Knope says in Season 2.
The aforementioned “weird gifts” Knope handed out at the inaugural event were crocheted flower pens, mosaic portraits created with crushed bottles of the ladies’ favorite diet soda and a 5,000-word essay on why each woman is “so awesome.”
Knope, ever the champion of women, also declared: “You know my code. Hoes before bros. Uteruses before duderuses. Ovaries before brovaries.”
Do people really celebrate Galentine’s Day?
Poehler still celebrates the holiday with some of her “Parks and Rec” castmates. She has encouraged others to do the same but notes gifts are optional.
“Female friendships are the most important thing in your life,” the actor said on TikTok in 2024. “The best thing about your friends is they know you better than anyone and they still want to hang out with you. Happy Galentine’s Day.”
Aside from the women of “Parks and Rec,” celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Aniston and Selena Gomez have joined in the fun. But you don’t have to be famous to celebrate the women in your life. The holiday has become mainstream, with women across the country gathering with their friends in honor of Galentine’s Day. And there is no shortage of themed cards you can buy and send. Of course, many people also choose to celebrate their platonic love at home with their favorite snacks, drinks and movies.
Poehler has even invited men to get in on the tradition to celebrate their male friendships. “You could have your own Galentine’s Day version of it,” she said on “Kimmel.”
