Ah, Valentine’s Day. One of the most Marmite days of the calendar – whereby you either look forward to sharing a romantic evening with a partner (or your galentine, if that’s your thing), or if you’re so very single – dread it.
While all of your friends and their happy, soppy, loving relationships are nestling down with a glass of red wine and a coq-au-vin – what the hell are the rest of us supposed to do?
Thankfully after *cough* years of practise, we’ve pretty much nailed down the im-single-but-everything’s-fine Valentine’s Day plans – and hopefully they can help you too…
Travel solo
Luckily, the big V-Day this year falls at the start of a weekend, so what better way to ignore all of the romance ensuing around you, by showing yourself some love and taking a solo trip away? Airlines have sales on during the colder months (Paris for £44, anyone?), so it’s the perfect opportunity to explore somewhere new for a couple of days. Plus, you get to starfish in the hotel bed. No complaints here.
We’d recommend:
London – La Rochelle, France (From £14 one-way)
London – Hamburg, Germany (From £29 one-way)
London – Amsterdam, Netherlands (From £66 one-way)
Netflix marathon, pizza and turn your damn phone off
Nothing says self-care like putting on your favourite TV show, eating junk food, and blubbering in a borderline un-holy way, tucked up where nobody can see you. The key messaging here though is: turn your phone off.
We know how tempting it can be, particularly during the supposed most romantic time of the year, to text an ex. And that urge is going to be stronger than ever when you’re knee deep in pepperoni watching Noah and Allie kiss in the rain realising it wasn’t over for either of them.
Turn off the phone for the evening (you also don’t have to see couple pics on your feed) and practise self-love as you champion that Jennifer Aniston is single, and so are you.
Take YOURSELF out for dinner
Ok, we get it, this feels like kind of a loser-ish way to spend Valentine’s Day – especially when it’s going to be more obvious than ever that you’re single – but there are actually some really cool ways to go out for a treat meal, meet new people (who knows, maybe the one?), and *actually* have a good time.
Supper clubs
A staple in London culture anyway, supper clubs are a great way to connect with other solo-diners often in a cool, underground setting. We love Be my Valentine in Queens Park for connecting with other singles (over food, cocktails and DJs all night), Galentines Day at Batch in Peckham, if you’re all about pink kitschy cocktails and hanging out with gal pals, or Mam Sham, for a boozy, glittery banquet (usually hosted by a drag queen) that hosts absolutely 0 romance.
Casual dining
Restaurants that allow you to eat at the bar are the best. Mostly because everyone is sat in a line and you can’t really tell who’s out with who, and because you’re alone, the only person that notices you ordering every dessert off the menu is the bartender. It’s also the kind of place you can pull your laptop or phone out for moral support when you realise maybe this isn’t your thing, and you can just pop on your favourite Netflix show and eat great food.
If you’re into people watching, these are also a great place to avoid candles, roses, and watch awkward first dates ensue.
Some great places to head include: Bancone in Covent Garden, Cichetti in Piccadilly Circus, and Counter in Lambeth.
Go on a dating app
What better way to manifest in your single-ness than by joining other singles and perhaps setting yourself up for a more action-packed V-Day next year on a dating app? Organise a date, a chill out session or just get to know someone that you’ve never met before – and we’ve pretty much nailed it down to: looking for something casual? Tinder. A relationship? Hinge. Testing the waters? Bumble. Happy swiping!
Host a pal-entines party
Why it might seem like *everyone* you know is getting married, engaged or otherwise settling down with a lover, trust us when we say – you have WAY more single friends than you think. What better way to round them all up and celebrate how single you are? It’s also a great opportunity to show your appreciation for each other, tell lots of horribly awkward first date stories, and drink lots of wine, without judgement when your white top ends up purple.
Self-love
Practise loving YOURself (and realising Nicole Scherzinger was right when she said you don’t need a man to make it happen) – whatever that means to you. Yoga, online shopping, volunteering, face masks, whatever makes you feel good, do it.
If you are looking for a partner, it may be worth manifesting, and make a list of all of the qualities you want in a partner, so that you can spend the next year putting it into action, and frankly, waste less time on people who don’t deserve yours.
If you’re newly single and facing Valentine’s Day alone for the first time, consider spending the money you would’ve put into meals and gifts on a charitable donation, or that bag you’ve been looking at for ages.
Treat it like any other day
Because why not? We don’t need a special day to tell someone how much we love them (especially if it’s…well, no one) – a lot of us have chosen to be single, and we just need to embrace it, rather than pitying the situation.
It’s a yearly celebration that we’ll get to join in with a *some* point no doubt (or if we choose not to, that’s cool too), so for now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting that life admin done, hitting the gym then eating your bodyweight in chocolate. Nailed it.