17+ Valentine’s Day Event Ideas

Looking for Valentine’s Day event ideas? Look no further. Love comes in many shapes and sizes—and so do these event ideas.

The international day of love is an opportunity for couples to strengthen their bond. It’s also an opportunity for singles to meet and mingle. There is something for everyone.

In this guide, we’ll cover great Valentine’s Day event ideas like:

• Wine and chocolate tasting
• Cooking and craft classes
• Romantic film screenings
• Live music and comedy
• Murder mysteries and masquerade balls
• Romantic marathons (literally)
• …and even childcare (it will make sense, promise)

All these events are great for loved-up couples. However, they can work equally well for singles looking to meet their future significant other. Simply add a speed-dating element and voila, you have a singles event.

Tasting events

They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. As it happens, the hearts of women can be reached the same way. We’re not so different after all — despite being from Mars and Venus, respectively.

Here are some ideas for Valentine’s Day tasting events:

1. Chocolate tasting

Tap into your inner chocolatier and make your guests feel like Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp in Chocolat. Nothing beats good old Valentine’s Day classics like this one.

2. Seafood tasting

If you don’t think your audience has a sweet tooth, then try something fishy. Actually, that would be bad branding. But a seafood tasting event is a great way to help couples improve their palate.

3. Wine tasting

Another classic choice for the Valentine’s Day event planner. You can stick to red and rose wines if colour themes are a priority. Or you can mix in some white wines and combine it with seafood tasting.

Pro tip: Have participants taste the wine blind-folded and then guess which one is which.

Host a class

Nothing strengthens the bond between two lovers more than learning something new together. It often doesn’t matter what it is they’re learning. The important part is that they’re doing it as a couple.

Here are some ideas for classes you can host for Valentine’s Day:

1. Craft workshops

Remember when you were a kid and made your own birthday presents for your parents? That still works. Home-made presents are special because time and effort went into creating them.

Your workshop can focus on making perfumes, flower bouquets, or chocolates. But it doesn’t have to be expensive; a simple Valentine’s card-making workshop will do the trick.

2. Cooking classes

It’s nice to take your date out for dinner, but it’s even nicer to impress them with your Michelin-star cooking skills. Yet not many Millennials know how to do that in the age of Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

That’s where you come in. Host a cooking class for couples where they can learn to make sushi, bake doughnuts, or even mix cocktails.

3. Dance classes

Everyone can put on an episode of Strictly Come Dancing — but how many can pull off the moves? Dance classes are not only good for creating a romantic atmosphere. They’re also a fun way to get beach body ready.

Romantic film screenings

Hosting a film screening is a great way to pull a crowd of loved-up couples. All you need is a big screen and plenty of comfortable seating. You can also spice it up with some heart-shaped pillows, canapés, and Prosecco.

Here are some classics to help you get started:

• Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Casablanca
• Dirty Dancing
• Gone With the Wind
• Moulin Rouge
• Singin’ in the Rain
• The Philadelphia Story
• Titanic

Live music

What’s the most popular topic in songwriting? You guessed it. Whether it’s about happiness, desire, resentment, confusion, or jealousy — love is at the centre of it all.

That’s why you can’t go wrong with hosting a live music event for this year’s Valentine’s. Some genres are more appropriate than others, of course.

Maybe death metal will not appeal to the broadest of audiences. But a few Barry White covers or some smooth jazz will go a long way.

Comedy evening

Love makes us do all kinds of silly things that end up in embarrassing episodes. Rather than trying to forget about it, savvy comedians are quick to capitalise on these situations.

A love-themed comedy evening is a surefire way to break the ice between first-daters. It’s also a way to get long term couples out of their endless loop of internal jokes no one else gets.

Masquerade ball

It’s fun to dress up. But there is something particularly sensual about masquerade balls. The mystique of masks and dress-up is why Harry Potter is no longer the best-selling book of all in the UK.

A good masquerade ball takes a lot of planning and preparation. But if done right, it could definitely result in some Instagrammable moments. You can also add a competitive element by offering a prize for best outfit.

Murder mystery evening

Romance is a staple in period dramas — but so is murder. Why not combine the two for an alternative night out?

Host a murder mystery evening centred around a misfortunate love story. Have couples compete to solve the mystery and win a prize.

Romantic running

Can running be romantic? It depends on your idea of romance. Your event could focus on cardio to improve the real, actual heart.

DeadDrop thought outside the box and arranged Operation: Kill Cupid a couple of years ago. The concept? Run between 5k and 10k to track down the winged cherub and give him a taste of his own dart medicine.

Childcare

A lot of love stories end in children.

But those same children are not always conducive to a romantic evening. You can offer Valentine’s Day childcare services to give the parents a chance to reignite the spark.

Bonus Valentine’s Day event ideas

If the ideas we’ve outlined aren’t enough, there’s plenty of scope to expand on them. Here are some ways to add interesting elements to your Valentine’s Day event:

1. Set up a photo booth

Set up a photo booth for an old-school way to capture the fun memories of the event. It also allows for a cosy and intimate space to make silly faces in.

2. Hire a chocolate fountain

Everything is better with chocolate. Why not give your guests a chance to dip into some chocolaty goodness?

3. Give from the heart

Combine your Valentine’s Day event with a charitable cause. You can set up a couple’s competition where the prize is a charitable donation. Or you could donate the proceeds from the event to the British Heart Foundation.

4. Get social

Regardless of which event you choose to put on, remember social media. Jump on the trending #sharethelove bandwagon or create your own hashtag.

What are you waiting for?

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Get creative and start organising your Valentine’s Day event today.

We’ve given you the ideas — now you just need to get started.