There are plenty of lovers out there who are looking for something a little more than a night of Netflix and chill, which is where you come in.
Make this Valentine’s Day one to remember by hosting a themed event (romance included).
We’ve got everything you need, with creative party ideas inspired by real events listed on Eventbrite that couples and singles alike will fall in love with.
Over to you, cupid…
1. ‘On-screen romance’: film screening under the stars
Cuteness: 💕💕💕
Budget: 💵
Difficulty: 💪
Take the romance outside by hosting a film screening in an unusual outdoor venue like a national park or public pool. And it doesn’t have to be a cheesy romcom you show on the big screen, either.
South Regional Library is hosting a film screening in the woods behind a crumbling old school while playing the horror film ‘Psycho’. Because nothing screams romance when you’re hiding under a blanket and having the life scared out of you! At least it gives you an excuse to get close!
Make sure you fill the venue with comfortable seating options, such as bean bags, oversized cushions, or picnic blankets. Invite local food trucks to attend, set up a pop-up bar, and then go OTT with the V-Day-themed decorations because you can never have too many love hearts.
💡Pro tip: Throw in some additional Valentine’s Day activities before and after the main event; photo booths with dress-up boxes can provide great mementos for loved-up guests!
2. ‘Couples who craft together, stay together’: crafternoon event
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This V-Day, try hosting a craft session where people can get their creative juices flowing — after all, gift-giving is a timeless expression of love.
You can stick to the crafty classics — such as life drawing or pottery — but how about trying a chocolate or jewelry-making workshop?
Remember, craft events don’t need to be only for couples; singles can mingle with new people while breaking the ice over their creations.
💡Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to lean into your niche to create a unique experience. For example, Hogarth’s House hosts a Valentine’s Day-themed workshop where attendees can learn about the art of printmaking and design a unique card for someone special.
3. ‘Love is blind’: blindfolded tasting experience
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They say that love is blind — so why not put it to the test this V-Day by inviting attendees to a blindfolded dining experience?
Set up your restaurant or bar venue with multiple tables for two. Keep registered couples together, but have allocated seats for singles to mingle with other lonely hearts.
To ensure that you match attendees with compatible partners, use Eventbrite’s customizable registration forms to ask questions, such as the sexual orientation of your guests.
Take your experience to the next level by challenging your guests to guess what they’re eating, and provide a discount code or free tickets for your next event to the table that comes closest.
💡Pro tip: The tasting experience doesn’t need to include a blindfold throughout, but it does need to be creative (and delicious). For example, companies like SpeedDater run wine-tasting events to celebrate the occasion, while food stylist and chef Lola Brandelli provides an impressive 10-course dining experience. Either way, make sure you use high-quality products and trusted suppliers.
Create a personalized event experience.
4. ‘Live, love, laugh on Valentine’s Day’: live comedy show
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Help your guests see the funny side of love with a Valentine’s night of comedy. Take a cue from Lowdon Comedy‘s Stupid Cupid — a performance that includes a bottle of Champagne for the attendees!
There’s no shortage of comedy material when it comes to Valentine’s Day, so sign up local comics who will poke fun at some of those classic (and outdated) V-Day traditions.
And don’t limit the fun to what’s on stage. Try creating a cocktail menu with concoctions playing up to the alt Valentine’s Day theme. Fancy a ‘No, Seriously, I’m Fiiiiine’? Just combine red cherry wine and vodka to resemble the blood of a broken heart. Tasty. You could even offer some (what else?) cheesy fries on the side.
💡Pro tip: Live performances are also suited to live streaming, so there’s an opportunity to expand your audience reach. A well-planned audio-visual setup can help you attract a new audience of lovebirds at home and sell beyond your venue’s physical capacity.
5. ‘Who’s behind the mask?’: masquerade ball
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Attendees will experience an extra touch of intrigue at a masquerade ball. Whether attending with a partner in tow, stringing a friend along, or riding solo, invite guests to dress up in their finest, put on a mask, and dance the night away.
Choose a theme early to help focus your plans, from invitations to decorations, entertainment, and even food and drink.
Encourage the ‘singletons’ of the night to interact on the dancefloor by holding a ‘dance with a stranger’ segment, where attendees boogie with the person next to them for at least one song.
Who knows, true love could be hidden beyond the mask right next to them — and they’ll have you to thank!
For some fun additional Valentine’s Day activities, why not offer prizes for the best mask or costume?
💡Pro tip: For more inspiration, check out Across The Room’s The Biggest Singles Valentine’s Black Tie Ball or New Year’s Eve London’s Masquerade Ball.
6. ‘Food is the only way to my heart’: food festival
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Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest nights for dining out, so why not make food the focal point for your whole event?
Think a street full of market stalls with gin and wine tastings, chocolate roses handed out by street performers, and live cooking workshops hosted by local chefs demonstrating how to cook delicious Valentine’s-themed meals.
Singles, families, kids, and couples are all welcome — this one’s about nothing but the food.
💡Pro tip: To make your Valentine’s themed events stand out, serve a unique offering with love-themed food and drink menus. For example, serve up an ‘eye-heart you’ beef tenderloin with a ‘strawb-very-special’ cocktail.
7. ‘Did you say flow or flowers?’ open mic night
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From headbangers to hip-hoppers and disco divas to opera enthusiasts, music brings people together. Pick a genre and event format that stands out to your desired audience to make Valentine’s Day celebrations memorable.
Take a leaf out of The Hidden Gem Music Club’s Valentine’s Day Open Mic Night event, and pack the night full of love-themed songs. Nothing screams V-Day more than an acoustic version of ‘My Heart Will Go On.’
💡Pro tip: Set up a stage where any musician can drop in and perform. Encourage attendees to join in with karaoke or throw down some slam poetry for their partners. It might hurt other attendees’ ears and souls, but it will make a memorable evening!
8. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll find ‘em one day’: bar crawl treasure hunt
Cuteness: 💕
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This event idea will celebrate singlehood and be a haven for the non-attached to enjoy each other’s company without feeling the pressures of V-Day.
Encourage attendees to round up their closest single friends and then split everyone into groups of three to five.
Stick QR codes around the city that give attendees riddles and puzzles to solve to find the next bar of the night. The team that goes to each bar first and returns to the starting point with proof of each of their visits wins the crawl.
💡Pro tip: Your target audience might identify with a particular group based on gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, or religious beliefs, so you could create an event that specifically resonates with them. For example, SingleBlackDating hosts online speed dating events aimed at single Black professionals.
9. ‘Love is a battlefield’: laser tag event
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It’s a thin line between love and hate.
Attendees in a relationship might want to spend the day sipping on red wine while lying on a picnic rug, or they might want to run around shooting each other to their heart’s content.
Create a laser tag tournament like no other for those in the latter group: partner vs partner or mother vs daughter. Market your event as a head-to-head battle of the wills, where only one competitor remains standing.
💡Pro tip: Inject your event with even more love using V-Day-inspired protective gear, such as ‘love goggles’ with a pink haze when you put them on. Or create a line of V-Day merch attendees can buy on the day. That’s right, for one day only, attendees can purchase love goggles they can wear all year round.
10. ‘You dancing? I’m asking’: dance competition
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Dancing is the perfect excuse for guests to get up close and personal with their partner.
Host a dance competition where couples can show off their moves and have a bit of fun. Send out the invitation weeks before the event through your email marketing campaign and inform attendees of the night’s theme.
Instead of sticking to boring old dance styles, host a competition centered on goofy dances like the ‘chicken dance’ or ‘the Macarena.’ Make sure that on your invitation, you clarify that you welcome dancers of all skill levels to participate.
💡Pro tip: If you want to go the extra mile, partner with a local dance studio and send instructional dance videos. Not only will this help people prepare for the competition, but it’ll also help build a relationship with your attendees.
11. My lover, the killer: murder mystery (with a twist)
Cuteness: 💕💕
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There’s just never enough blood and gore on Valentine’s Day.
The solution? Create a murder mystery dinner or escape room event with a twist: the killer is your lover.
Secretly split your attendees into ‘victims’ and ‘killers.’ Throughout the night, the ‘victims’ need to try and solve the mystery of ‘who killed them,’ while the ‘killers’ focus on not getting caught.
The way you set up the game is entirely up to you, but if we can suggest something, don’t go for the obvious option; make sure to shock attendees with an unexpected twist at the end.
💡Pro tip: Use outlandish themes to bring your murder mystery event to life. For example, the White House Hotel hosted a wild 1920s theme and encouraged attendees to arrive dressed in costumes from the era.
12. ‘You’re too sweet’: dessert-making masterclass
Cuteness: 💕💕💕
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One way to the heart is through the stomach.
To create a dessert-making masterclass that’s fun, sexy, and creative, channel the pottery scene from Ghost and combine it with a touch of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Set up individual workstations for couples, complete with their very own recipe book. Partner with a local patisserie or bakery that teaches attendees how to cook a variety of desserts, from frosted cupcakes to creme brulee.
💡Pro tip: Order branded aprons with your event logo and hand them out as a gift at the beginning of class.
13. ‘Letters to my past lovers’: candlelit calligraphy class
Cuteness: 💕💕💕
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Is there anything more romantic than receiving a beautiful and elegant handwritten note?
This Valentine’s Day, host a candlelit class that teaches attendees the basics of calligraphy. Set up cushions for attendees to sit on the floor, put on some soft music, and pour your students a glass of their favorite tipple.
Get creative with your calligraphy materials. Instead of using pen and paper, try using different surfaces and mediums. For example, A Handful of Letters hosts regular ‘basics workshops’ but also creates classes where students write on pumpkins or glass bottles.
💡Pro tip: You don’t have to just focus on lovers. Instead, offer a healing workshop for those experiencing heartbreak. Host a letter-writing session where attendees can light a candle, grab a cozy blanket, and learn how to craft a letter to their ex to aid in their healing. This cathartic exercise can help individuals practice some self-love on V-Day!
14. Revenge on Valentine’s: witch’s curse ritual
Cuteness: 💕
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Let’s be 100% honest; Valentine’s Day isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Some people might endure heartbreak and misery on V-Day; others just see it as a commercial ploy to sell overpriced candy and flowers. Either way — they would rather burn the occasion at the stake than participate.
So, create an event where attendees can do precisely that.
Organize an Anti-Valentine’s Day Bonfire complete with live music, hands-on herb-burning rituals, candle ‘magic,’ and a pot full of ‘V-Day poison’ (also known as alcohol) that attendees can sip on through the night.
💡Pro tip: Set up a ‘Bring me a lover, now!’ tarot card-reading tent where attendees can enter and get an insight into what their ideal partner will look like and when they’ll meet them.
Get creative with your Valentine’s party ideas in 2024
Valentine’s Day is about love in all forms, including our love for standout events.
Use February 14 to connect with your community and craft a truly unforgettable experience that’ll have your attendees in awe of your events.
Once you’ve chosen the perfect idea from the list above, you’ll need to get your event out there and fill the spots.
Eventbrite’s marketing tools can help you reach new attendees and reconnect with regulars. The platform helps decipher what audiences connect with your brand and through which type of marketing so that you can skip the trial and error and use data to guide your next event marketing campaign.
