It’s February and, as ever, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air. But while romantic love may be many an American’s first thought during this season, acknowledging other types of love – including love for friends and self-love – is also a part of the conversation. 

So who will be celebrating the 2023 season of non-romantic love? And how will they be participating in the celebrations? Let’s find out. 

Less Love for Galentine’s Day This Year

Galentine’s Day, recognized on February 13, first made its debut in an episode of the TV show “Parks & Recreation” in 2010. And while people may have been celebrating V-Day with friends long before the term ‘Galentine’s Day’ became a thing, that whole trend may be fading. 

Recent CivicScience data show, among U.S. adult women familiar with the holiday, plans for Galentine’s Day celebrations with friends are down this year, with just 10% definitely planning to partake this year as opposed to 12% last year. Meanwhile, ‘maybes’ are up from 19% last year to 21% today. 

Despite wavering Galentine’s Day plans in general, Gen Z is still the most likely to celebrate, followed by Millennials, whose ‘maybes’ are up from 20% to 28%. Perhaps not surprisingly, this holiday is still the most popular with single women.

How will they be celebrating this year? Wine may be in order. Those who will be raising a glass with their ‘Galentines’ are more likely to drink wine than non-celebrators. They tend to prefer a rosé or white wine over a red – and they’re four times more likely than non-celebrators to pop open a bottle of sparkling. 

Some other fun findings about Galentine’s celebrators include:

  • Nearly one-quarter are on dating apps daily…perhaps so that this Galentine’s Day will be their last. An additional 16% use them weekly.
  • It’s also worth noting that this particular holiday is a social one. So it makes sense that 40% of those celebrating Galentine’s Day this year report they have more friends now than before the pandemic. 
  • The majority also consider themselves financially better off now than before the pandemic – which may be reason enough to open another bottle of that rosé.

Self-Gifting – the Trend That Keeps on Giving

Of course, participating in Galentine’s Day is just one way to celebrate non-romantic love. For an increasing number of Americans, self-gifting may be the preferred alternative to Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day plans. 

Plans to buy a gift for yourself have risen from 25% last year to 31% this year. And those who do plan to shop for themselves are most likely to be buying chocolates – or candy in general – and jewelry. Data show they’re also more likely to buy wine or liquor for themselves this year compared to last, and they’re half as likely to gift themselves flowers.

To note, self-gifting was a big hit among Gen Z adults over the 2022 holiday season – 32% were in the market to buy themselves gifts, and another 24% were considering it – and it appears to be remarkably nearly as popular for V-Day. Twenty-two percent of Gen Z women are ‘very likely’ to give themselves a gift and an additional 42% are ‘somewhat likely.’

But these Valentine’s self-gifters will not be waiting in any lines. It’s likely these predominantly Gen Z shoppers are opting instead to purchase a gift for themselves online – 43% of ‘very likely’ self-gifters say they’re shopping online more than usual right now, compared to just 26% who won’t be purchasing something for themselves. 

So while Galentine’s Day may not be completely a thing of the past, its popularity may be usurped by young adults who are increasingly interested in celebrating themselves this time of year.

Want to stay ahead of the latest consumer trends with more insights like these? Work with us.