Embracing Solo: Creating Inclusive Valentine’s Day Events for Singles

Valentine’s Day often comes with a lot of feelings for single people. A Valentine's Day event for singles can create a sense of belonging by providing a supportive space for celebrating self-love, friendship and shared interest. Events create shared memories, and promote inclusivity and a sense of belonging.

Activities encouraging friendship, personal growth, and positive affirmations can help build a community where individuals feel valued and connected, regardless of relationship status. With 49.1% of Americans reportedly single as recently as 2022, consider expanding your focus for a successful event from just couples February 14.

Be inclusive

Plan activities that cater to both singles who are simply looking for something to do and others who might be looking to catch a spark, ensuring there’s no pressure to couple up while leaving room for the start of a deeper connection. Feel free to use pink and red in your event marketing and on your event page, but using other bold and bright colors adds festive elements that indicate your event isn’t focused on romantic love or oriented specifically at couples.

Create events with entertainment options that cater to a diverse audience, such as live music, comedy shows, or themed movie nights that don't necessarily revolve around romantic films or subjects. Encourage social interaction by organizing group activities or games like speed friending or dating or group challenges to foster connections among attendees. Make sure there are spaces with clear guidelines to ensure the comfort of all your attendees. Emphasize the importance of consent while creating a welcoming atmosphere for people of all genders and backgrounds.

Consider offering “a first date” promotion to attendees on a pair of tickets for another of your upcoming events for people who hit it off and want to get to know each other better. Go even bigger, and hook the hopeless romantics by offering any couple that meets at your event free tickets to an event upon the presentation of a marriage certificate.

Lean into it

While the focus on Valentine’s Day might be romantic love, the idea of being coupled up doesn’t appeal to everyone. About 57% of single people are not interested in a relationship, and are content with their single status. Honor the proudly independent with events tailored to honoring themselves, friendship and even shunning Valentine’s Day.

• Galentine’s or Platonic Love: Give people the chance to celebrate their nearest and dearest friends. Encourage attendees to bring their bestie, or a whole group of them, to celebrate each other and their friendship. Offer reservations or add-ons for groups of friends attending together.

• Celebrate Self-Love: Highlight the idea of self-love and self-care, with an event designed for single people to pamper themselves and enjoy their own company. Give people the chance to personalize their experience.

• Anti-Valentine’s: Create an "Anti-Valentine's Day" for people who may not be fans of the traditional romantic celebrations. Offer activities that focus on humor, independence and camaraderie and give them a discount using a coupon that can only be applied when buying a solo ticket.

• Singles Section: Offer single people the chance to mingle amongst others in their own section with tickets that allow access to a particular part of your event or venue

Create a sense of belonging

Help people find their community by providing supportive spaces, fostering connections between people who share the same passions and experiences. Give people a chance to find their community with an event centered on interest. Activities promoting kinship can help build a supportive community where individuals feel valued and connected, regardless of relationship status. Hold a trivia night focused on a particular TV show, singer or sport, or host a dance party featuring music from only one genre.

Leverage social media integration by running contests or campaigns to alert and hype up your target audience. Integrate social media sharing options into your event pages and encourage attendees to share their excitement, using event-specific hashtags and sharing user-generated content to your own accounts.

Continue to reinforce and support the connections at your event by hosting similar and related events, using an event comparison report to gauge their potential for success. Ask ticket buyers what their interests are by adding a survey to your tickets, and then announce events that might excite them with a newsletter. Make sure all your upcoming events are easy to find by adding an event list or calendar to your website.