Galentine's Day is February 13th — the day before Valentine's, set aside for the friends rather than the partners. It started as a joke on a television show and quietly became a real thing, because it turns out a lot of people wanted an excuse to celebrate the friendships that carried them through everything else.
In Austin it's usually brunch. Brunch is fine. But brunch is also loud, forty-five minutes of waiting, and a table where the four people on the far end have their own separate conversation all morning.
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Why This One Is Easy to Get Right
- ✦Nobody is hosting. That alone changes the day — the friend who always organises everything gets to just sit down
- ✦One low table means one conversation, not three
- ✦Everything is already built when you arrive, and none of you touches it afterwards
- ✦You end up with real photos of all of you together, which almost never happens otherwise
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A Two-Hour Shape That Works
- ✦First twenty minutes — everyone arrives, takes photos of the setup, and talks over each other. This part is unavoidable and it should be
- ✦Next half hour — sit down properly. This is when the actual catching up happens
- ✦Middle stretch — do something with your hands. Painting or a vision board keeps people talking sideways rather than performing at each other
- ✦Last stretch — the photo session, once everyone has stopped worrying about how they look
Doing something together is the difference between a nice afternoon and a day people bring up a year later. It gives quiet friends something to do with their hands and stops the group splitting into pairs.
We offer two activities — texture painting, where everyone makes a small abstract piece to take home, and vision boards. Both work for groups; both have their own guide on this blog if you want the detail.
Planning something like this?
We set up styled picnics all across Austin — built before you arrive, packed away after you leave.
Book Your Picnic✦
Small Things That Make It Feel Planned
- ✦Tell everyone to wear one colour family — cream, blush, sage. It costs nothing and the photos look intentional instead of accidental
- ✦One small gift each, agreed in advance and capped at a few dollars. Silly is better than expensive
- ✦Bring your own drinks — we set out the glasses, we just don't supply the wine or champagne
- ✦A chalkboard sign with an in-joke on it. It ends up in every single photo
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What to Book
- ✦Four to six of you — an intimate package works, with extra guests added on
- ✦Five to sixteen — The Gathering, from $350 with five guests included. Two tables, umbrellas, infused water and warm tea, and a 15-minute photo session
- ✦If you want the activity built in for everyone — The Canvas, from $500, with the creative session included rather than added
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Book It Before February Starts
February 13th sits inside our busiest weekend of the year, and it fills up alongside Valentine's Day. Groups take longer to organise than couples do — pick the date first, send the message, and sort out who is bringing what afterwards.
Three years of saying we should do something. This is the year you book it.