Everything you need to celebrate Anti-Valentine’s Day (2024)

Let’s be honest–Valentine’s Day can be kinda rough. For those with romance in their life, it can create pressure to find the perfect gift, card, and date ideas. As for the rest of us? It’s basically a heavy-handed reminder that the world is judging us for being single (even if we’re perfectly happy that way).

It’s no surprise that over the years, alternatives to the holiday of hearts have sprung up all around. Most are familiar with the Parks and Rec-inspired Galentine’s Day and its more gender-inclusive version, Palentine’s Day. However, there's a new trend that's a little more direct: Anti-Valentine’s Day.

If sappy romance gives you the ick and you couldn't care less about flowers and chocolates and happy endings, throwing an Anti-Valentine’s Day party is easy: Grab your favorite anti-love decorations, make a playlist that celebrates singledom, pick a few anti-love movies to screen, and surround yourself with your favorite people who could use some February 14th company.

It looks like zoos and aquariums around the country are getting in on the fun, too. Kick things up a notch by taking your friends to a local anti-Valentine's event. If you're in Malibu for example, the California Wildlife Center has a "Feed your Ex to a Wild Animal" event where you can name a squid after your ex for $5, which the staff will then feed to a sea lion. What better way to get over a broken heart?

Whatever you end up doing, enjoy the silliness and fun of a humorous holiday spent with friends. Need help? Check out our favorite party essentials and the best anti-love and breakup movies to screen for a perfect and memorable Anti-Valentine's Day party. Thank us later!

• Anti-Valentine's Day Party Essentials

• Best Anti-Valentine's Day Movies to Watch with Friends

• Anti-Valentine's Day Events

Anti-Valentine's Day Party Essentials

Best Anti-Valentine's Day Movies to Watch with Friends

Ready or Not (2019)

Starring Samara Weaving and Adam Brody, this black comedy-horror sees a bride's wedding night quickly turn into a nightmare as her spouse's wealthy Satan-worshipping family hunts her down. Dreams of romance dashed, she realizes she will have to fend for herself to survive. Stream on Hulu

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan star in this classic wherein Nick Carraway is drawn into the tragic, unrequited world of his cousin Daisy and millionaire Jay Gatsby.Stream on Netflix

Gone Girl (2014)

Nick and Amy Dunne's marriage is anything but perfect and when Amy disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick's apathy makes him a prime suspect.Stream on Amazon Prime

Snow White & the Huntsman (2012)

Starring Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman, and Charlize Theron as the Queen, this dark retelling shows not a princess waiting to be kissed by her prince but one who must be brave enough to lead and overthrow the Queen before she is killed. Stream on Peaco*ck

The First Wives Club (1996)

In this fun comedy, three former college friends, now divorcées, reunite after 30 years when their fourth friend dies by suicide. After discovering why and realizing all of their ex-husbands left them for younger women and took them for granted, they decide to get revenge. Stream on Pluto TV

Fresh (2022)

Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, this horror-thriller shows the reality of modern dating for women—and everything that can go wrong with it. Frustrated with dating apps, Noa takes a chance on the charming Steve, whom she meets at a grocery store, only to discover that he hides a rather... unusual appetite.
Stream on Hulu

Mulan (1998)

Perfect to sing along to, this Disney classic follows Mulan, who impersonates a man to take her aged father's place when he is drafted into the military. She comically tries to keep up with her fellow recruits and handsome captain as well as ward off a Hun invasion without anyone discovering her true identity. Stream on Disney+

Oldboy (2003)

In the mood for a dark, violent revenge served up nice and cold? Watch Oldboy, a South Korean action-thriller regarded as one of the best films of all time. Dae-Su is abducted from the streets and imprisoned in a cell for the next 15 years without knowing why. Upon his sudden release, he only falls deeper into a well-planned trap as he tries to uncover his mysterious captor and falls in love with a young chef, all leading to a staggering climax.Stream on Netflix

Dear Zindagi (2016)

If you'd rather a lighthearted coming-of-age story full of life lessons everyone can take with them, try Dear Zindagi. This Bollywood film, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt, follows Kaira, a woman who is cynical, resentful, and unhappy with life and her career, leading her to self-sabotage her romantic and family relationships. That is until she meets Dr. Jehangir, a free-spirited psychologist who helps her unpack her trauma and look at life through a new lens. Stream on Netflix

Get Out (2017)

There's nothing like finally reaching the meet-the-parents stage in dating. Unless you're Chris Washington. When Chris, a Black man in an interracial relationship, accompanies his white girlfriend on a weekend getaway to meet her parents for the first time, he realizes that he may have walked into a trap. But the truth is far grimmer than even he could've imagined and the only question is: can he get out in time? Regarded as one of the best films of the 21st century, Get Out is directed by Jordan Peele, and stars Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams.Stream on Amazon Prime

Local Anti-Valentine's Day Events

Sometimes, being petty is everything.

New York City: Name a Roach for your Valentine Event, Bronx Zoo, New York City, New York

At the Bronx Zoo in New York City, after you name a Bronx Zoo Madagascar hissing co*ckroach after your ex or situationship, you have the option to: send an original digital certificate as proof, send a roach plush or roach socks along with the certificate, or gift the full package, which includes the plush, two pairs of socks, a printed certificate with their roach’s name, and a creepy-crawly Valentine's Virtual Encounter with a Madagascar hissing co*ckroach and a surprise animal guest. Now that's a gift to remember.

Chicago: Name a co*ckroach After Your Ex Event, Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, Illinois

Take revenge by naming your ex after a Madagascar hissing co*ckroach with a $15 donation. Fill out the form on the site. It comes with a Certificate of Naming that you can hang on your wall or send directly to them. The first name of the individual you list will be included on the co*ckroach Naming Board posted outside the Hamill Family Play Zoo so don't forget to check the zoo's social media sites, find your name, and share the photos on your Instagram story or TikTok.

San Antonio: Cry Me a co*ckroach Event, San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas

The San Antonio Zoo promises to help you get over your heartbreak: with your donation, you can name a roach, rat, or veggie after a jerk and the zoo will feed it to an animal resident, symbolically erasing the pain, if you will. You'll get a digital downloadable Valentine’s Day Card showing your support for the fundraiser.

Malibu: Feed Your Ex to a Wild Animal, Malibu, California

Donate $5 to feed your ex to an orphaned sea lion pup. After all, they're both spineless: what's the difference? Name a squid after them and the squid will be fed to the sea lion. Visit the wildlife center's donation page and enter the name in the comment section. You can also donate through Venmo and leave the name in the comments.

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