Galentine’s Day is one of the most special celebrations of the year. Better than Treat Yo’ Self Day and Valentine’s Day. Why celebrate just romantic love when one can celebrate the awesome power of women friendship? For the uninitiated, Galentine’s Day, which came to us via the brilliant comedy series Parks and Recreation, is a made-up holiday (much like Valentine’s Day) that falls on February 13th. Galentine’s Day is a day for women to get together and celebrate their friendships and it is truly beautiful.
What started as a simple joke holiday in an episode of a sitcom has blossomed into a day celebrated by many people all over the world, with retailers even selling merchandise based on the holiday. Parks and Recreation gave the world a lot of great Galentine inspiration during its seven seasons, and there is no shortage of ways to celebrate it. Of course, the only incorrect way to celebrate Galentine’s Day is by bringing a male significant other along—they can wait until the 14th, okay?
So, if someone is looking for some Galentine’s Day inspiration or wants to get together with their lady friends and re-watch all the episodes of Parks and Recreation that are about Galentine’s Day, then here is the definitive guide to help find them.
Update February 6, 2024: Galentine’s Day is fast approaching. For anyone looking to head back to Pawnee, Indiana, this article has been updated with more details about every Galentine’s Day episode on Parks and Recreation.
Season 2, Episode 16: “Galentine’s Day”
The very first time viewers are introduced to the best holiday of the year is in Parks and Rec’s second season, and it definitely is no coincidence that it arrived just as the show was starting to soar and find its voice. Fans see the first Galentine’s Day in full swing at a brunch with Leslie and her closest women friends (plus her mother, Marlene). After Leslie hands out everyone’s thoughtful and super-personalized gifts, she loads up her waffles with extra whipped cream (of course) and asks her mother to tell everyone the romantic story.
A Second Chance at Love
Marlene speaks about the handsome man she met on vacation who wanted to marry her but whom she had to turn down because she was just too young. Leslie is completely enraptured by the story, even though she’s heard it about a thousand times throughout her life, and spends the rest of the episode trying to help her mom find that lost love after being pushed by her then-boyfriend Justin. The episode aired in 2010, and by 2017, Galentine’s Day was trending on various social media platforms, showing the power the series had and the large reach it had so long after it originally aired.
Season 4, Episode 14: “Operation Ann”
In what might be the best Galentine’s Day episode audiences ever got, “Operation Ann” starts with the fan-favorite Galentine’s Day brunch, and all the lady friends talk about their love lives: because of a recent cookie-cutter purchase by Andy, everything April eats is shaped like a dinosaur; Donna has a few men in rotation, including one waiting for her in the car (but it’s cool, she rolled down the window, don’t worry); and Leslie’s mom is, well, having fun with a new companion. The only one left out and single this season is Ann, who recently had her heart broken by Chris.
Leslie Plays Matchmaker
This is the episode where Leslie takes it upon herself to find Ann, a man for Valentine’s Day at the Parks and Recreation dance. Enlisting the help of April and Tom, the episode takes a surprising turn when Ann leaves the dance early “to go home”, when really she was sneaking off to go on an impromptu date. With whom, one may ask? None other than Tom Haverford himself in what is probably one of the most shocking moments of the entire series. Even after they broke up for the 60th time, their relationship never made any sense. It’s a fun and entertaining episode that fans can’t miss this Galentine’s Day if someone is looking to do some re-watching.
Season 6, Episode 17: “Galentine’s Day”
In the very last Galentine’s Day episode of the series, Leslie throws together a Galentine’s Day out of the blue to help her deal with the sadness she feels after Ann moved away. Quite innocently, Leslie just wants a new friend in Pawnee because she misses seeing Ann so often and talking to her, but she goes about it in the wrong way. Tarnishing the name of Galentine’s Day, Leslie invites Donna, April, Shawna, Ethel, and “Fake Ann” to brunch, asks them questions, and writes their answers down in a friendship ranking.
An Interactive Friendship Experience
While viewers learn a lot of really cool things about the ladies at the brunch, especially Donna, who is living the dream life, everything is ruined when the ladies discover Leslie’s rankings. Though it was a pretty crappy thing for Leslie to do, it’s still a great Galentine’s Day episode, and audiences and their friends can even interact while watching by answering Leslie’s questions too. Due to the nature of the series structure, every Galentine’s Day episode came every two seasons so while this was the last one, Galentine’s would live on long after the series ended.
Whether fans watch one or all of the Galentine’s Day episodes with their gal pals this year, make sure to have a great Galentine’s Day, celebrate each other, drink plenty of mimosas, and put extra whipped cream on some waffles to make Leslie proud!
All episodes of Parks and Recreation are available for streaming on Peacock.
