Valentine’s Day 2027: Date, History, Facts and How to Celebrate

Valentine’s Day is the February 14 holiday for celebrating romance, friendship and affection, usually with cards, flowers, candy and a special night out. It carries the name of Saint Valentine, an early Christian martyr, although the link to romantic love came more than a thousand years after his death.

This guide covers everything you need for Valentine’s Day 2027: the exact date and why the 2027 calendar is unusual, a five-year date table, the real history behind the holiday, the traditions Americans still follow and the latest spending data. In addition, it works as a hub for our full Valentine’s collection, from gift ideas to romantic movies, so you can plan the whole day from one page.

When Is Valentine’s Day 2027?

Valentine’s Day 2027 is on Sunday, February 14, 2027. Unlike Mother’s Day or Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day is tied to a fixed calendar date rather than a weekday rule, so it lands on February 14 every single year.

That fixed date matters for planning. Because February 14 falls on a Sunday in 2027, most people will not need to take time off work, and the celebration naturally stretches across the whole weekend. Meanwhile, two other events crowd the same few days, which makes early planning more important than usual.

What day is Valentine’s Day 2027?

It is a Sunday. The weekend before, Saturday, February 13, 2027, is Galentine’s Day, the friendship-focused celebration that first appeared in a 2010 episode of Parks and Recreation. As a result, many people will celebrate with friends on Saturday and with a partner on Sunday.

Valentine’s Day 2027 lands on Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl LXI, the NFL championship game for the 2026 season, is scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. In other words, millions of households will be choosing between a romantic dinner and a watch party on the same evening. If that is you, consider a dinner reservation for Saturday night or a lunch date on Sunday, then watch the game together.

The Presidents’ Day long weekend

Washington’s Birthday, which most people call Presidents’ Day, falls on Monday, February 15, 2027, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management federal holiday calendar. Therefore, federal workers and many other employees get a three-day weekend that starts with Galentine’s Day and ends the day after Valentine’s Day 2027, which makes it an easy window for a short trip.

Valentine’s Day Dates for 2027 to 2031

Valentine’s Day is always February 14, but the weekday shifts each year. Here is how the next five years line up, along with Galentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day so you can spot long weekends at a glance.

Year	Valentine’s Day	Galentine’s Day	Presidents’ Day
2027	Sunday, February 14	Saturday, February 13	Monday, February 15
2028	Monday, February 14	Sunday, February 13	Monday, February 21
2029	Wednesday, February 14	Tuesday, February 13	Monday, February 19
2030	Thursday, February 14	Wednesday, February 13	Monday, February 18
2031	Friday, February 14	Thursday, February 13	Monday, February 17

For instance, 2028 is a leap year, so the weekday jumps by two days after that, which is why Valentine’s Day skips Tuesday and lands on Wednesday in 2029. Similarly, 2031 brings a Friday Valentine’s Day, the easiest kind of year for a dinner date.

Is Valentine’s Day a Federal Holiday?

No, Valentine’s Day is not a federal holiday. It does not appear on the official federal holiday list, so banks, post offices, schools and government offices keep normal hours on February 14.

However, it is still one of the biggest cultural and retail holidays in the country. In 2027, the question matters less than usual, because the day falls on a Sunday and the actual federal holiday, Washington’s Birthday, follows the next day. In short, most people will have the time to celebrate even though Valentine’s Day itself is not an official day off.

Valentine’s Day History: Who Was Saint Valentine?

Valentine’s Day history begins with Saint Valentine, a name shared by several early Christian martyrs. According to History.com, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three saints named Valentine, and all of them were martyred in the third century. Much of what people repeat today, however, comes from later legends rather than records.

Who was Saint Valentine?

The best-known candidates are Valentine of Rome, a priest said to have been martyred around 269 and buried on the Via Flaminia, and Valentine of Terni, a bishop. Popular legend says one Valentine secretly married young couples after Emperor Claudius II banned marriage for young men. Another story says he signed a note to his jailer’s daughter “from your Valentine.” Still, historians treat both tales as legend, not documented fact.

Notably, the Catholic Church removed Valentine’s feast from its General Roman Calendar in 1969, because so little is known about him beyond his name and burial place. Local churches may still honor him, though.

Did Valentine’s Day replace the Roman festival of Lupercalia?

Maybe, but probably not. Lupercalia was a Roman fertility festival held in mid-February, and many sources say Pope Gelasius I replaced it with Saint Valentine’s feast at the end of the fifth century. That said, scholars quoted on Wikipedia’s Valentine’s Day entry point out that there is no real evidence linking the two. So treat the Lupercalia connection as a popular theory rather than settled history.

How did Valentine’s Day become about love?

The romantic connection starts with the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. His poem Parliament of Fowls, written around 1382, is the first known record that ties Saint Valentine’s Day to romantic love, with birds choosing their mates on the saint’s day. After that, the idea spread through medieval courtly love traditions in England and France.

Later, in 1415, Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote a poem to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt. It is often called the oldest surviving valentine. By the mid-1700s, friends and lovers of all social classes in England exchanged small tokens and handwritten notes on the day.

Who made the first American valentines?

Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, a member of the Mount Holyoke class of 1847, turned handmade valentines into an American business. She began selling elaborate cards decorated with lace, ribbons and colorful pictures in the 1840s, and her firm later became the New England Valentine Company. As a result, she earned the nickname “mother of the American valentine.”

Why Do We Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

We celebrate Valentine’s Day to show love and appreciation to the people who matter to us, most often a romantic partner. Over the centuries, the saint’s feast day turned into a festival of affection, first through medieval poetry and then through cheap, mass-produced cards in the 1800s.

Today, the holiday is broader than romance. For example, NRF survey data shows that many Americans now buy gifts for family members, friends, classmates, teachers, co-workers and even pets. Likewise, Galentine’s Day has given friends their own celebration the day before. In other words, Valentine’s Day is not only for lovers; it is a reason to tell anyone you care about that you appreciate them.

Valentine’s Day Traditions and Symbols

Most Valentine’s Day traditions come from a mix of Roman myth, medieval poetry and Victorian marketing. Here is what the most common symbols mean and where they come from.

Symbol or tradition	What it means	Where it comes from
Heart shape	Love and affection	One of the classic valentine motifs that are still in use today
Cupid	The winged figure who makes people fall in love	Roman mythology; the winged Cupid is still a common card image
Red roses	Romantic love	The most popular Valentine’s flower in the US; most are imported from Colombia and Ecuador
Valentine cards	A written declaration of love or friendship	Handwritten notes by the 1700s; mass-produced cards by the 1840s
Heart-shaped chocolate box	A sweet gift for a sweetheart	Cadbury introduced decorated heart-shaped boxes in 1868
Doves and lovebirds	Faithful partnership	Echoes Chaucer’s idea that birds pair up on Saint Valentine’s Day

Of these, cards remain the most widespread. According to Hallmark, as cited by History.com, more than 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, which makes it the second-biggest card-sending holiday after Christmas. If you are stuck on what to write, our Valentine’s Day messages and quotes guide has ready-to-use lines.

How Do Americans Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Americans celebrate mostly with candy, flowers, cards and a night out, and they spend more every year. The National Retail Federation’s 2026 survey projected a record $29.1 billion in Valentine’s Day spending, up from the previous record of $27.5 billion in 2025.

The survey, conducted with Prosper Insights & Analytics, polled 7,791 US adults from January 2 to 8, 2026. It found that 55% of consumers planned to celebrate and that the average celebrator planned to spend a record $199.78. Here is where that money goes.

Gift or recipient	Share of celebrators	Projected spending
Candy	56%	Not reported
Flowers	41%	$3.1 billion
Greeting cards	41%	Not reported
An evening out	39%	$6.3 billion
Jewelry	25%	$7 billion
Gifts for a significant other	83%	$14.5 billion
Gifts for other family members	58%	$4.5 billion
Gifts for pets	35% (a record)	$2.1 billion
Gifts for friends	33%	$2.4 billion
Gifts for classmates and teachers	27%	$2.2 billion
Gifts for co-workers	21%	$1.7 billion

Shoppers also spread their buying across channels. According to the same survey, 38% planned to shop online, 35% at department stores, 30% at discount stores and 21% at specialty stores. Even among people who did not plan to celebrate, 31% still expected to mark the day somehow, for instance with self-care or a get-together with friends.

Fun Valentine’s Day Facts

Here are quick, verified Valentine’s Day facts that work for trivia night, a classroom lesson or a card. Each one comes from the sources cited in this article.

• At least three Saint Valentines: The Catholic Church recognizes at least three martyrs named Valentine.
• Off the main calendar since 1969: The Church removed the feast from its General Roman Calendar that year.
• Chaucer made it romantic: His poem from around 1382 is the first known link between the day and love.
• The oldest surviving valentine is from 1415: Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote it in the Tower of London.
• Cheap postage helped: After Britain’s Penny Black stamp arrived in 1840, about 400,000 valentines were posted the following year.
• America’s valentine pioneer was a college graduate: Esther Howland finished Mount Holyoke in 1847 before building her card business.
• Heart-shaped chocolate boxes date to 1868: Cadbury introduced them.
• Pets are big business: A record 35% of celebrators planned to buy something for their pets in 2026.

Happy Valentine’s Day: What to Do on Valentine’s Day 2027

The best way to say happy Valentine’s Day depends on who you are celebrating with. To make planning easier, we built a full guide for every part of the day. Start with the one that fits you, then use the others to fill in the details.

A simple Valentine’s Day 2027 planning timeline

When	What to do
Early January 2027	Book dinner reservations, especially for Saturday, February 13, or Sunday, February 14
Mid-January 2027	Order personalized or shipped gifts so they arrive in time
Early February 2027	Buy cards and plan Galentine’s Day with friends
Friday, February 12, 2027	Order or pick up flowers before the weekend rush
February 13 to 15, 2027	Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day long weekend

More ideas: Valentine’s Day Decorations and Valentine’s Day Nails for the finishing touches.

Frequently Asked Questions