The Goth Galentine’s Day Playbook
Three goth-coded ways to host the women who hold you steady
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Galentine’s Day doesn’t need to look like pink confetti to feel celebratory. Sometimes, it looks like a dimly lit table, a haunting playlist and the kind of laughter that only happens when you’re surrounded by women who know the real you <3. This is a holiday for chosen family, for the friendships that hold you steady and gatherings to remember.
If your circle skews darkly inclined, these Galentine’s themes may feel more authentic. Cocktails + Conjuring, Volume Up and Notes in the Margin offer three distinct moods for celebrating the wonderful women in your life, your riders, each rooted in connection and shaped by a shared aesthetic that doesn’t need to explain itself.
Cocktails + Conjuring
Photo Credit: IMDb
This is a gathering for women drawn to the symbolic, the intuitive, the otherwordly. The evening unfolds around shared ritual and collective creation.
Who It’s For: Witchy gals, Whimsy Goths, Oracles and anyone with a fondness for the unusual.
Vibe: Candlelit, curious and gently magical with conversation that wanders where it needs to go.
Menu Direction: Collaborative, kitchen-witch approved where one shared recipe becomes both ritual and dinner.
Decor Focus: Layered textures, low lighting, symbolic objects and tools that invite touch and interpretation.
Activities: Tarot pulls, affirmation setting and a collective spell-by-way-of-recipe enjoyed together at the table.
Volume Up
Photo Credit: IMDb
This is release by way of movement and shared permission to get a little feral together. It’s a night for shaking off the year that was and stepping loudly into what comes next.
Who It’s For: Corporate Goths, Brats, Vamps and women to crave catharsis through collective energy.
Vibe: High-volume, unapologetic with laughter that borders on chaos.
Menu Direction: Easy, indulgent food and drinks that can be grabbed between songs without slowing the night.
Decor Focus: Minimal setup with dramatic lighting and spaces made for movement.
Activities: A shared playlist ritual where each guest brings one song releasing the past year and one song of intention setting for the year to come, punctuated by a dance floor reckoning.
Notes in the Margins
Photo Credit: IMDb
This is an intimate, cerebral gathering shaped by creation. The focus is emotional and intellectual expression, and witnessing one another’s inner worlds.
Who It’s For: Dark Academics, Romantic Goths, creatives and anyone whose interior life needs room to breathe.
Vibe: Thoughtful, tender and charged with emotion and curiosity.
Menu Direction: Simple, comforting fare that supports meaningful conversation without demanding attention.
Decor Focus: Scattered books, displayed art, maybe a vintage typewriter, soft lighting and surfaces make for sharing.
Activities: Each guest brings an original piece of work—written, visual or otherwise—and offers it to the room for reflection, providing a glimpse into their creative process, inspiration, story of the piece, etc.
The beating heart of Galentine’s Day is about recognition; whether you’re conjuring something symbolic, dancing it out or showing your sisters a little piece of your soul, these gatherings create space to celebrate the women in your life as they are.
Choose the mood that feels like home, set the table accordingly and let the evening become a small act of devotion to the friendships that continue to shape you.
Which one will you try? Tell us in the comments and subscribe to receive our free monthly digital issue to your inbox including a first look at dark feminine hosting + interiors, the chance to vote on next month’s stories and a preview of upcoming giveaways.
