Palentine’s Day not Valentine’s Day

Harry Harper & Katie Goody

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you’re probably sick to death of seeing anatomically incorrect hearts plastered around the city. The commercial possibilities of Valentine’s Day allow the holiday to quite literally paint the town red.

But fear not guys and gals, we’re here to show you how you can still have a totally great platonic Valentine’s Day in Liverpool with your best pals (or you can even go on these dates with the one you love!).

While many restaurants offer deals for two on Valentine’s Day, there’s nothing stopping you and your friends being a part of the action. Keep an eye out for Valentine’s deals online for your favourite Liverpool food places. Looking on the Liverpool One app, GBK are doing a deal for any two burgers plus any 3 sides for just £25 this Valentine’s. Of course, as always, keep an eye out for them Ts and Cs so you don't get scammed this V Day.

It is difficult to escape the constant barrage of romance surrounding us on Valentine's Day. To that end, our recommendation would be locking your self in a room for an hour. And while you’re at it, might as well solve some puzzles!

Escape rooms are a fantastic activity for couples, double dates or even a group of single friends just trying to stave off the Valentine's dread. For those not in the know, an escape room is a puzzle experience where you and your team are locked in a room filled with a series of connected puzzles that you must solve in an hour to escape.

Liverpool is filled with them, with a varied range of difficulty levels and themes (including a Beatles themed one for those super-fans.) They are a great way to spend some quality time with those you love, romantic or platonic, build your team skills and just have a laugh.

For anyone interested, head to any one of these Escape Rooms in Liverpool; Breakout Liverpool, Escape Hunt Liverpool, Escape Yellow Sub (The Beatles themed one), Tick Tock Unlock or Clue Finders.

This one may surprise you but if you haven’t anything else planned with your buddies then why not head on over to Junkyard Golf. Their Valentine’s Day event is designed to target both couples and groups of friends.

Not only are they sporting cheap funky cocktails and a neon-lit mini-golf course, but on V Day all of their ‘puttin’ proceeds’ will go to their partner charity Love Support Unite. They help to encourage self-sufficient development for the people of Malawi through funding integrated community-based projects based around education, nutrition, enterprise and healthcare.

If you’re up for a fun night with your pals whilst also giving something back, then get yourselves over to Junkyard Golf. (We’d suggest booking in advance to avoid missing out!)

This one is a personal preference of ours and is a bit of cheat as they are traditionally romantic, but a trip to one of Liverpool’s many museums, or even a tour of them, can make a perfect and cheap day out!

Maybe you’re a couple that loves to soak up the city’s history. Perhaps you love laughing at the often ridiculous (yet still beautiful) modern art installations, or you might just be looking for a change of pace when it comes to date night.

Museums offer a chance for you to spend quality time with your other half and soak up some culture and learn something new along the way. With such a wide variety of museums, from modern and classic art right through to big ol’ boats, there is something for everyone. Liverpool is a fantastic city that offers most of its museums for FREE, meaning you can keep your money and splurge on your favourite foods afterwards.

The thought of sitting next to couples going a bit too hard on the old PDA in a dimly lit (yet, as they often forget, not pitch black) cinema is enough to put anybody off leaving the house on V Day.

But, considering the new (and thankfully re-animated) Sonic the Hedgehog movie is out on Valentine's Day, what better time to ignore the schmoozing couples? Instead, treat yourselves to a mixed ice blast as you watch a no-longer horrifyingly humanised version of Sonic attempt to foil Dr Robotnik’s plan for world domination. We’d say this would definitely be worth a watch, and let’s face it – they’ll be the only golden rings we’ll be seeing on V Day anyways.

Other movies released on Valentine’s Day include; Fantasy Island, The Photograph, What About Love and Downhill. Head down to the Odeon, Fact or the Everyman!

Liverpool is a city rich in history and attractions. You could live here for years and not see it all! So, maybe it’s time for you to take one of those city tours. You know the ones, we guarantee you’ve seen the buses whizzing around.

Maybe you want to know about Liverpool during the blitz, or perhaps you and your date both love the Beatles. Taking a tour will show you parts of the city you perhaps never get the chance to visit and will be a great way to spend time with the person you love, which is what Valentine's Day is all about.

If you really can’t be bothered weaving your way through hordes of people in Liverpool bars and clubs on Valentine’s Day, then why don’t you avoid the crowds and have a night in with your pals?

Order in a pizza or whatever you’re in the mood for off Just Eat or Uber Eats. Keep an eye out for any Valentine’s Day deals to get your feast for less. Get in a ridiculous hoard of snacks, fire up Netflix and have yourselves a chill night. And with Netflix now showing a range of Studio Ghibli animated classics, there’s no better time to sit in and pig out in front of the TV. No judgement here!

Whatever you’re planning on doing, have fun and stay safe. Valentine’s Day is for everyone, so have fun, pig out and most importantly, if you haven’t found that special someone just yet – TREAT YO’SELF!