How many days until Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day at a glance

Valentine’s Day is always February 14. It is not a federal holiday, so banks, post offices, schools and offices are open as usual. Only the day of the week changes from year to year: when it lands on a weekend, restaurants spread the celebrations across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and when it lands midweek, many couples celebrate on the weekend before or after.

It often sits close to two other dates: Presidents Day, the third Monday of February (Monday, February 15, 2027), and in some years Ash Wednesday (Wednesday, February 10, 2027), the start of Lent. When the two fall on the same day, as they did in 2018 and 2024, some Christians celebrate Valentine’s Day a day early.

Planning your countdown

• Restaurant reservations: popular places book up two to four weeks ahead, and many offer only a fixed menu on the night. Booking in late January is safer than waiting until February.
• Flowers: roses cost the most in the week before February 14, when florists’ demand peaks. Ordering a week or more ahead, or choosing other flowers, usually costs less, and delivery slots on the day itself fill up.
• Cards by mail: allow several days for first-class mail, more if it crosses the country, so post cards in the first week of February.
• School parties: many elementary classes exchange valentines. Teachers usually send home a class list a week or two ahead, and some schools ask for a card for every child so no one is left out.

The days around it

Galentine’s Day, February 13, began as a joke on the TV show Parks and Recreation in 2010 and is now a popular day for celebrating friends. February 15 is sometimes called Singles Awareness Day, and it is also when leftover chocolate and cards go on sale.

Where the day comes from

The date honors Saint Valentine, an early Christian martyr. Its link with romance appears much later, in English poetry of the late 1300s, including Geoffrey Chaucer’s, which tied mid-February to the time birds choose their mates. In the US, printed valentines took off in the 1840s, when Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts began selling lace-trimmed cards, and the day grew into one of the biggest dates for cards, flowers and candy.