Staying in this February? Here are 15 best stay-at-home date ideas to ensure you still have a romantic night this Valentine’s Day!

I don’t think any of us predicted we’d be spending Valentine’s Day 2021 in lockdown! The funniest part is, what’s supposed to be a romantic day is probably following months on end of being stuck at home with your other half with tensions running high! Even though many of us haven’t had much space away from our partners in the last year (or so), it’s all the more reason to switch off social media and spend some genuine time together this Valentine’s Day.

Read more: 10 ways to date during lockdown

However, it’s not that easy when you’re stuck at home – and probably on a budget too. Hopefully, some of these ideas may help!

Here are 15 fun stay-at-home date ideas for Valentine’s Day.

Build a Fort

Who doesn’t love building a fort? Add fairy lights, lots of cosy blankets and some tasty hot chocolate to make it all the more romantic. Trust me, you’re never too old to build a fort.

Have a Themed Movie Night

Pick a movie (or a genre!) and base your evening, food and drinks around that theme. Moulin Rouge is a good example: the outfits are super fun to put together, you could dance and sing along, eat French cuisine and drink plenty of flashy and colourful cocktails.

Take Part in an Online Escape Room or Murder Mystery Game

So it’s not quite the same, but I’ve heard lots of great reviews of people taking part in virtual escape rooms. Escape rooms rely on teamwork but can also be hilarious – especially if you’ve had a drink – so they’re fun to take part in as a couple.

Not keen on escape rooms? There are plenty of murder mysteries you can take part in too, with all props delivered right to your door! Design My Night has plenty of ideas, ranging from afternoon tea experiences with a twist to immersive audio experiences.

Have a Documentary/Conspiracy Theory Day

I’ve already informed my boyfriend that having a documentary day is something we’re definitely doing this Valentine’s Day. I’m obsessed with the paranormal/true crime and he, well, he tolerates it, but if it’s a particularly gripping case, he ends up quite interested which I like. I like that he’s learning something new that I already know so much about!

So pick a topic: true crime, conspiracy theories (the moon landing, 9/11 etc), or famous ghost hauntings and dedicate a day to just that. There are plenty of documentaries on Netflix and YouTube. As a bonus, you could both come up with your own theories and debate them afterwards.

These types of documentaries are always great to watch, whether you’re a believer or not. They’re still eye-opening and really fascinating/entertaining, even if you don’t believe any of it!

Play Supermarket Surprise

I’m sure this game has a proper name but I don’t know it! You’ve probably seen this doing the rounds on Tiktok. Basically, you head to your closest shop and one person walks down the aisles, moving their arm up and down. The other shouts out ‘stop’ at random intervals, and whatever is being pointed at, you have to buy. This leads to an odd but fun combination of dinner, snacks, alcohol and dessert: perfect for experimental foodies.

You could also play the five-pound budget game, where each of you has just five pounds to buy as many yummy snacks (and a drink) as possible. This is so much fun to do before a movie night snuggled up on the sofa!

Create a Scrapbook

Find a way to display some of your favourite photos taken together or images from past travels and create a scrapbook. You might need to order some supplies online first, but if you’re already quite crafty like me, you’ll likely have lots of bits lying around already.

Re-create Your First Date

…as much as you can whilst at home! My boyfriend and I will be binge-watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia with the same drinks we had on our first date (amaretto and coke, in case you’re wondering…). If you can’t re-create your first date entirely, you could try to wear what you wore on your first date or, I don’t know, if one of you is working, text throughout the day about first date nerves and flirting away. Does anyone else miss sending flirty texts with their other half? You don’t really get the chance to do that as much once you live together!

Cocktail Making

Cocktail making is always a lot of fun. It’s an activity that takes a few hours and always ends up with everyone giggling away. For those local to Milton Keynes, The Occasion Bar do a few different cocktail-making delivery boxes and have teamed up with some foodie independents too this February. You could also create mocktails too.

Have a Games Night

Board games or virtual: why not explore your competitive side and play some games together? Monopoly is good for the long run (unless you’re a sore loser…) whereas you can easily spice things up with partially-clothed Twister! On the other hand, there are plenty of video games that rely on you to work together too.

Read more: 5 fun video games for couples to play together

Dance!

Sometimes there’s nothing more passionate and romantic than dancing together. You could learn a classic dance from YouTube or simply just slow dance to all your favourite love songs.

If you’re feeling really daring, you could even learn a little burlesque routine to perform for your other half on Valentine’s Day. MyBurlesque often offer free Burlesque masterclasses for Valentine’s Day too.

Have a Spa Day

This is actually something I prefer to do on my own, especially before big dates with my boyfriend, but it’s always fun to get the other half involved. It’s also super easy to do on a budget: a candle-lit bath, some nice face masks – the actual kind, not the pandemic kind (you can even buy these from Poundland these days) – and, of course, cucumber eyes.

If you’re stuck inside all the time at the moment anyway, constantly feeling slouchy and never wearing makeup, I bet taking some time to do a nice skincare routine will also make you feel miles better.

Play ‘Never Have I Ever’

…or any other fun and/or flirty drinking games. There are plenty of free apps you can download that have a variety of different dares, prompts and questions.

Cook Together

Cooking together is always fun, especially when it’s in regards to making homemade pizza or something like that! For a twist, you could throw an aperitivo night (basically cocktails and posh finger food), or have an indoor picnic. You could switch up the meal: one person can be in charge of dessert and starters whilst the other takes care of the main course, or you could pick an entirely new recipe you’ve always wanted to tackle. You could even try to re-create a meal you enjoyed on a previous holiday.

Have a ‘Posh’ Takeaway

Order your favourite takeaway but make it posh: dress up, set the dining room table real nice with candles pretend you’re eating out at a restaurant. Without the expensive bill….

Oh, and hit up Juiced MK for all those late-night alcoholic lockdown needs (plus snacks. They also do snacks… including Pringles. This is important)

Throw An ‘At Home’ Gig

For those of you especially missing live music, you can try and re-create that feeling at home. It won’t be exactly the same, but at least you’ll be able to enjoy great music without the long train journey home after a gig – and by the comfort of your own sofa. Put on your go-to gig outfit (heavy eyeliner is a must), put on some concert streams from your favourite bands and have a bunch of beers. Or you could create a playlist together and theme it: party music, 80s rock or absolute cheese: anything goes.

I think the most important thing, however, is to just make a bit of effort. Pick any idea from the above – or make up your own – and just focus on your partner for the day/evening. Taking care of one another is especially important during lockdown, when you’re stuck together all the time anyway, you don’t really have much of a social life…it’s not the most ideal situation to be in when you’re in a relationship as it’s not healthy to spend all your time together. It’s easy to slip into a routine of just ‘being’ together and not spending time together.

So pretend that it’s your first date, dress up and make a genuine effort to date your partner as best you can this Valentine’s Day.

What are your favourite stay-at-home date ideas? Will you be taking part in any of these fun dates this Valentine’s Day? Let me know!

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