7 (slightly) Unconventional Ideas for Your V-Day in Lockdown

We're well into February - or 'Forever Alone' month - and lovers are scrambling for ideas on how to make their special day unforgettable, despite the looming cloud of bollocks that is quarantine. If you're like me, you've already trolled through the top searches on Google and found these:

20 Best and Most Romantic Valentine's Day Ideas

12 ways to enjoy Valentine's Day in lockdown from home

Valentine's Day 2021 date night ideas

All containing great ideas, but after 20 minutes of scrolling, you'll start to see a pattern arise. Suggestions like "cook dinner together", "have a spa day", and "breakfast in bed" are the top recurring suggestions; or if you have an affinity for the outdoors, "go for a walk" and "go for a picnic" are the two for you. But seeing as we're coming up on our one year anniversary of quarantine here in the UK, these brilliant ideas were already exhausted back in August. 

Every day is a self-care day. 

Oh, it's sunny outside, better go for a leisurely stroll.

I don't feel like getting out of bed today, so we'll just have to deal with the crumbs at a later date.

Admittedly, not all the sites are offering up unimaginative solutions. Designmynight have tickets to loads of online activities including whiskey tasting, open-mic comedy night, and a magic show. Meanwhile, this article is aimed at the more adventurous and activity-driven folks who want to jazz it up a bit this Valentine's Day. 

1. Butt Painting (not entirely what it sounds like)

This trend blew up near the end of 2020 and haunted all my social media, but this is one I've tried myself and can speak for. Whip out the paints and large canvases and prepare yourselves for a chilly and unnerving hour. Some physical support may be needed while doing the print itself. 

While it's widely shown as an activity sorority girls are doing to send to their boyfriends, this activity is a great bonding experience for friends and partners, men and women and non-binary people alike. And the end result is some classy wall art for your bedroom or living room, depending on how bold you are.

2. Chaos in the Kitchen

Blindfolded cooking! Hear me out. One of you is blindfolded, the other is not allowed to speak, and together you cook a meal. A true test of your teamwork and communication skills, this task is not for the timid baker or the cook who follows instructions to a T as there will likely be a bit of confusion and a mess left over... which you can clean up together!

3. Mad Libs

Take a page out of Joe Santagato's book and get ready to giggle. Copious free templates are available online, and if you want to stay true to YouTuber Joe's style, you'll read them out loud to your mad libs buddy while they hold water in their mouth. Makes for a much more interesting slam poetry night with only a slight choking hazard. 

4. Geocaching

Okay, so, I am telling you to go for a walk. But rather than aimlessly ambling around, why not give your meandering a purpose? Check out your app store to join your local geocaching community, and start signing some logbooks. Points to whoever lasts the longest wandering in the cold.

5. Portraiture

I know we all envy Brooklyn 99's Terry Jeffords and his stunning oil portrait of Captain Holt, and while we may not possess those talents, it doesn't mean we can't have a little fun. Grab some sketchbooks and pencils - and maybe a couple bottles of wine - and turn your bedroom into an art studio. There is no limit on creativity! Throw on some funny hats to make things more interesting, or, if you're feeling really bold, pull a Kate Winslet and pose in the nude.

6. Make a Calendar

I love it when you see people hyping themselves up on socials by saying, "This year's my year." "I'm gonna make it my year." I'm never entirely sure what they mean by that, or how one even makes a year theirs, but here's my best guess. Grab a camera and snap some shots together for each month, then send them off to one of the many lovely companies that prints personalized calendars. Need some photography inspiration? Watch the old classic Calendar Girls for a taste of what Helen Mirren and Julie Walters can do posing for their own racy calendar.

7. Subjective Guess Who?

It's like Guess Who?, but rather than asking straight questions about their appearance, you have to get a little creative. 

"Does your person look like their Starbucks order takes up 10 lines on the receipt?"

"Do they have a monochromatic wardrobe?"

"Is there a Trump banner still flying outside their house?"

In fact, if you can get onboard with this version of the game, you can switch up the way you play your favourites. Twister but on a staircase. Draughts - which I've recently found out is the British name for Checkers - but with shot glasses! Let your imagination run wild with your childhood board games.

Well, there you have it. Your unconventional, albeit slightly dangerous, lockdown Valentine's Day ideas. Yes, some of these ideas have come from TikTok (don't come after me), but the point is you can find ideas anywhere if you just keep an open mind.

It should be noted that these ideas are not exclusively for partners and lovers; if you're spending V-Day with your friends, and don't want a repeat of the last five years of ordering a take-away, grabbing a case of beers, and watching a sappy Rom-Com, feel free to steal these gems.

Happy Valentine's Day