February 2026
By Jennifer Macedo and Heidi Rodriguez, Staff Reporters
Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on February 14th, and is often known as a holiday for couples. Traditionally partners plan something thoughtful for each other, but it can also be celebrated among friends and family. It doesn’t always have to be in a romantic way; it’s important to know you don’t need a partner to celebrate or to go on a date, it can simply just be a really close friend!
A common mistake people make is that dates are meant to be expensive or extremely fancy to be meaningful. Truthfully, the most important part of a date is spending quality time together and it can be something simple like a day at the beach or a picnic at the park. Especially for students you’re going to want something affordable and creative that can impress your date and be on the cheaper side while still having fun. Friends can have dates whether it’s planning a group activity or just spending time together. But for couples it’s meant to have a deeper meaning focusing on personal touches like handmade gifts or just planning something memorable.
Starting off Austin has a variety of fun places to explore for example for an outdoorsy date you can start off with a picnic at Zilker Park enjoying the city’s skyline, taking pictures, listening to music or even taking a dip at Barton Springs if its not too chilly! After that you could make your way to South Congress and enjoy some of Amy’s Ice Cream that is very popular in Austin for basing their store on Austin’s motto of “keep Austin weird”.
Another date idea is the Austin Botanical Garden, a spot known as “a jewel in the heart of Austin.” There, you have an opportunity to take cute pictures with your partner. Entry prices range from $3-8 dollars per person. They have Taniguchi Japanese Garden, Hartman Prehistoric Garden, and Rose Garden, which all interconnect with other pathways. They also have koi fish-filled ponds and live oak streams. After the Botanical Garden you can have dinner somewhere decent and end the day with a sweet treat at Midnight Cravingz.
A lot of people have food as their love language and Austin is a good place for that because it has endless food options from food trucks to a casual dinner or even local spots. For example you can watch the sunset at Mount Bonnell, which is free and has a view of the Colorado River. After that you can go to Spicy Boys which is a well known food truck in downtown known for their fried chicken. You could also head home and have a night in and cook dinner at home or even go to the movies for something more casual.
And like i mentioned previously it doesn’t just have to be couples on Valentine’s Day it can also be friend groups and turning it into a group celebration by hosting dinner or a night out by the lake something simple as that. There’s more to this celebration than romance.
After all Valentine’s Day is about showing that you care to the people you love, no mater if its friend, family or your partner. The overall meaning is to make the people around you feel loved on this holiday because that’s the definition of February 14th, and in a city like Austin any opportunity to create a special moment should be taken. It should not be measured by the cost but surely of the thought that was put into a special moment that was created.
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