Valentine’s Day 2025: A Moon for Lovers

This year’s Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2025, will be a great chance to celebrate romantic love under the night’s glowing centerpiece. Valentine’s Day coincides with an apparent Full Moon—making it a Full Moon holiday in 29 countries, from Albania to Vietnam. Time to prepare for a dinner with a view!

But wait, the actual Full Moon is two days earlier, on February 12, 2025. How can we talk about a Full Moon holiday if the maximum illumination* has already passed? Well, lunar illumination changes slowly. With the naked eye, the Moon can look full for several days. On February 14, 2025, the Moon still shines bright, with between 99% and 96% illumination** depending on the time zone.

Secondly, and more importantly, an almost-full Moon might be the better choice for a romantic dinner after all.

Less Moon May Mean More Moon

While the Moon’s illumination on the night of February 14, 2025, will only reach around 94%—during moonrise in Manhattan around 7:46 pm (19:46), for example—that evening can actually be perfect for romantic Moon watching.

By definition, a Full Moon occurs when the Moon is opposite the Sun in the sky. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises. While the Moon might technically be brighter, the moonrise can be harder to see.

A couple of days past the maximum illumination, the Moon rises later in the evening—in a darker sky without battling twilight—making it ideal for a romantic dinner.

Is Valentine’s Day a Full Moon Holiday?

At timeanddate.com, we love data. Combining our astronomy database—which includes Moon phases and illumination—with our vast holiday database, we found all holidays, observances, and commemorations around the world that coincide with a Moon that is at least 98% lit up. We like to call those days “Full Moon holidays.”

Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025, is a Full Moon holiday in 29 countries around the world. If we include illumination down to 96%, we’re looking at 54 romantic, moonlit holidays. You can see the full list below.

The fullest Moon on Valentine’s Day will be shining over New Zealand (99%), followed by Australia (98.9%) and Japan (98.8%). The slimmest Moon shines over the USA (97.2%), the Cayman Islands (97.1%), and Mexico (96.9%)**.

A Full Moon holiday is a special treat. Only about seven percent of holidays bask in the moonlight every year: Among 6990 holidays in our database, only 486 (6.95%) are Full Moon holidays in 2025.

Another interesting Full Moon holiday is coming up in May: Mother’s Day will enjoy a bright Flower Moon on May 11, 2025.

54 Valentine’s Days in Moonlight

* Illumination: The percentage of the Moon’s surface lit by the Sun as seen from Earth.

** When comparing percentages of illumination for all holidays around the world, we take the value of illumination at exactly midnight (00:00:00) in each country’s capital time zone. This might not reflect the exact percentages as seen, for example, during the moonrise in any given location. There will be slight differences between time zones within each country—for example, the illumination in New York and Honolulu. You can see the illumination for each location using our Moon Phase Visualization tool.

Topics: Calendar, Astronomy, Moon