Valentine’s Day is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is associated with people going out for the evening and can provide a nice boost for restaurants and other businesses during what can be a slow month.

But does spending on going out actually increase on February 14th?

It does. 

Using our ATB Consumer Spending Tracker, we can see a jump in spending on “dining and entertainment” in Alberta on Valentine’s Day.*

From 2019 to 2023, dining and entertainment spending on Valentine’s Day was 24% higher than the daily average for the month. If you exclude 2021 and 2022 (when the pandemic was in play), the increase is 32%.  

The day of the week has a large impact on dining and entertainment spending. We take this into account in the chart below.

In 2019, Valentine’s Day fell on a Thursday, on a Friday in 2020, and on a Tuesday in 2023. Relative to the other Thursdays, Fridays, and Tuesdays in those months, spending experienced a notable jump on Valentine’s Day.

So if you’re headed out for dinner or a movie tonight, you’re in good company!

*Represents the value of ATB consumer Mastercard transactions on “dining and entertainment.”

Answer to the previous trivia question: According to Statistics Canada, there were 41,505 farms in Alberta in 2021, accounting for 21.9% of all farms in Canada.

Today’s trivia question: In what year was Bishop Valentine (later Saint Valentine) martyred?