Take the Red Steps at Dusk
By early evening on 14 February, Duffy Square glows. The Red Steps rise above the TKTS booth at the northern end of Times Square, and the billboards throw shifting colour across the crowd that gathers there. This is the setting for the Vow Renewal Ceremony, the centrepiece of the Times Square Alliance's annual Love in Times Square programme. It runs from 6:00pm to 6:30pm, and it is open to couples of all ages and backgrounds — with a particular invitation extended to interfaith, interracial, international, and cross-political couples, and to those who turn up in wedding attire. Because it closes by half past six, you still have the whole evening ahead of you for dinner or a show.
Get Married — or Propose — in the Middle of Times Square
Love in Times Square has three components, and two of them put couples at the centre of the city's most photographed intersection.
- Surprise proposals: Couples apply to be selected for a custom marriage proposal displayed on Times Square's billboard screens on Valentine's Day. Entry means submitting details about your relationship and making the case for why the proposal should happen in Times Square.
- Weddings in the Square: Couples can register for a chance to be married on Valentine's Day in the heart of Times Square. Ceremonies take place near a Times Square Arts sculptural installation representing love.
- Vow renewals: The Red Steps ceremony described above, held on Duffy Square.
All three are administered through the official Love in Times Square programme, and the organiser maintains a "Love First to Know List" email signup for updates — the practical way to find out when applications and registrations open for the year.
Plan the Rest of the Evening Around a 6:30 Finish
The timing of the vow renewal ceremony is deliberate: it leaves the night open. Times Square sits at the junction of the Theater District and the restaurant rows of Midtown, so a post-ceremony dinner or a Broadway show is a natural continuation. If you would rather keep the celebration inside the Times Square footprint, the Times Square Gift Card is a digital card usable at participating area restaurants, stores, and businesses — useful if you want to book a table or pick up something on the night without carrying cash.
Know What This Event Is — and What It Isn't
Love in Times Square is an official Times Square Alliance programme with a defined shape: proposals on the billboards, weddings near the Arts installation, and the 6:00pm–6:30pm vow renewal on the Red Steps. It is not a street fair, a parade, or a concert series, and the source material for this programme does not list markets, fireworks, or musical performances as part of it. Plan your Valentine's Day in New York around the ceremony and the two registration-based ceremonies, and treat the rest of the city's offerings as you would on any other winter evening in Midtown.
Start With the Signup List
Valentine's Day 2027 falls on 14 February, and the components of Love in Times Square that require selection — the billboard proposal and the wedding in the Square — depend on applying ahead of time. Join the "Love First to Know List" now, read the entry requirements for each component, and decide whether you are proposing, marrying, or renewing your vows on the Red Steps. Then book the dinner or the show for after 6:30pm, and let Times Square do the rest.