NYC Introduces 13 Red Mailboxes for Anonymous Love Letters This Valentine’s Season
New York City is marking Valentine’s season with a simple, tactile idea that is deliberately out of step with modern dating apps and text bubbles. Starting January 19, 13 bright red mailboxes have appeared across the city, inviting people to drop off handwritten love letters with no names, no return addresses, and no expectations of a reply.
The project is organized by POPUPFLORIST, a New York–based floral design studio known for blending public art with emotional storytelling.
How the Anonymous Love Letter Project Works
The process is intentionally straightforward. Anyone can write a handwritten note addressed to anyone or anything. It could be a partner, a crush, a friend, a former love, a family member, or even New York City itself. The letter is folded, slipped into one of the red mailboxes, and left unsigned.
No postage is required, and no identifying information is collected. Once dropped, the letter becomes part of a larger pool of anonymous submissions. Participants are not notified about what happens next, which is part of the appeal. The act of writing and releasing the message is the point.
The mailboxes are spread across multiple neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn, encouraging participation without requiring people to go out of their way. POPUPFLORIST has shared locations through social media and partner businesses.
What Happens to the Letters After They’re Collected
Image via Canva/Alliance Images
After the submission period closes, the POPUPFLORIST team reviews the letters and selects a small group to feature in a public exhibition. Each chosen letter is paired with a custom floral installation that reflects the message’s tone and emotion.
The resulting show, titled Love Letters of New York City, opens for one day in early February and is free to attend with registration. Visitors can walk through the space, read excerpts from anonymous letters, and see how personal words have been translated into physical arrangements of flowers, color, and form.
Past editions of the project have included letters that range from romantic and hopeful to reflective, humorous, and even sad.
What to Know If You Want to Participate
The red mailboxes are available for a limited time leading up to Valentine’s Day, with most locations accepting letters through late January. Letters must be handwritten, but there are no rules about length, tone, or subject.
Participants should follow basic guidelines: avoid including identifying information, refrain from harmful or explicit content, and understand that only a small number of letters will be publicly displayed.
If you miss the window or prefer to observe rather than write, the exhibition itself offers a way to engage with the project and experience how strangers across the city are expressing love, memory, and connection.