Philadelphia's Most Unique Valentine's Day Events
Whether Valentine's Day brings out your sugar-and-spice-and-everything-nice or makes you want to pop every heart-shaped balloon in sight, there's an event in Philly that'll keep you entertained – or at least off the edge of the cliff. Here's where to share the love, find the love or just get through it all in the City of BroLo. – Chelsea Karnash
ART & PERFORMING ARTS
1812 Production's "Funny Valentine" Cabaret
Tin Angel
20 S 2nd St
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.1812productions.org
Feb. 9, 8 p.m.
$15
Laugh V-Day away at this annual cabaret of the funniest Valentine's you'll ever hear.
Azuka Theatre's 6th Annual "I Love You/I Hate You"
Milkboy Philadelphia
1100 Chestnut St, Floor 2
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.azukatheatre.org
Feb. 9 & 16; 6 p.m.
$20 in advance, $25 at the door
Head to Milkboy for the return of this laugh-out-loud melodramatic reading of the best and worst from City Paper's "I Love You/I Hate You" column.
Valentine's Day: Oysters & ErotiCLAY
The Clay Studio
137-139 N 2nd St
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.theclaystudio.org
Feb. 11; 6:30 – 8 p.m.
$30 for members, $35 for non-members
Dreaming of reenacting that iconic scene from "Ghost" at the Clay Studio this Valentine's Day? Sorry, you're out of luck, but what you CAN do is check out some erotic art and indulge in an oyster-tasting buffet at this scandalous night at the Clay Studio.
FOODIE FUN
Heart-shaped Pizzagrams
SliCE
Rittenhouse (1740 Sansom Street, 215-557-9299)
South Philadelphia (1180 S. 10th Street, 215-463-0868)
Washington Township (137 Egg Harbor Road, 856-302-5099)
www.slicepa.com
Feb. 14
Profess your love with a heart-shaped pizza-gram from SliCE. Pick his or her favorite toppings or go with one of the pizzeria's classic combos, then send it right over to that special person. Plus, one lucky person will be gifted with a Passyunk-made silver LOVE necklace from Sermania Jewelry!
Kennett Chocolate Lovers Festival
Kennett High School
100 E South St
Kennett Square, Pa.
www.kennettchocolate.org
Feb. 8; 2-4 p.m.
$10 for general admission
Sate your chocolate cravings at this festival celebrating all things cocoa. Sweets include candy, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more – all to benefit Kennett High School.
OUTDOORS & ACTIVITIES
3rd Annual Champagne & Strawberries Valentine's Day Yoga
Filter Square, 200 S. 24th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Manayunk, 4151 Main Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127
Old City, 45 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
South Philadelphia, 1509 E. Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147
www.sweatfitness.com
Feb. 14, 2:14 p.m.
Looking to detox after all that pre-Valentine's Day chocolate and candy? Sweat Fitness has a solution, and yes, it involves sweating. While this couples or singles yoga class has a somewhat annoying start time of 2:14 p.m., it's a great way to relax and work out on the holiday, and (bonus!) champagne and strawberries are involved, too.
Mural Arts Program's Love Train
Departs from SEPTA's Jefferson Station (formerly Market East Station)
1170 Market Street, Concourse Area
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.muralarts.org/lovetrain2015
Feb. 8; 11:30 a.m.
$35 per person or $60 per couple
Whether you're joined at the hip or unattached, it's always nice to see displays of amor on Valentine's Day. This year, hop on the Love Train, a Philadelphia tradition, for the event's first-ever same sex marriage. In addition to catching a cute couple's nups, guests will also take a tour of the City of BroLo's 50 rooftop, love-themed murals.
Sweetheart Skate at the Blue Cross RiverRink
RiverRink
201 S Columbus Blvd
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.delawareriverwaterfront.com
Feb. 14; 4 sessions starting at 5 p.m.
$20 per person
Take a spin around the rink with your significant other at this annual outdoor event. Whether you've been together forever or are just getting to know one another, a free photo shoot and V-Day flowers and chocolates is sure to spark some cold-weather romance.
That's A-Moray: Love Below Sea Level
Adventure Aquarium
1 Riverside Dr
Camden, NJ
www.adventureaquarium.com
Feb. 13; 7 – 10 p.m.
$150 per couple
Clever puns aside, this V-Day event at Adventure Aquarium sounds like the perfect night out for the sea creature-crazy couple. With cocktails, special talks, snacks, commemorative photos and, of course, the chance to get your hands wet in the touch tank, aquarium aficionados won't want to miss this one!
Valentine's Day Ghost Tours
Starting at Powel House (244 S. 3rd St.)
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.ghosttour.net
Feb. 13 & 14; 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
$24 per person
The notion of spirits wandering the city streets is romantic in and of itself, but coupled with stories of love won and lost, it becomes borderline cinematic. Now add yourself and your significant other, bundled up and cuddling close, to this tour of haunted streets and mansions alike.
Victorians After Dark: Love and Lust in the 19th Century
Laurel Hill Cemetery
3822 Ridge Ave
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.laurelhillcemetery.org
Feb. 12; 6:30 p.m.
$20
Interested in hearing about the old-school tradition of gifting locks of hair or the 1850s equivalent of "sexting"? Want to know what sordid tales of love, lust and loss this historic cemetery is hiding? Hey, whatever gets you going! Join the crew at Laurel Hill for this event, which features a "scintillating" discussion on flirting during Victorian times around a roaring fire followed by cocktails and decadent desserts.
Wild at Heart
The Philadelphia Zoo
3400 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, Pa.
www.philadelphiazoo.org
Feb. 14 & 15; 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
FREE with zoo admission
There are few things more adorable than the playful, fuzzy, innocence of animals, but animals in love? That might just be too much cuteness to handle. Before I lapse into squee mode, here's a summary of the Philly Zoo's Wild at Heart: a self-guided tour of some of the zoo's famous animal couples, hot chocolate, and the chance to ooh and aww over as many of the zoo's 1300 animals as you can, with your own sweetheart.
