MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13
COCKTAILS: Whether you prefer to refer to February 13 as “Mezcal Monday” or the “Nightmare Before Valentine’s Day,” you’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy specialty cocktails. First, if you’re a Mezcal fan, you can taste Illegal Mezcal as part of Oyamel’s Mezcal Mondays series. (Oyamel, 4-7 p.m). You can also enjoy El Silencio Mezcal paired with Valrhona Chocolate at Co. Co. Sala’s Chocolate & Mezcal Tasting Event. (Co. Co Sala, 6-8 p.m. $45) If bitters are more your style, Royal Knights’ Nightmare Before Valentine’s Day will offer a special menu of eight cocktails for $8 each, and will showcase amari, bitters, fernets, and vermouth. (The Royal, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., no cover)
HANDS-ON CLASSES: If you want to kick off the week by learning something new, take a seat at one of these three classes. You can learn how to make your own fragrance (Cherry Blossom Creative, 7-9 p.m., $45-80), make chocolate tarts, cookies, and Pot de Crème, (Hill Center, 7-9 p.m. $59), or how to knit with your hands (Capital Fringe, 7-9 p.m. FREE).
FILM SCREENING: Get tips for planning the perfect date from former President Barack Obama during a screening of Southside With You, a chronicle of the first date of Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson. (Chevy Chase Library, 6:30 p.m. FREE)
More: FRESHFARM Markets Fundraiser, Clown Cabaret, ShowTunes & Cocktails, Improv Wars, Wizards vs. Thunder
It’s Valentine’s Day! Embrace It! (Photo by Bahadır Bermek)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14
We already gave you 9 Valentine’s Day Events That Aren’t a Fancy Dinner, and here are some more events to consider.
PIZZA PARTY: Okay, so this event doesn’t technically fall outside the dinner category, but it’s definitely not a “fancy dinner,” unless you think eating &pizza at a nightclub is fancy. Soundcheck’s DC Love&Pizza will offer free &pizza (while supplies last), and music by DJ EPX & DJ RI5E. (Soundcheckdc, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., FREE)
COMEDY: The early show of DC’s Improv’s Valentine’s Day Showcase is already SOLD OUT, but you can still purchase tickets to the 9:30 p.m. show. Featuring Jason Weems, Kasaun Wilson, Matt Bergman, Matty Litwack, and host Vijai Nathan. (DC Improv, 9:30 p.m. $15 + two item minimum)
MORE IMPROV: The Valentine’s Day Live Improv Show features The Baltimore Improv Group leading an exploration of romantic perspective, poking fun at how differently a couple can view their own relationship. (Drafthouse Comedy, 7 p.m. $20)
FILM SCREENING: You might believe that love is power, but in Saint Clara, a Russian immigrant teenager must choose between her clairvoyant powers and love. *In Russian, French, and Hebrew with English Subtitles (DCJCC, 7:30 p.m., $15)
More: QLIKD, Cocktail Class, Valentine’s Day Party at The Shoe Hive
Test your Shakespeare smarts at Shakespeare and Co. Trivia Night. (Photo via Facebook)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
TRIVIA: Gather everyone who knows anything about Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, and the royal family, because Shakespeare and Co. Trivia Night has no limits on team size. Trivia questions will be inspired by Shakespeare Theatre Company’s upcoming productions of King Charles III and The Select (The Sun Also Rises). (Penn Social, 7-9 p.m. FREE)
STORYTELLING: Would you rather listen to teenage diary entries, or stories about Valentine’s Day trysts? Mortified DC features adults sharing diary entries, love letters, and locker notes from their youth. (Town Danceboutique,
8-10 p.m. $15). Meanwhile, Smut Slam DC will feature adults sharing 5-minute tales of their most memorable Valentine’s Day sexcapades, which might possibly have also occurred during their youth… (Songbyrd Cafe, 8:00-10:30 p.m. $10)
COMEDY: Laugh Owens Laugh hosts “the nicest roast you’ve ever been to.” Guests of The Sweet Heart Roast can expect nine comedians to “kill each other with kindness”. (Laugh Owens Laugh, 8-10 p.m. FREE)
COCKTAILS + CRAFT: Turn your favorite inspiration quote into wall art during the latest cocktails+craft workshop. The ticket price covers all materials plus your first Irish coffee. (Colony Club, 7-9 p.m. $40)
More: Wine Tasting, Dying Laughing screening
Calling all gamers! Port City Brewing Company crowns the Gamer Trivia champion this Thursday. (Photo by Mosley Brian)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
TRIVIA: How much do you know about Settlers of Catan, Uno, Sims, World of Warcraft, and Super Mario? Gather a group of up to 6 people for Port City’s Gamer Trivia night and show off your knowledge of board games, computer games, console games, card games, and more. “If you can play it, (Port City) can quiz it.” (Port City Brewing Company, 7-8:45 p.m. FREE)
DISTILLERS: District Distilling Co. kicks off its new Meet the Distillers series with Colin Spoelman, co-founder of Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn, New York. Guests will enjoy spirit tastings and snacks from chef Justin Bittner. (District Distilling Co., 6-8 p.m. $15)
STORYTELLING: If Smut Slam’s sexscapade stories don’t satisfy you, follow that up with the Fourth Annual Erotica Slam. Hear sexy stories, ditties, and poems, 3 minutes or less. Of course you can always come prepared to share your own stories, too. Contributors will be randomly drawn, and the best performance will receive a prize. (Hillyer Art Space, 7-10 p.m. $8 suggested donation)
MADE FOR TV MOVIES: playbackthetape returns with an ’80s heartthrob faceoff!!! Watch VHS recordings of Poison Ivy, starring Michael J. Fox as a camp counselor, and The B.R.A.T. Patrol , starring Sean Astin as a military brat. (Suns Cinema, 7 p.m. FREE)
More: Coffee Tasting and Book Talk, History & Hops, Sam Jay, Spices 101, Poultry 101, Lauryn Hill
