MONDAY, FEB. 13
GALENTINES FLOWERS: Celebrate the day before Valentine’s Day in Crystal City with flowers at a “Will You Be My Galentine” event. Until 2 p.m., Lily’s Flowers Truck will park on Gateway Green so attendees can make beautiful bouquets. The first 50 people who stop by a local coffee shop before visiting the truck and show their receipt will get a free bouquet. (Gateway Green; 11 a.m.; FREE admission)
ENERGY TALK: Veteran journalist Bill Press sits down for a conversation with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The former two-term Michigan governor is leading the Energy Department’s work to advance clean energy technologies in the U.S. (Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital; 6:30 p.m.; $10)
CANDLE COUPLES: Head to FSC Workshop in District Heights for this Valentine’s Day couples candlemaking event. Ticket price includes entry for two, including all candlemaking materials, light bites, and a glass of wine. (Attendees can also BYOB.) (FSC Workshop; 6:30 p.m.; $160 per couple)
MORE: Stage Fright Presents: All’s Scare in Love & War comedy show (Sudhouse DC; 9:45 p.m.; FREE), NMAAHC Kids Learning Together: Celebrating Princess Tiana (NMAAHC; virtual; 11 a.m.; FREE), Queer Speed Dating (East City Bookshop; 7 p.m.; FREE admission), Book Club: Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey (Old Town Books; 7 p.m.; FREE) ,“The HeART of a VILLAIN: 38 Special” art pop-up (WHINO; 5 p.m.; donations suggested), Miss-en-Place Galentine’s Dinner (Estuary; 6 p.m.; $125)
TUESDAY, FEB. 14
LOVE LETTERS: On the day of love, head to George Mason University’s Gillespie Gallery to hear from artist Nicole Salimbene all about the lost art of the letter. Join one of the three letter-art workshops, inspired by the natural world and animals, throughout the day. (George Mason University; 10:30 a.m.; FREE admission)
ANTI-PROM: Want to attend an event but not a mushy, lovey one? Arena Stage hosts an anti-prom with music, dancing, and beginner swing dance lessons, all hosted by drag queen Tara Hoot prior to a performance of its latest show, “Ride the Cyclone.” Just make sure to use the code ANTIPROM when purchasing a ticket to the play in order to get an automatic ticket for the event. (Arena Stage; 5:30 p.m.; $60)
AFRICA WITH LOVE: Don’t be alone on Valentine’s Day and instead celebrate the opening of the research gallery at the National Museum of African Art. This coworking community space where local artists can work on projects or host workshops will debut with drinks, live music, art, and more. (National Museum of African Art; 6 p.m.; FREE admission)
CHOCOLATE AND BEER: What better way to spend the holiday than with chocolate and beer? Sandy Spring Museum hosts True Respite Brewing Company’s Steve Moore and The Chocolatier’s Palette’s Jill Sandler for an interactive event pairing craft beer with craft chocolates. Admission includes the samples and hearing Moore and Sandler tell their stories. (Sandy Spring Museum; 7 p.m.; $45)
MORE: Art of Athletics Festival (Qatar America Institute for Culture; 12:30 p.m.; FREE), Valentine’s Day Singer/Pianist Performance (Fainting Goat; 8:45 p.m.; $20), Couples’ Massage Class Experience (Eaton DC; 5:30 p.m.; $250 per couple), Valentines Day Soirée (City Ridge; 6 p.m.; FREE), A Broadway Valentine (Sixth & I; 7 p.m.; $45), Last Call for Love: A Valentine’s Day Trivia (Last Call Bar; 7 p.m.; FREE admission), Valentine’s with Wil Sylvince (DC Improv; 9:45 p.m.; $25), Beyoncé vs Rihanna Valentine’s Dance Party (9:30 Club; 8 p.m.; $15), The Beauty and Magic of Winter Trees (Capital Nature; virtual; 12 p.m.; FREE), “Axe Your Ex” Valentine’s Day Event (Kick Axe Throwing; 4 p.m.; FREE admission), Galentine’s Night Terrarium Workshop (PlantHouse; 6:30 p.m.; $26), Nice Try Cupid (Wunder Garten; 7 p.m.; FREE admission), Funny Valentine Comedy Show (Death Punch Bar; 7:30 p.m.; $5), Lover’s Rock (Eaton DC; 8:30 p.m.; FREE admission), Embassy Row Valentines Day Chocolate Tour (Dupont Metro; 6:30 p.m.; $40), Valentine’s Date Night (The Company of Books; 6:15 p.m.; FREE admission), Valentines Day with local romance writers (One More Page Books; 7 p.m.; FREE admission), 3D Floral Frame Workshop by Plant Matter (flowerz; 5 p.m.; $65)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15
FOOD WASTE WORKSHOP: Learn how to tackle food waste with the Wheaton Sustainable Innovation Zone in this workshop. Hear from organizations and businesses in the county on commercial composting to address the challenge of reducing food waste. (WorkSource Montgomery; 4 p.m.; FREE)
BLACK FLORIST TALK: Teresa Speight, author of a book about African Americans in the world of floriculture, is at Hillwood Estate to tell the stories of farmers, florists, and other creatives. The lecture will be presented in the Ellen MacNeille Charles Visitor Center and will be live streamed via Zoom, but attendees can explore the mansion and gardens, or taste coffee and tea with Blue’s Coffee & Tea Co prior. (Hillwood Estate; 5:30 p.m.; $22 in-person or $12 virtual)
EMANCIPATION IN THE NAVY: National Museum of the United States Navy presents a lecture about Black Americans that served in the Navy during the Civil War. Historian Edward Valentin Jr. will explore stories of the veterans that experienced how emancipation unfolded on the water. (Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library; 12 p.m.; FREE)
MORE: Preparing for Spring in the Greenhouse (Hillwood Estate; 10:30 a.m.; $15 suggested donation), Choral Evensong for Black History Month (St. John’s Church; 5:30 p.m.; FREE admission), Profs & Pints DC: What It Means to Hear New Orleans (Little Penn Coffeehouse; 6 p.m.; $14.31), “Black Like Me” exhibition opening reception (Zenith Gallery; 4 p.m.; FREE), Spanish Cinema Now+ 2023: “Alcarràs” (Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain; 6:30 p.m.; FREE), Trivia Night to Benefit the Endangered Animal Public Art Project (Cleveland Park Bar & Grill; 7 p.m.; $20), Roots to Pop:Flaco Jiménez, Max Baca,& Music of the U.S./Mexico Borderlands (National Museum of American History; 7 p.m.; FREE), Valentine’s Movie Night: Sleepless in Seattle (Miracle Theatre; 7 p.m.; $10 for two), Is This How You Eat A Watermelon?Author Zein El-Amine in conversation with Elliott Colla (Busboys and Poets 14th and V; 6 p.m.; FREE admission), Meet the Author Alex Prud’homme (White House History Shop; 2 p.m.; FREE), Single Out Dance Party for Singles (Songbyrd; 8 p.m.; FREE)
THURSDAY, FEB. 16
ICE SKATING: Ice skate for a good cause at Canal Park Rink. Support local D.C. students and their research at the third annual The Story of Our Schools ice skating event. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit and include entrance, skate rental, and one raffle ticket for a prize. (Canal Park Rink; 6 p.m.; $17)
GLOBAL CONCERT: Hear from a GRAMMY-nominated instrumentalist at this concert by Jontavious Willis, whose style pulls from the roots of country blues. The corners is part of the Global Sounds on the Hill series curated and hosted by local musician Jim Thomson. (Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital; 7 p.m.; $22)
STUDIO TOUR: Get an inside look at Renwick Gallery-featured artist David Harper Clemons’ studio. The final virtual studio tour in the series marks the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery. Take a tour of the metalsmith’s North Carolina-based studio, where he creates repurposed metal art exploring identities. (Renwick Gallery; virtual; 7 p.m.; FREE)
LATINO MOVEMENTS: Learn about movements and moments in Latino youth organizing around the D.C. metro area at this DC History Center event. The conservation series centers Latino experiences, influences, and roles in the city’s history. This second installment hosts organizers Arturo Griffiths, who helped found the Latin American Youth Center, and Pepe Gonzalez, who formed one of the first integrated bands in D.C. and experienced the 1991 Mount Pleasant Riot. (Latin American Youth Center; 5:30 p.m.; FREE)
MORE: Savor Bethesda Restaurant Week, deals for $10, $20, and $35 (Participating restaurants in Bethesda; hours vary), Oye Palaver Hut’s Mardi Gras parade and party (Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School; 4 p.m.; FREE admission), Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Author Florence Williams in conversation with Rabbi Nora Feinstein (Sixth & I; 7 p.m.; virtual $10 or in-person $15), Discovering Türkiye (Smithsonian Associates; virtual; 6:45 p.m.; $25), Isabel Frey: Revolutionary Yiddishland (Austrian Cultural Forum; 7 p.m.; FREE), A2B; Panama Jackson on Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun (Eaton DC; 7 p.m.; FREE), Community Open House (Anacostia Arts Center; 6 p.m.; FREE), Mounted Staghorn Fern Class with Rock Paper Plant (PLNTR; 6 p.m.; $65), Shapel Lacey (Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse; 7 p.m.; $20)
