Love is in the air this week. Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or not celebrating at all, there are plenty of things to do that tickle your fancy, especially if you’ve haven’t even made plans yet.
We’ve got comedy shows, craft activities, dance parties, and maybe that pillow fight. Whether you’re trying to live, laugh, love, or cry, here are 10 things to do in the City by the Bay this week.
1. Bark at Spark's "Puppy Love," Spark Social SF (Feb. 10) Bring your dog to hang out or adopt one at the Mission Bay venue. Pet-centric vendors will be selling treats, toys, and accessories. There will also be some DIY Valentine craft stations and plenty of photo-ops.
2. Valentine’s Craft & Learn: Lover’s Eye, SF’s Museum of the Eye (Feb. 10-11) Get crafty for Valentine’s Day by learning about and then making “eye miniature portraits,” an 18th-century fad in which participants wore jewelry with paintings of their loved ones’ eyes on them. One of the Bay’s most unique museums, Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye, is hosting workshops Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but spots are limited.
3. Naked Bike Ride 2024, Rincon Park (Feb. 10) The “World Naked Bike Ride” is rolling through San Francisco on Saturday, and you can join in. This one’s theme? The “Love Parade.”
4. F*ck Valentine's Day Comedy Show 2024, HellaSecret (Feb. 10) If you hate Valentine’s Day, check out this comedy show which features dating horror stories. There are two shows Saturday night, and there’s even a No Scrubs '90s After Party Valentine's Party later.
5. Lunar New Year 2024 Crazy Funny Asians Comedy Showcase, Neck of the Woods (Feb. 10) It’s not just Valentine’s Day, it’s also Lunar New Year, the theme of this weekly comedy show. This time, local comics include K. Cheng, who’s also hosting the SF Chinese New Year Parade Pre-Show, Helen Chu, Numaan Shaikh, Albert Lin, and Ashwin Bala.
6. The Arab American Comedy Festival, Palace of Fine Arts (Feb. 10) The long-running festival is also happening this weekend in San Francisco. It’s the 20th anniversary of the show, and headliners include Maysoon Zayid, Dean Obeidallah, Atheer Yacoub, Aron Kader, Reem Edan, and Sammy Obeid.
7. S.F. Beer Week, various locations (Feb. 9-18) If you’re not trying to laugh your way through Valentine’s Day and just drink your way through instead, consider S.F. Beer Week’s plethora of events. There’s something for everyone, with different breweries and bars hosting special menus, exclusive happy hours, and limited releases.
8. Anti-Valentine’s Day 80s Power Ballad Sing-Along, Roxie Theater (Feb. 14) As part of SF IndieFest, the Roxie Theater will blast the genre of music made for people that hate Valentine’s Day: 80s power ballads, from Journey to Guns ‘n Roses to Bon Jovi to Warrant.
9. Love Bites: Halloween in February, The Eric Quezada Center for Culture (Feb. 10) The Queer Chorus of San Francisco is hosting its annual Anti-Valentine’s Cabaret, featuring solo and ensemble numbers, that celebrate/satirize both Halloween and Valentine’s Day.
10. Possible the Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight, Embarcadero Plaza (Feb. 14?) The annual SF pillow fight is always a last-minute flash mob-style gathering, and there’s no news about if it’s taking place yet. In the past, organizers have set up Facebook events as announcements, so keep checking.
Image via Unsplash/Rowan Heuvel.