* = Happening the week before Valentine's Day only

PERFORMANCE

The Atomic Bombshells 14th Anniversary: J’ADORE! Past Event Like List
Beloved burlesque dazzlers The Atomic Bombshells will return to the stage for another va-va-voom Valentine's Day spectacular. Founded by Kitten LaRue in 2003, the globe-trotting troupe blends drag and dance with a sizzling spoonful of laughs, so grab your sweetie or a one-night fling for J'Adore!, an anniversary performance sealed with a kiss.
(Feb 10–14, Triple Door, Downtown Seattle, $35–$50)

House of Hearts
Past Event Like List This luscious new choreographed performance at Can Can will see curious cabaret performers professing their feelings and shirking tradition in the name of love. Snag a cocktail and an appetizer with a preferred ticket, or treat yourself to VIP, which includes a three-course meal prepared with market-fresh ingredients.
(Tues Feb 14 & Wednesday-Sunday through March 26, Can Can, Pike Place Market, $65–$150)

The Second City Valentine's Day—Swipe Right: An Incomplete Guide To The Ultimate Date Night
Past Event Like List The Second City, Chicago's oldest ongoing improv theater troupe (and original stomping grounds of greats like Chris Farley, John Candy, and Amy Poehler) will head to Seattle with an evening of caliente comedy and naughty hilarity that your Tinder date will dig.
(Tues Feb 14, Moore Theatre, Belltown, $26.50)

*Yvie Oddly presents Strange Love Past Event Like List
She's odd, but like, in a good way—avant-garde drag diva, RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 winner, and "authentic weirdo" Yvie Oddly will slay in Seattle in this one-woman show of songs and tea-spilling. Bring your curious crushes along for the ride, and prepare to fall in strange love.
(Thurs Feb 9, Here-After at the Crocodile, Belltown, $30–$249)

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

After Hours: Valentine's Day
Past Event Like List Indigenous band Khu.éex’ will provide the funk-driven vibes for this low-key 21+ celebration of love, perfect for those who want to hold hands while staring at some cool fish. (We get it.) Attendees can grab pretzels and themed cocktails from a no-host bar, peep the exhibits at night without any kids around, and take part in activities throughout the aquarium.
(Tues Feb 14, Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, $35)

*I'M NOT OKAY: An Anti-Valentine's Emo & Pop-Punk Dance Party
Past Event Like List Not feeling the love this year? DJ Baby Van Beezly will play throwbacks from The Used, My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, Taking Back Sunday, and more to an angsty anti-Valentine crowd. Scream along; you probably remember all of the lyrics.
(Fri Feb 10, High Dive, Fremont, $10–$12)

KEXP Presents: A Grace Love Story
Past Event Like List Seattle soul sensation Grace Love is the only love you'll need this Valentine's Day with a celebration of her new EP Work in Protest. The album explores grief, resilience, and solitude through bone-chilling harmonies, disco beats, and fuzzed-out riffs. Don't miss an opening set from soulful indie rock artist Michael Compton.
(Tues Feb 14, Tractor Tavern, Ballard, $15)

COMMUNITY

*My Better Half Marathon 2023
Past Event Like List Promising an "extensive and delicious oatmeal bar" and "nice race shirts," there's really no reason not to take your romance to the next level (off the couch) and participate in these 5K, 10K, and half-marathon runs. Participants are also welcome to walk the race, so you can chat with your sweetie at your own pace.
(Sun Feb 12, Seward Park, $57–$83)

*Wild about Love Past Event Like List
Nothing says Valentine's Day like reproductive biology, so head to Bainbridge Island for this adults-only holiday hike, where lovebirds will learn from "zoologist sexpert"-trained IslandWood naturalists. You'll chat about courtship rituals, slimy mating techniques, and fungi with over 20,000 sexes, which is bound to work up an appetite. Luckily, nibbles and aphrodisiac mocktails are included in the ticket price.
(Sat Feb 11, IslandWood, Bainbridge Island, $35)

FILM

Love Stinks
Past Event Like List For those who greet Valentine's Day with a groan, this screening series on all things love-related—think fetishistic pleasure, savage sexual sicknesses, teen obsessions, and Drew Barrymore—might be the perfect antidote. Love Stinks will bring passionate flicks and rom-coms to the screen throughout February; don't miss The Wedding Singer on Valentine's Day for a lovey-dovey ode to the world's most unexpectedly romantic dude, Adam Sandler. 
(Daily through Feb 16, Grand Illusion, University District, $5–$11)

Noir City
Past Event Like List In the words of Stranger staff writer Charles Mudede, "If you love film noir, then you must love the Noir City festival, which will feature a number of known and less known movies in this genre that has lots of spiderlike women, lots of long knives, lots of rooms with dark curtains, lots of faces of the fallen, and lots of existential twists and turns." Sign us up! This year's festival will return with the best film noir offerings that the shadowy back alleys of Hollywood have to offer, providing perfect on-screen accompaniment for snuggling up in the back row.
(Feb 10–16, SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill, $10-15 tickets, $100-150 passes)

FOOD & DRINK

*Wine on the Rock 2023
Past Event Like List If it's not Valentine's Day without wine and chocolate for you, abscond from the city for a weekend and explore four Bainbridge Island wineries (Fletcher Bay, Rolling Bay, Eleven, and Eagle Harbor). You'll get to taste flights paired with chocolates at each venue. 
(Feb 9–11, Bainbridge Island Wineries, $15–$75)