14 fun and offbeat ways to spend Valentine’s Day 2019 in New York City

Like Mother’s Day, there’s something to be said for the idea that every day ought to be Valentine’s Day, candy and flowers included. But if February’s second week has you scrambling for a worthy celebration, it might be the perfect time to try something a little bit different. Take a look below for some Valentine-focused events–from skating and shopping to science and sewage–and lots of other ways to get heart-shaped this V-Day.

1. Wishes on Washington Street
Washington Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn

If you and your sweetie spend most of your time plugged in, why not just roll with it? This augmented reality experience allows you think and act local; download an app, then post photos, text and audio messages to custom lanterns immortalized virtually over Washington Street in Dumbo. You’ll also earn Valentine’s Day dining and shopping perks from local shops for every love lantern posted.

A surprise proposal in Times Square, Valentine’s Day 2017. Image: Andrew Dallos via Flickr.

2. Love in Times Square
Father Duffy Square, Times Square between 47th and 48th Streets
Thursday, February 14; see site for events and times

On Valentine’s Day 2019, locals and visitors will gather to celebrate their relationships at one of Manhattan’s busiest crossroads through surprise proposals, weddings in the heart of Times Square, and a group Vow Renewal Ceremony. All Valentine’s Day events will take place in front of the 11th Annual Times Square Valentine Heart, Reddymade’s “X,” which will be on display on Duffy Square (46th Street and Broadway) from February 1–28.

3. Take Back Your V-Day
Rise New York, 43 West 23rd Street
Thursday, February 14, 7 – 10 P.M.

“Take Back Your Vday” is an alternative to the holiday’s usual sugar-coated traditions: This night of games for “badass singles + chill couples” includes the Museum of Broken Relationships pop-up, Valentine crafting, playing Bundle, a personalized board game, dream card readings, beer, wine, pizza and more.

Photo via the Merchant’s House Museum

4. Merchant’s House Museum’s ‘Love in the Parlors–A Valentine in Concert‘
29 East 4th Street
Thursday, February 14, 7:00 P.M.

For $50, history buffs can head to the Merchant’s House, the city’s only preserved and intact 19th-century family home, to hear the Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society perform “lush, romantic vocal music of the world’s greatest 19th-century composers performed in the Museum’s elegant Greek Revival double parlor.” Singers Anthony Bellov, Amy Gluck, Jane Elizabeth Rady, and Dayle Vander Sande perform rarely heard gems by the world’s greatest 19th-century composers: Schumann, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Amy Beach, Johann Strauss II, and others. The main event starts at 7:00 P.M., but for an extra $25, the hour prior will be filled with a reception in the candlelit 1850s kitchen with hors d’oeuvres and bubbly.

5. SciCafe: Science of Love
Cullman Hall of the Universe, American Museum of Natural History; enter at 81st Street
Wednesday, February 6, 7 P.M.

What is love? We have it on good authority that it’s all in your head. Join neuroscientist Bianca Jones Marlin as she discusses her research on the very real bonds that can exist between humans, like those between parents and children. Marlin’s work delves into the potential of neurochemicals like oxytocin (the “love drug” )if they were used to strengthen fragile and broken relationships.

Via Pier 17

6. Ice Skate on a heart-shaped rink at Pier 17 Winterland
Pier 17, 89 South Street
Open 11:00 A.M. – 9:00 P.M. weekdays

Skate the skyline at Winterland Rink, New York City’s only outdoor rooftop ice rink. Surrounded by panoramic vistas of the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building and East River, this unique venue captures the magic of a downtown New York City winter.

7. Valentine’s Day Champagne Gala
Institute of Culinary Education, 225 Liberty Street, Third Floor
Thursday, February 14, 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.
As part of the Institute of Culinary Education’s recreational cooking class series, ICE’s resident sommelier hosts a very special Valentine’s Day celebration. Dine on hors d’oeuvres along with a select group of wines during a discussion of the origin and making of sparkling wine, while tasting various examples from non-vintage to vintage to rosé. The highlight of the tasting features a prestige cuvée Champagne paired with an American challenger. Students will also enjoy a buffet of classic luxury food pairings while indulging in additional bubbly, making for a sparkling mid-winter evening. Tuition is $150 for the class.

Photo courtesy of Greenpointers

8. Greenpointers’ Valentine’s Market
The Greenpoint Loft, 67 West Street, Brooklyn
Sunday, February 10, 1-7pm

Get nostalgic at this vintage rose-themed Valentine’s Market while you shop from 60+ crafty vendors inside the beautiful Greenpoint Loft. Enjoy views of the NYC skyline on the roof deck while drinking local craft beer by Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co., mulled wine with Drink Babe, and rosewater gimlets with Brooklyn Gin. Also included: free, fun activities for kids of all ages.

9. ‘Be My Galentine’ Drink-and-Draw 
The Strand bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street
Wednesday, February 13, 7-8pm

Head to everyone’s favorite bookstore for a night of galentine’s crafting. Make bookmarks, craft cards, and enjoy treats from Wafles and Dinges and wine from Maivino. The best part? You’ll get to hang out in the Strand’s Rare Book Room. Art supplies will be provided, but guests are encouraged to bring their own. The $10 admission also gets you a $5 gift card to the store.

10. Mortified Doomed Valentines Show
Littlefield, 635 Sackett Street, Brooklyn NY
Thursday, February 8, 8:00 P.M.

Do thoughts of Valentine’s Day conjure words like “mortified” and “doomed?” Be assured that you’re not alone–and you may just be in some fabulously funny company. At this offbeat event, adults share the embarrassing things they created in their youth (old diaries, letters, lyrics & more)–in front of total strangers. Come and squirm in a safe, supportive environment at Brooklyn’s Littlefield.

Image courtesy of Camaje

11. Dinner in the Dark
Camaje, 85 MacDougal Street
Thursday, February 14, 5:30 and 8:30 P.M.

Without sight, smells, textures and sounds all become more intense during the dining experience. Dinner in the Dark is in its third year at Camaje restaurant. Arrive at the door, don a comfortable blindfold, and get ready for an unforgettable culinary adventure.

12. Rubulad Presents Love-a-licious Valentine’s
RSVP to [email protected] for Bushwick location
Saturday, February 9, 6 P.M.- 3:30 A.M.

If classic alt-culture is your milieu, you wouldn’t dream of missing Burning Man, you mourn dearth of good old fashioned burlesque performance, or you just love dancing to great DJs well past midnight, you’ll dig this ode to love by one of the city’s longest-running art-party collectives. The vibe is always chill, tickets are reasonably priced ($15/$10 before 10 P.M.) and you never know just what to expect (though food, drink, music and dance are a given). The event features performances by some of the scene’s best in burlesque, plus a special 6:00 P.M. animation screening of Tom Stathes’ Cartoon Carnival “Be Mine.”

Image: NYC Environmental Protection

13. Valentine’s Day Digester Egg Tour

Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, 329 Greenpoint Avenue
Saturday, February 9; tours begin at 11 A.M., 1 P.M., 3 P.M. and 5 P.M. 

If sewage treatment makes your heart go pitter pat, this event is for you. The Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant’s wildly popular (and free!) Valentine’s Day Digester Egg Tour will teach you all about how these eight stainless steel-clad vessels process up to 1.5 million gallons of sludge every day, turning the organic material removed from sewage into an organic compound that can be used as fertilizer. The tour will also take guests to the top of the eggs for a romantic view of the Manhattan skyline.

*The tour is subject to cancelation in case of inclement weather. There are no rain dates.

14. Bloody Valentine’s Weekend
359 Broadway at Franklin Street
Thursday Feb. 14, Friday Feb. 15, Saturday Feb. 16, 7:00-10:00 P.M.
Sunday Feb 17 6:00 – 9:00 P.M.

If a scary, bloody haunted house is exactly where you’d imagine spending the evening hours on Valentine’s Day, we’ve got good news for you. The “seven deadly sins immersive experience” that is Blood Manor will be open for business. You’ve been warned. Tickets are $40 and up.

RELATED: 

• Treat your sweetie (or yourself) to a chocolate tour of Brooklyn this Valentine’s Day
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• Collection of antique Valentines explores expressions of love over three centuries
• 10 alternative Valentine’s Day events for urbanists, historians, and art lovers