Valentine’s Day Event Ideas in Westchester

Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love. Whether that’s in the form of a date with a significant other or a way to connect with friends, Westchester has is flooding with events that are fun to explore in pairs. ArtsNews has rounded up some date night ideas in Westchester (or night-out-with-friends ideas!) to fill in Valentine’s Day week. Here’s a round-up of some events taking place between February 10-19 that ArtsNews readers will mark their calendars with.

Grab the Popcorn
There’s no date-night-out plan more classic than the movie theater. Jacob Burns Film Center will screen two showings of the classic Frank Capra film It Happened One Nighton February 14: one matinee and one in the evening. The latter showing includes a dessert reception and photo booth by Analog on Hudson, a local photography studio that uses vintage equipment for portraits reminiscent of early photography techniques.

Bob Marley, always an arbiter of peace and love, is the focus of a new biopic showing at Bedford Playhouse (February 14-29) and Picture House’s Bronxville location (February 14-21). The aptly-named One Love celebrates the life and music and his journey through adversity to stardom.

Take in an Exhibition
Museums and galleries abound in Westchester and there is no shortage of exhibitions. Guests can find something to suit their interests in every corner of the county as they discover the history of hip hop in Yonkers at Hudson River Museum, examine artists’ portraits in the form of bronze hand casts at the DR Center at Pocantico in Tarrytown, or browse abstract paintings at Chroma Fine Art in Katonah. Anne-Claude Cotty’s odes to the natural world take form in her photographic quilts on display in Harrison Public Library’s Rhapsodies. Dates can also celebrate Black History Month with exhibitions at Rye Arts Center, Bethany Arts Community and Clay Art Center.

Bring the Kids
On the morning of February 10, the Blue Door Art Center hosts a children’s art workshop led by artist Vicky Youngman. Participants would be led through an exploration of clay art, resulting in Valentine’s Day decorations they can bring home. Another workshop is available in the afternoon with artist Briana Macri at Westhab Dayspring Community Center.

Also on February 10, Jacob Burns Film Center will offer aJBFC Kids morning screening of Enchanted, which tells the story of Princess Giselle and her attempt to navigate life and modern Manhattan after an evil queen banishes her. When Edward, Giselle’s prince, follows her into the real world to rescue her, things are thrown for a loop. The screening will be followed by a Valentine’s Day card-making activity.

Dedicate a Song
The Westchester Chordsmen once again invite people to participate in their annual beloved tradition in which guests can purchase Singing Valentines to serenade a loved one. The Chordsmen would then surprise that person’s special-someone on Valentine’s Day, in person, with two love songs in four-part harmony. Reservations for an in-person singing valentine are due February 9. For more of a planned outing on Valentine’s night, ArtsWestchester presents Alexis Cole’s Valentine’s Day Jukebox in its intimate gallery space. For the first set, Cole, with her trio and special guest vocalists, will present a selection of romantic jazz classics; for the second set, the audience will decide on the setlist by requesting songs to dedicate to their loved one.  Songcatchers offers an email dedication for those looking to send a sweet message to a loved one. These Musicgrams can feature one of several love songs, including Elvis’s Can’t Help Falling in Love and Randy Newman’s You’ve Got a Friend in Me along with a personal message.

Get Serenaded
The stage set a romantic setting when music resonates throughout any number of venues that are offering world-class selections the week of Valentine’s Day.

The West Point Band Wind Quintet offers a Valentine’s Day themed performance at Pound Ridge Library on February 10, filled with a diverse program of music from the 18^th-to-21^st centuries. Also on February 10, New Choral Society presents An Evening of Chamber Music featuring the chamber orchestra. The program will span the centuries and contain familiar and lesser-known works by favorite composers. The following night, February 11, Symphony of Westchester presents its annual Young Artists Showcase, for which six top-placing contestants will perform one movement each from Baroque and early Classical music period composers.

On February 17, a Valentine’s Day Special concert performed by Highline String Quartet at the Play Group Theater will be lit entirely by candlelight. This concert will include romantic classics like Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On and Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune, L.32. Meanwhile on February 17,Ars Antiqua invites guests to enjoy a night of music for City of Light: Virtuoso Parisian Music for Two Cellos in Chappaqua, including Joseph Bodin De Boismortier, Sonata in D Minor, and Monsier Thomas, Sonata III in G Major. After the performance there will be a buffet of French pastries and coffee.

For something a little more lively, Tarrytown Music Hall will host David Brighton, often credited as the world’s best David Bowie impersonator. The February 16 SPACE ODDITY performance is a live and elaborate multi-media spectacle that takes audiences through the musical career of David Bowie.

More Date Night Ideas
A glass of wine and a painter’s canvas will lead the night in ArtsWestchester’s gallery space on February 15. The first in a third-Thursdays Paint ‘N’ Sip night celebrates the return of Gallery Nite Out, the organization’s happy hour series. Guests will be led step by step through painting a romantic landscape that can be taken home at the end of the night.

Poetry is the way to the heart at Hudson River Museum, wherepoets will craft unique poems on vintage typewriters, paired with pressed flowers. Attendees will be invited to create custom poems and flower arrangements in a workshop led by an Ars Poetica poet. The workshop is inspired by Edward Steichen’s In Exaltation of Flowers exhibition, currently on view. Victorian valentines from Hudson River Museum’s collection will also be displayed.