The Dirty Show, aquarium date night and other (early) Valentine’s Day events in Detroit

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Nope, it’s Cupid! Happy (early) Valentine’s Day, folks.

Love and Cupid aren’t the only thing in the air this week. Fat Tuesday is coming up: For many Detroiters, that means Pączki Day! For the uninitiated (no shame in that game), pączkis look a lot like jelly donuts, but they are in fact a very special Polish treat.

Not interested in powdered sugar dreams and love arrows? Things to do this weekend instead: skating for a good cause, a birding expo and a vision board party. Though I’m keeping my eyes on that Polish bakery prize.

Let’s get busy! <3

Valentine’s Day events

❤️‍🔥 Turn up the heat at the 24th annual Dirty Show at the Russell Industrial Center on Friday. This erotic art exhibition and experience boasts 300 works of art by more than 200 artists. Prepare for burlesque, “boylesque” and other performances. 21+. $45-$160. Advanced ticket purchase is required before 7 p.m. on show days.

💟 Show your love of local journalism on Friday night with the National Association of Black Journalists’ I Love Detroit “FUNraiser” in Eastern Market. Food, beer and sangria will be curated by wine ambassador Chuck Jackson Jr. , Tee Two Time will play music, and you’re invited to dance it up with the S.W.A.G. Team Hustlers . $20. Registration required.

💗 Got a special place in your heart for your bestie? They feel the same way! Grab your gals and/or pals and head to the Cadieux Cafe on Detroit’s eastside for Galentine’s Day on Saturday afternoon. Sip champagne with friends, slurp up mussels and peruse vintage pieces curated by Noreen Neubar. Free.

🎼 Already coupled up? On Tuesday night, put on your finest flare and go paint the town red with your boo at a pre-Valentine’s dinner and wine tasting at The Savoy on Detroit’s eastside. Enjoy a five-course gourmet meal with special wine pairings and live performances. Not attached? The Savoy says you’re welcome solo or with friends. $74.95 per person. Registration required.

🏩 On Valentine’s Day proper, Folk in Corktown will be hosting crafty Detroiters for wreath-making, community-building and wine-tasting . Caroline Michniak will guide participants through the process of making their own locally sourced dried floral wreaths, while M4 Wines offers up a selection of rosés. Nonalcoholic options are available. 21+. $80. Registration required.

🦞 Valentine’s Day is date night at the Belle Isle Aquarium . You can also celebrate the axolotl, an endangered sea creature from Mexico, during the Belle Isle Conservancy’s A’lotl Love. We love that name, too! Drinks and snacks are included. 21+. $20. Registration required.

🚍 You don’t have to be in a romantic mood to enjoy the Historically Romantic Beano night at Detroit History Club on Detroit’s eastside! But you do have to be a member, and the club promises it’s easy to become one! Compete in Beano (not to be confused with bingo) on Wednesday and Thursday nights for prizes of Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park-made products, Detroit History Club swag or gift cards to local businesses. 18+. $38. A $5 membership and registration are required.

Thursday

⛸️ Head to Campus Martius for Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer , a public ice show and fundraiser to benefit the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation and the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton will also be the emcee for the night. Free. Donations encouraged.

This weekend

🧘🏽‍♀️ Ladies, treat yourself to a mini-retreat at BasBlue’s Vision Board Party — Goal Setting for Your Mind and Body in the Cultural Center. Hosted by counselor Laverne Santangelo and wellness expert Teena Cathey , the Saturday event includes vision-boarding, yoga, food and time to focus on you! $45.50. Registration required.

🎭 In honor of Black History Month, the Detroit Public Library Duffield Branch invites you to join special host Gary Anderson on Saturday for Drawing Back the Curtain, an oral history of Black theaters in Detroit . Anderson will share his expertise as the producing artistic director of the renowned Plowshares Theater Co. All ages. Free. Registration required.

👑 Keeping with the Black History Month festivities, Detroit Public Library Main Branch will host Basquiat Crowns . On Saturday, kids and their families can hear about renowned Black painter Jean-Michel Basquiat and make a crown in his iconic style. Free. Registration required.

🎊 Toast to the beloved Polish pastry and party on Pączki Day in Eastern Market on Saturday with Detroit City Distillery! Try its special Pączki Day Vodka, munch on some pączki from New Palace Bakery and don’t forget to eat less sugary food at the food trucks. There will be music, merriment and a lot of powdered sugar-smeared lips! 21+. Free.

🎻 If you’ve never experienced a performance of Dixon’s Violin , head over to New Dodge Lounge in Hamtramck on Saturday night for a unique “visionary” journey through your inner landscape , accompanied by Dixon’s strings. You have to experience his sound live to fully appreciate it. 21+. $25. Registration required.

🪐 The Michigan Science Center in the Cultural Center will host its first After Dark: Lights Out event of the year on Saturday night. Food and drinks are available, and guests will be treated to exhibits like the Science Center’s newest exhibit, “ Above and Beyond .” Explore light and dark with live demos and a light show set to Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.” 21+. $45. Registration is required and includes one drink.

🐦 Hear the lovebirds chirp in the wild and watch out for Cupid’s arrows at a Birding Expo hosted at the Outdoor Adventure Center on Sunday afternoon. Fly over to the riverfront site to learn how to use binoculars, identify birds and their behaviors, and feed birds in your yard (the right way). $3 for seniors, $5 for the adults.

Next week

🍩 Want to celebrate Pączki Day — loudly ? Head to Small’s in Hamtramck on Tuesday. The party begins early and will last until all the Polish food and pączki “bombs” are gone. There will be live music by The Strains , Eastside Elvis & The Motor City Mafia , Eastside Still Alive and Bill Kozy’s Rising Force . 21+. Free.

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