If you’re looking for ideas on how to spend Valentine’s Day, you’ve landed on the right blog post!
Below are a bunch of events and activity ideas leading up to and on Valentine’s Day / weekend you could do with your boo. (Most would also work with just your friend, except maybe the couple’s massage workshop, lol unless you’re really good friends lol).
I’m sharing this post a little earlier than usual so there’s still a few events I know typically happen every year, that haven’t updated their 2019 information yet, so come back closer to V-Day for some updates if none of these ideas currently pop out at you!
Things To Do For Valentine’s Day in Edmonton
Last Updated: Feb. 4, 2019
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1. Compete at Romantic TV Trivia
Who gets probably way too emotionally invested in fictional TV couples? *raises hand* Re-live some of the most iconic and romantic moments of FRIENDS at Hudsons downtown on Jan. 31! $1,000 in prizes up for grabs for the top five teams of the night. If that isn’t enough romantic TV trivia for you, be one of the first to check out Polar Park Brewing and compete in a Jim & Pam (The Office!) Romance Trivia Night on Feb. 6.
Dates: Jan. 31, 2019 (FRIENDS) + Feb. 6, 2019 (The Office)
Time: 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. (both nights)
Cost: $10 per person
Location: Hudsons 10141 109 St. (FRIENDS) + Polar Park Brewing 10416 80 Ave. (The Office)
Click for more information about FRIENDS Romance Trivia
Click for more information about The Office Romance Trivia
2. Take a Salsa Class
Edmonton’s E-Town Salsa Dance Studio is putting on a romantic Valentine’s Salsa night perfect for beginners! Try something you may never have tried before as a couple and HAVE FUN!
Date: Feb. 14, 2019
Time: 7:45 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
Cost: $70 per couple ($55 Early Bird by Jan. 25)
Location: 10923 101 St.
Click for more information
Sugar Swing Dance holds Friday & Saturday Night Swing Dances, which you could do Feb. 15 & 16 as well.
3. Learn How To Massage Each Other
Who doesn’t love a good massage? Even better when the masseuse is your partner, or YOU! Take an interactive workshop to learn different touch techniques to deliver an incredible massage—hands, palms, fingertips, thumbs, this is a date night that will keep on giving. You’ll have wine and chocolate in class and go home with massage oil and treats too! The Feb. 15 class at Aurora Yoga & Spa is already sold out but there are still 5 couple spots remaining for Feb. 16.
Date: Feb. 16, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Cost: $150 per couple
Location: Aurora Yoga & Spa. #200 11209 Jasper Ave.
Click for more information
If that gets sold out too, there’s also a couple’s massage class you can take in March through Metro Continuing Education (less romantic, but still romantic!) or you could just book a couple’s massage at any massage therapy provider in and around town. Be sure to book in advance because Feb. 14 spots will likely fill up fast.
4. Take a Valentine’s Cooking Class
Learn to cook something new with your boo, at one of a few different cooking classes in the city. Try Sorrentino’s Date Night: Late Valentine’s Day Oysters on Feb. 15 (you know oysters are considered an aphrodisiac!) Or you could take one of three Valentine’s Day-themed cooking classes at Get Cooking Feb. 14, 15, or 16. You could also round up your couple friends (or maybe a Galentine’s outing!) and see if you can do a Valentine’s-themed cooking class at Palates Culinary Kitchen.
Sorrentino’s Date Night: Late Valentine’s Day Oysters
Date: Feb. 15, 2019
Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Cost: $180 per couple
Location: 10665 109 St.
Click for more information
Get Cooking Valentine’s Classes
Date: Feb. 14, 15, and 16, 2019
Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Feb. 14/15) or 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. (Feb. 16)
Cost: $139 (Feb. 14/15) or $115 (Feb. 16)
Location: 11050 104 Ave.
Click for more information
Note: Feb. 16 isn’t officially Valentine’s Day but it’s crepes! Make it Valentine’s Day! lol
Palates Culinary Kitchen
While there are no official Valentine’s Day workshops, you can inquire about adult cooking parties or special events and make it Valentine’s-themed! Splitting the cost among a big group actually makes the price per person/couple pretty affordable!
Click for more information
5. Cook Together at Home
If taking a cooking class isn’t up your alley (because let’s face it, it can be pricy), cook your favourite meal together at home! Or try a cuisine you’ve never tried or cooked before!
6. Work Out With Your Dog
How cute is this? If you’re into fitness AND love (lol), Sit Stay Squat is offering a Valentines couples workout with your dog! Get sweaty and fit with your loved ones. Sit Stay Squat is only accepting 4 couples though, so register quick if this is your idea of romance!
Date: Feb 15, 2019
Time: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Cost: $40 per couple
Location: 4716 76 Avenue Northwest
Click for more information
7. Catch a Live Show
Made In Italy is playing at the Citadel Feb.14 – 16, catch a drag show at the Jubilee Auditorium on Feb. 14, Mother Mother on the Feb. 15, or or a Cirque de La Symphonie on at the Winspear Centre Feb. 15-17. There’s also live dinner theatre at Jubilations (the show during Valentine’s week is More Dirty Dancing) or the Mayfield Dinner Theatre (Lend Me A Tenor). And there’s lots of live musical performances at a bunch of venues around town. Check out YEGlive.ca’s event listings.
8. Dine Out at your Favourite Restaurant
(or One You Haven’t Tried)
Is there a restaurant you’ve been dying to try? Or an old favourite you haven’t been to in awhile? There are so many amazing restaurants in and around Edmonton, why not dine out or order in! You pick! You could also check OpenTable for a list of some Edmonton restaurants with special Valentine’s menus. The delicious meal pictured in this post’s feature image is from Kazoku Ramen, a fine and typical date night spot for Mike and I.
You could also share sausages at Passion for Pork’s Valentine’s Swine & Dine event on Feb. 12.
9. Recreate your First Date
Mike and I do this each year of our anniversary, but it really works for Valentine’s Day too. Recreate your first date! Where did you eat? What did you do? Ours was a classic dinner and a movie, so sometimes we like to grab sushi at our first date spot (Mt. Fuji) and watch a movie in, or head to the theatre for both our anniversary or Valentine’s Day. What did you do? Do it again! So cute.
10. Go on a Spontaneous Date
Grab two cups. Write down 5 options for food genre or restaurant (Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Greek for example). Cut them up and throw them into one cup. Now write down 5 options for an activity. (Stay in and watch a movie. Go ice skating. Visit local landmarks. Hit up West Edmonton Mall’s Galaxyland Amusement Park or World Water Park. Go Bowling, for example). Now cut them those up and throw them into the second cup. One person closes their eyes, puts their hand into the first cup, and pulls out what you’ll be eating for Valentine’s Day. The other person closes their eyes, puts their hand into the second cup, and pulls out what you’ll be doing before or after dinner! These are just some ideas. Put forward ideas / food / restaurants you want to do! I just love the idea of having the night decided by chance!
11. Create Your Own Food Crawl
If you’re like me, the idea of visiting multiple spots for food on Valentine’s Day sounds like a lovely way to spend the day. Put together your own food crawl. Fill it with your favourite places (or new spots you want to try). If it’s dinner, pick a place for an appetizer, a place for a main, and a place for dessert. If it’s the whole day, add some cafes and multiple appetizer spots. Fun AND delicious!
12. Laugh, Laugh, Laugh (Watch a Comedy Show)
Paul Mercurio is the headliner at West Edmonton Mall’s The Comic Strip Feb. 14-17, and Yuk Yuk Comedy’s Amateur Night is on Feb. 14 (Thursday).
13. Sing Your Heart Out (Karaoke anyone?!)
One of my favourite things to do is sing with Mike! If you love belting out the tunes with your partner, The Grindstone has Karaoke Thursdays (Feb. 14), and Rosario’s Pub features karaoke every night. You could also sing in a private room by visiting one of Edmonton’s private Korean karaoke bars (Korean style—private room, but there are tons of English songs, don’t you worry). You could try King’s Hot Pot & Karaoke, 99 Street Karaoke, or HanJan Korean Restaurant (they have karaoke rooms upstairs!) Also, we have our own home-karaoke system so… you could get an at-home karaoke system too!
14. Hit the Rink
If you haven’t yet skated at the Victoria Park Oval and rainbow IceWay, please do! It’s just so cute. On Valentine’s Day, would be even cuter. New this year as well is a Rundle Park IceWay too! And of course, Hawrelak Park’s skating is awesome (and offers rentals). Check all of Edmonton’s outdoor rinks (and their open/close statuses) here.
15. Try to Escape an Escape Room
There are so many great escape room options in Edmonton, Mike and I have only tried to do a room with just each other once (and we failed miserably). Will you do better? (It’s really hard with just two people lol). Or round up a few of your couple friends (or just friends, lol) and try a room you haven’t done yet. I’d recommend all the rooms at Escape City, GTFO, Logic Lock and Time Escape, but you can check out all the city’s escape rooms via Google.
16. Make Stuff! Get Crafty
There are a bunch of Valentine’s-themed Paint Nites around town, or you can dive into glass art-making—Pixie Glassworks has a few classes on Feb. 13 & 14. There’s also a Gal-entine’s Eat + Floral Workshop at The Foundry Room on Feb. 16!
17. Drink All The Wine
WineFest Edmonton returns Valentine’s weekend Feb 15 & 16. Swirl, sip and savour wines from around the world (+ food!!) with an all-inclusive ticket to the festival.
Date: Feb. 15 & 16, 2019
Time: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Feb. 15), 2 – 5 p.m. or 7 – 10 p.m. (Feb. 16)
Cost: $92 (evening) $87 (afternoon)
Location: Edmonton Conference Centre (9797 Jasper Ave.)
Click for more information
18. Snowshoe + Stargaze
How romantic would spending the night under the stars be? Take a guided snowshoe hike around Astotin Lake at Elk Island National Park! Have refreshments around a fire. Learn to navigate the stars in the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve. This event takes place every Saturday December through February, including Valentine’s Saturday!
Date: Feb. 16, 2019
Time: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Cost: $29.80 per person (with a park pass)
Location: Elk Island National Park
Click for more information
19. Meet Someone on Valentine’s Day
There’s a Valentine’s Day Single Mingle Mixer Speed Dating event on Feb. 14 at The Rec Room (South Common). Play games, meet new people and maybe find the new love of your life? They’re calling this 3D Tinder, lol clever!
Date: Feb. 14, 2019
Time: 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Cost: $25
Location: Click for more informationThe Rec Room (1725 99 St.)
20. Visit The Edmonton Ice Castle
The Silver Skate Festival and Ice Castle is on during Valentine’s Day/week, check out the Silver Skate events here and the book an Ice Castle time here. Typically Silver Skate puts on a ‘Meet Me At Lovers Lane’ experience for Valentine’s Day but I don’t see that information (yet?) this year, feel free to ask them directly, but even just a non-event skate or taking in the festival’s activities, plus a romantic, magical photos in the Ice Castle would be just the loveliest little date. Be sure to see my blog post for 8 Must-Take Photos at the Edmonton Ice Castle!
21. Surprise Your Partner with a Swing Lesson
I mentioned Sugar Swing earlier, but this is worth another mention! Every Sunday in January & February the Edmonton Arts Council and Sugar Swing Dance Club are offering live music and free swing dance lessons in City Hall! Surprise your partner by jumping and jiving for Valentine’s Day weekend (Sunday Feb 16). The event runs 1-4 p.m., is totally free, and fun! (Beginners very much welcome).
22. Travel Together
One of my absolute favourite things to do with Mike is to travel! Explore another city, province, country… Take the Valentine’s weekend and go somewhere! You don’t have to go far… Explore Alberta—go to Calgary, Banff, or Jasper. Or visit our neighbouring provinces. How about a trip to Vancouver, Kelowna, or Saskatoon? And watch YEGDeals.com to see if there are any Valentine’s (or around Valentine’s) flight deals!
Currently there’s a $211 round trip to Vegas deal happening in February! Sweet.
23. Netflix and Chill
Just stay in! Binge-watch an entire season of a show (or try to). Watch a movie in the comfort of your home. Chilllllll.
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Got an idea or an event happening for Valentine’s Day? Let me know! Leave a comment, email or message me on social media and I’ll get it added to the list.
