Want Valentine’s Day to be more than flowers? Here are some Olympia area options
Saturday, Feb. 14, is Valentine’s Day. You knew that — right? — but maybe you haven’t yet planned a date with your sweetheart or best pal or family.
If you’re determined to mark the event by dining out, the Olympian suggests choosing a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations — such as the extremely popular Nineveh Assyrian (https://www.nineveholympia.com/restaurant), which accepts bookings only for groups of six or more — or celebrating the day after, perhaps with brunch at Swing Wine Bar (https://swingwinebar.com/), which began serving Sunday brunch on Feb. 1.
Fortunately for procrastinators and those who want to do something different for Valentine’s Day, there are lots of love-themed happenings around. They’re not just for couples, and some of them are even free.
Here’s a selection of options from sweet to sexy:
Share the Love Valentine Carnival and Membership Drive: The Olympia Eagles is offering a free indoor carnival featuring carnival games, interactive art installations and a tunnel of love, along with dance, karaoke and a surprise band. The carnival will happen from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at the Eagles Club, 804 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. It’s open to all ages until 9 p.m.
“Bottoms Up”: The PNW Burlesque Festival (https://pnwburlesquefestival.com/) is celebrating love and lust with a show that mixes burlesque and drag with acrobatics, aerial work, pole dancing and comedy. Performers include Olympia’s own Valerie Veils along with the creatively named Babraham Lincoln, Shiza Minnelli and Manny Manstands, a hand-balancing artist. Portland’s Vera Mysterie hosts. The cheeky extravaganza begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets (https://www.washingtoncenter.org/event/pnw-burlesque-presents-bottoms-up-a-cheeky-valentines-day-spectacular-2026-02-13/) are $32-$58.
“How Much the Heart Can Hold”: This theatrical Valentine, written and curated by Bryan Willis and the late Linda Kalkwarf, looks at love and how it changes over time through scenes, sketches, poetry and quotes. Directed by Kathryn Dorgan, “Heart” stars theatrical couples Brian and Jana Tyrell, Heather and Michael Christopher, and Austin and Jonah Barnett. Audience members are invited to write love notes that the actors will read as part of the production. The show (https://harlequinproductions.org/show/how-much-the-heart-can-hold/), presented by the Northwest Playwrights Alliance and Harlequin Productions, is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Harlequin’s State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia. Tickets are $25.
“Silent Movies: Love, Luck and Laughter”: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts is wrapping up Valentine’s weekend with two Buster Keaton classics, accompanied by live organ music. Appropriately, both films involve romance, or at least relationships. In “Seven Chances,” a man stands to inherit a fortune if he marries by 7 p.m., and “The Three Ages” looks at love and romance in the Stone Age, the Roman Age and the Modern Age. The movies (https://www.washingtoncenter.org/event/silent-movie-love-luck-laughter-buster-keaton-26-2-15/) begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15. Tickets are $18-$20.
Stroll, shop and take selfies: The Olympia Downtown Alliance (https://loveolydowntown.com/) is honoring Valentine’s Day all month long with pop-up murals in downtown storefronts and a new edition of LoveOly Shop & Dine, which invites the community to collect stickers when they shop at participating stores. Those who collect five can earn a heart-shaped LoveOly pin or other swag. And from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, stop at Ossa Skinworks, 109 Capitol Way N., Olympia, and write the city a love letter.