9 fun ways to skip the overpriced Valentine's Day dinner

In partnership with

Happy Tuesday, Capital District! Today, we’re showing you how to make the most of Valentine’s—minus the overpriced dinner. Plus, it’s a total foodie weekend with a bunch of food & wine festivals all happening at the same time.

Raise your glasses 🍷 🍺 ladies & gents!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Ditch the fancy dinner: 9 fun alternatives for Valentine’s Day 💘 

Eating out on Valentine’s Day? Sure, if you’re into crowded restaurants, pricey menus, and feeling rushed to free up your table. Why not skip the clichés and do something that’s actually fun?

Spend your precious shekels on something that’ll leave you with way better stories than “remember that overpriced steak?” Here are 9 ideas for making the most of Valentine’s Day in the Capital District—sans restaurant reservations!

🌶️ Burlesque at The Berlin: Combining dance, performance and sensuality, the Valentine's Day burlesque show at The Berlin in Troy promises to be a spicy evening blending artistry and allure. Tix: $17.85.

💃 The Flurry Festival: Bring your sweetie and your dancing shoes to this huge participatory dance festival kicking off in Saratoga on Valentine’s Day. There’s an event for every kind of dance you can imagine, from African to Zydeco. Feb. 14-16. Tix: $50-$200 (advance ticket sales end Feb. 6).

🏀 Take a Shot at Love: Here’s a fun, flirty and sporty way to spend V Day—for singles only. Cheer on the Siena Saints at the MVP Arena and join a post-game mixer. Tix: $30.

❤️‍🔥 Albany Amour: Dive into Albany's romantic history at Nine Pin with an evening of storytelling featuring sweet and scandalous stories, complemented by curated cider pairings. Feb. 15. Tix: $23.18.

💑 How Strong Is Your Love? Test your relationship's strength with interactive games and quizzes designed for couples. Featuring a taco buffet and prizes, this event promises to bring you closer together—unless your answers are just totally whack 🙃 Feb. 14. Common Roots Brewing Co., Glens Falls. Tix: $43.45.

⛸️ Ice Skating at the Empire State Plaza: Is there anything more romantic than skating under the stars on V-Day? And this affordable? The rink is free, and skate rentals are just $5 each. Combine this with some post-skate cocktails and you’ve got a most excellent evening.

🏓 Valentine’s Partner Night at True Pickleball Club: Bond over your love of pickleball at the Capital District’s top-ranked indoor pickleball facility. Expect a fun evening of drinks, light fare and friendly competition. Tix: $35.

🍫 Bittersweet Valentine's Day Cooking Class: Capital Cooks invites you and your beloved to explore the intriguing flavor combo of bitter and sweet with this 5-course cooking class, ending with an appropriate aphrodisiac—bittersweet molten chocolate cake 😋 Tix: $84/person.

💘 Valentine's Day Eve Unhinged: Delete your apps and find a true match instead. Watch the sparks fly as more than a 100 singles are expected to converge for fast-paced chats, cocktails and small bites. Feb. 13. Tix: $23. Upgraded $30 tix gets you a drink and matches sent to you 24-72 hours ahead of time.

❄️ WEATHER WATCH

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Sign up today!

Click on this ad 👆️ and help us keep the lights on 💪 

😲 Albany Reddit is lighting up with juicy gossip over the controversial 518 Foodies Facebook group. After a warning about a local restaurant was suspiciously removed, a whistleblower dug deeper to uncover what seems like a troubling pattern of 518 Foodies accepting payment in exchange for posting positive reviews and preventing negative comments from showing up. (Btw, we don’t accept payment for reviews here at The 518, and will always tell you if something is sponsored content.)

👮 In some of his first public statements, Albany's interim police chief Brenden Cox says the department is facing a major staffing shortage. To improve services, APD is actively recruiting new police officers, and plans to hire 10 crisis intervention workers and two supervisors for non-police related calls. Additional priorities include enhancing mental health programs, community outreach, education, and gun violence intervention. [WAMC]

🎸 Our friends at NYS Music have launched a resource page for local musicians with comprehensive lists of event calendars, independent promoters, radio stations and recording studios located throughout the state, roughly grouped by region. If you’re a band trying to break out, check it out!

We love a house with a daring palette, and this moody mountain farmhouse oozes so much charm. Located on a main highway near the Hunter Mountain resort, this 3-bed, 1.5-bath beauty offers well-designed spaces and stunning views. Fun highlights include the sunroom-turned-game-room, the hip, cozy living room with big windows for natural light, and a lovely kitchen with modern touches, including a big, beautiful gas range / stove. The backyard has creekside access, an ample storage shed, mature perennial gardens, well-established stone walkways, and screened-in back porch. Fully furnished on request. This listing comes from Upstate Curious, the Hudson Valley real estate team known for their thoughtfully curated properties.

The deets: 3 bd, 2 ba, 1474 sf. Asking: $459,000. Days on market: 6. See the full listing here.

🎟️ WHAT’S HAPPENING

Note: Our full weekend roundup publishes on Thursday! Keep an eye on your inbox.

🍷 The 2025 Albany Chefs' Food & Wine Festival kicks off on Thursday with events through the weekend. We’re especially looking forward to the Slider Slam (which features 518 fave Meat & Company, among others), and the Grand Tastings event at the Albany Capital Center.

🍺 Also on Thursday, the NYS Museum presents History & Hops at Common Roots Albany Outpost. Historian Brad Utter and beer scholar Craig Gravina go deep into the Erie Canal's transformative impact on New York State, commerce and, yes, beer culture.

🖼️ On Friday, get to Opalka Gallery for the opening reception of its latest exhibit, Screenprint Biennial 10th Anniversary. Connor Armbruster will perform as well.

🕯️ Also on Friday, Fever presents Candlelight: A Tribute to Coldplay—all your favorite songs performed by Albany’s Listeso String Quartet, to the gentle glow of candles.

🏃‍♂️ The New York Fitness and Wellness Expo this weekend in Halfmoon is billed as the Northeast’s largest event of its kind.

📸 The Artsy Fartsy Photo Collective meets regularly to build community around the love of fine art photography. On Saturday, bring your 10 best prints for their free portfolio review.

🍺 Calling all craft beer lovers! The NYS Craft Brewers Festival takes over the Desmond Hotel in Albany on Saturday. But hurry, this event sells out every year!

🥣 On Saturday, get to Schenectady for the 9th Annual Downtown Soup Stroll. Samples are just $1. Interestingly, Amsterdam is also putting on its 7th Annual SoupFest at the same time!

🦐 Also on Saturday, SPAC presents Culinary Arts Bayou Kitchen with Melissa Martin, focusing on preserving and celebrating Cajun cuisine.

🥞 On Sunday, Drag Brunch at Emry’s Garden promises pancakes and stunning drag performances from Starling Silver, Queenie Royale and Serafina Silver.

🎹 Also on Sunday, the Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore invites you to SURROUND: Sophia Subbayya Vastek, where the audience is seated onstage with the artist. It’s an appropriately intimate setting for the pianist’s music, which has been described as “passionate and profoundly tender.”

🎵 The Albany Record Riot! brings more than 15,000 vinyl records under one roof, at the Polish Community Center in Albany. Come for the albums, stay for the Polish delights. Also happening this weekend: The Adirondack Vinyl Slam!

🎸 LIVE MUSIC & MORE

GET YOUR EVENT ON THE LIST 🎸

Sundays are the deadline to be included in the coming week’s list!

🦫 GOT NEWSLETTER?

Loving this newsletter? Want one for your business or organization? Hire us to produce it for you! Newsletters are the new homepage. If you’re not growing one, you’re falling behind. Get in touch today to get started! Contact: [email protected]