This Week in New Haven (February 7 – 13)

V -Day lands on a Monday, so dinner, dancing and dessert drinks happen this week instead.

Tuesday, February 8
Gift shop Flutterby (55 Whitfield St, Guilford; 203-458-1941), which claims “the cutest gifts for him and her” among its inventory, anticipates V-Day with an after-hours Chocolate Martini Night from 5 to 7 p.m. The idea, of course, is to enjoy “a delicious chocolate martini while you shop for your Special Valentine.”

Thursday, February 10
Love isn’t just for homo sapiens. A “For the Love of Cats” raffle and trivia night fundraiser at Olives and Oil (124 Temple St, New Haven) starts at 5 p.m. (trivia at 7:30) and benefits the Greater New Haven Cat Project, an organization dedicated to “improving the lives of stray, abandoned, and feral cats.”

sponsored by

New Haven Symphony Orchestra

In a virtual 6 p.m. talk hosted by the New Haven Museum, professor Kerima Lewis digs into the historical, political, cultural and civic aspects of “An Upside-Down World: The Reign of Black Governors in CT” during the 18th and 19th centuries. See our full “Briefing” here.

A heavy 8 p.m. lineup at Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281; $5) mostly lets the music do the talking. Headliner He Was a God’s summary on its Facebook page is two words long: “Metal. Connecticut.” Rounding out the bill are Brooklyn-based grunge band King Dutch and two-man Bridgeport rock act 49 Feet High.

Friday, February 11
Ninth Square gallery Artspace (50 Orange St, New Haven; 203-772-2709) opens its next exhibition, Dyschronics. “An exhibition that does not recognize clocks, linear progression, or chrono-logies,” “it is an antagonism to ‘The Western Hour’ via interruptions, waiting, transitions, intervals, and in-between moments.” Artspace’s hours are noon to six Wednesday through Saturday.

Fright Haven (411 Barnum Ave Cutoff, Stratford; 203-337-FEAR; $25-$60) is back with another “Valentine’s Day Sucks” haunted attraction open from 7 to 10 tonight and tomorrow. Details are thickest on TikTok; elsewhere, a fun ad campaign promises “no more lonely nights for all you monsters out there.”

Daily Nutmeg is hiring

Saturday, February 12
Two Valentine’s Day markets pop up from noon to 4. In the east, it’s a Valentine’s Vendor Market at East Rock Brewing Company (285 Nicoll St, New Haven; 475-234-6176), where eight vendors selling flowers, jewelry, soaps, art and more have been announced. In the west, Lotta Studio (911 Whalley Ave, New Haven) hosts a Valentine’s Day edition of the Westville Arts Market selling “art + handmade goods.”

Banquet space Anthony’s Ocean View (450 Lighthouse Rd, New Haven; 203-469-9010) hosts a Valentine’s Dinner Dance from 7 to midnight, with an open bar, sit-down dinner and live music from pitch-perfect singer Timmy Maia and friends. It’s not clear how much tickets cost, so give the venue a call for more info and to make a reservation.

Also starting at 7, a Dia del Amor y Amistad-themed Dominican Bachata Workshop & Latin Dance Social is hosted by Baila Con Gusto (618 Chapel St, New Haven, below the Church of St. Paul & St. James). “Bring your besties, your friends, your date, and dress in your rosiest attire! All levels welcome, no partner or experience required!” Do the workshop alone for $25, the social alone for $15 or both for $30.

Sunday, February 13
In New Haven, Super Bowl Sunday indicates another athletic event: IRIS’s annual Run for Refugees. Raising “awareness of the U.S. Resettlement Program” and “vital funds to support services for refugees and immigrants who are starting new lives in Connecticut,” the run invites the public to finish a flat 5K run through East Rock or a “virtual run” via a course and method of your choosing. The in-person race starts (at 10 a.m.) and finishes at Wilbur Cross High School (181 Mitchell Dr, New Haven), where a post-race party and award ceremony will be held.

And of course, starting at 6:30 p.m., the Rams butt heads with the Bengals for Super Bowl LVI. Watch it at home on NBC or Peacock, or settle into a local bar with a TV tuned in.

Written by Dan Mims. Image, featuring the start of a past Run for Refugees, photographed by Uma Ramiah. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.

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Dan has worked for a couple of major media companies, but he likes Daily Nutmeg best. As DN’s editor, he writes, photographs, edits and otherwise shepherds ideas into fully realized feature stories.

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