Mardi Gras times two, plus Valentine’s times four, plus Mozart times two, plus drag times three, equals a good week in New Haven.
Monday, February 12
From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Institute Library (847 Chapel St, New Haven; 203-562-4045) is celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and the 200th anniversary of Frederick Douglass’s birth month—his exact date of birth is unknown—with “socializing, followed by readings, conversation and cake.” Organizers suggest a $10 donation to the library, with advance online registration requested.
Oh, and if you haven’t yet gotten a Valentine’s card or gift for your significant other, Creative Arts Workshop’s XOXO: A Sale of Valentines—featuring “one-of-a-kind cards, books, boxes, pottery and more… created by the studio binders, studio potters and other artists of Creative Arts Workshop”—is open today through Wednesday from noon to 6 p.m. 80 Audubon Street, New Haven. (203) 562 4927.
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Tuesday, February 13
It’s Fat Tuesday in the Elm City, which means it’s the New Haven Free Public Library’s annual Mardi Gras soiree, going from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Promising “delicious food and drink, live music and entertainment and a Mardi Gras parade”—food and drink providers include 16 local favorites like Crepes Choupette, G Café, Olea and Two Roads, with the live music coming courtesy of Funky Dawgz Brass Band—this year’s fundraiser is happening at Westville’s Mitchell Branch Library (37 Harrison St, New Haven; 203-946-8117). $80 per ticket, or $300 for four.
Wednesday, February 14 – Valentine’s Day
From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., “love is on the air” as local public radio station WNPR hosts a multifaceted open house of its new studio at Gateway Community College (20 Church St, New Haven; free).
At 12:30, Yale University Art Gallery (1111 Chapel St, New Haven; 203-432-0601; free) has scholar Caryne Eskridge discussing “Love and Memory in American Decorative Arts,” inviting attendees, who should first gather in the lobby, to take “a close look at several objects that invite questions about love, memory and personal relationships.”
At 5, Elm City Games (760 Chapel St, Fl 2, New Haven; $5 per person) is pulling out two-person games for couples from its vast library, and because it’s BYO, you can bring your own romantic dinner or drinks.
And technically starting at 3 p.m. but probably getting going around dinner time, Elm City Social (266 College St, New Haven; 475-441-7436; no cover indicated) is hosting a “Be My Onesie and Only! Party,” encouraging guests to wear onesies.
Thursday, February 15
Starting at 7:30 p.m. in Woolsey Hall (500 College St, New Haven), the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (203-865-0831) is trying out one of the finalists vying for its musical directorship: Alasdair Neale, who’s conducting the orchestra through a program of works by Mozart, Elgar, Bates and Puts. Regular tickets start at $15.
Usually a more limited affair and a very tough ticket as a result, Yale Cabaret’s drag weekend, or Yale Dragaret, is expanding to three nights and seven performances this year. Today’s 8 and 11 p.m. shows feature drag performers from the wider New Haven community and are emceed by Kiki Lucia; tomorrow’s 8 and 11 p.m. shows feature “Yale School of Drag alumni” in a performance titled “Cock-Tail Party;” and Saturday’s 8 p.m., 10 p.m. and midnight shows feature the current class of Yale drama dragsters. Regular standing-room tickets, with limited seating offered on a first-come basis, cost $30, while VIP tickets cost $50. 217 Park Street, New Haven. (203) 432-1566.
Friday, February 16
It isn’t Fat Tuesday, but it is Friday, meaning the festivities can run later for the fourth annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Party at Knickerbocker Golf Club (715 Sherman Pkwy, New Haven; 203-865-1431). Offering food, drink specials, a live video DJ, raffles, a prize for best mask and a “mature crowd,” the event goes from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., with tickets costing $12 at the door or $10 in advance.
Saturday, February 17
Starting with a 10 a.m. lion parade down Whitney Avenue, this year’s Lunarfest—the Yale-China Association’s free ode to the Lunar New Year, which marks the restart of the lunisolar calendar traditionally used in Chinese and other cultures—happens today, with a whopping 34 non-parade items spanning six venues listed on the official itinerary. Check it out.
Sunday, February 18
Today at 2 p.m.—and also Friday and yesterday at 8 p.m.—the powerful musical voices of Yale Opera and Yale Philharmonia perform Mozart’s The Magic Flute, described here as a “timeless tale of a hero’s journey to enlightenment.” As if to reinforce the point, that journey plays out in a setting that has survived many eras: the historic Shubert Theatre (247 College St, New Haven; 203-562-5666). $19-54.
Written by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
