February is the shortest month of the year. Let’s make it count! ⬇️
🎨 Check Out Shows & Art Exhibits
Groove to tunes at Sweetwater Center for the Arts’s Folk February series in Sewickley or BRIGID, a musical celebration of Irish and Celtic culture at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center Feb. 1.
See new creative works at the Not White Collective’s exhibit featuring Indigenous, Chicano, and Raza identifying artists in East Allegheny; illustrator Sophia Pappas’ show picturing fantastical gods and deities at Bunker Projects; or Njaimeh Njie’s exhibit on the legacy of Black cultural spaces in East Liberty at Kelly Strayhorn Theater.
Yinz movie fans? Catch all the Oscar-nominated short films with special screenings at Harris Theater or Row House Cinema.
☁️ Pray Phil Doesn’t See His Shadow
On Feb. 2, Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney will be teeming with fans of world’s most famous groundhog, eager to see the critter’s weather forecast. Here’s how often the groundhog’s predictions are actually correct — and more fun Phil “phacts!”
Stay tuned for shows and exhibits at the renovated August Wilson House in the Hill District. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
📖 Learn Pittsburgh’s Black History
Do you know about the illustrator who helped design Sesame Street? What about the woman responsible for bringing Black opera to Pittsburgh? Or the group of men from the Hill District who revolutionized emergency medicine in America? Dig into our Pittsburgh history articles to discover stories of Black changemakers and creatives in our city.
Events for adults + older kids: Admire Charles “Teenie” Harris’ archives at the Carnegie Museum of Art; visit the “From Slavery to Freedom” exhibit at the Heinz History Center; explore the August Wilson African American Cultural Center; or dance and sing in community at the Let Freedom Ring celebration Feb. 22.
Events for little ones: Attend the Children’s Museum’s Black History Month art crawl Feb. 1; find reading events at a Carnegie Library; or see miniature historical landmarks at the Science Center’s Railroad and Miniature Village, like the home of famous suffragist Daisy Lampkin and the Pittsburgh Courier Building.
See Pittsburgh’s sports legacy at the Heinz History Center. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
🥎 Celebrate Girls & Women in Sports Day
Pittsburgh is a sports town — and not just for men! Just last year, we got a women's soccer team, The Riveters, and the Penguins Foundation recently announced they’re starting a girl’s hockey program in honor of the 1970s Pittsburgh Pennies hockey team.
Pittsburgh athletes and sports orgs are celebrating national Girls & Women in Sports Day at the Homewood-Brushton Branch YMCA Feb. 5. Check out the lineup.
Also this month, the Burgh is welcoming its first women’s sports bar, Title 9, in East Liberty. The name is a nod to the federal law that gives equal opportunity to women athletes.
It’s free to submit your chili in the 3ROC Chili Bowl IV and $10 to taste. BYO bowl! (Courtesy of 3ROC)
😋 Taste Something New
Pittsburgh has THREE different comfort food contests this month! Find your favorite bowl at the Best Vegan Soup in the 'Burgh competition at Velum Fermentation Feb. 2; 3 River Outdoor Co’s Chili Bowl IV Feb. 8; or the South Side Soup Contest Feb. 22. Keep warming up with a drink from Spirit of the Burgh Festival at The Pennsylvanian Feb. 22 or Pittsburgh Winter Beerfest at David L. Lawrence Convention Center Feb. 21-22.
🛍️ Support Local Makers
Shop at the Punk Rock Flea Market at Mr. Roboto Project in Bloomfield Feb. 1; Cupid’s Craft & Shop at Kingfly Spirits in the Strip District Feb. 7; the Valentine’s Vintage Market at Field Day in Lawrenceville Feb 8; or Crafts & Drafts 10 Year Anniversary at East End Brewing in Larimer Feb. 9.
➡️ Keep shopping! Mark your calendar for these markets too.
Find your Valentine’s Day card at Wildcard in Lawrenceville. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
💝 Cherish Love of All Kinds
Treat your loved ones (or yourself) to a take-and-bake dinner for two from Pane è Pronto in the Strip District; grab a drink at the Industrialist’s Broken Heart’s Club in Downtown; go to an after-hours Galentine’s night at Soergel Orchard in Wexford Feb. 11; revel in romance with Pittsburgh’s Poettess Rachel Ann Bovier at Bottlerocket Social Hall in Allentown Feb. 12; or take your pals to the Friends and Lovers Party at Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland Feb. 13.
Want to send a proper valentine? Skip Hallmark and buy a mystery “meowentine” benefiting Nose 2 Tail Cat Rescue.
➡️ There’s more! Find an event to match your heart’s desire.
