Valentine’s Day weekend shows up in a lot of forms this year. Some events lean into love and heartbreak head-on, others take a more offbeat or low-pressure approach and a few have nothing to do with romance at all. From awkward diary confessions and science after dark to opera, maple syrup and tattoo fundraisers, the weekend lineup leaves plenty of room to celebrate, avoid or completely redefine Valentine’s Day on your own terms.
Friday
Mortified Baltimore: Doomed Valentine’s 2026, Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Mortified brings its love-themed edition back for two shows, featuring adults reading their most painfully honest teenage diary entries, poems, love letters and locker notes onstage. Expect equal parts secondhand embarrassment and big laughs, with plenty of first crush and first breakup energy. Tickets start at $35.
Grown Up Field Trip: Cupid’s Lab, Maryland Science Center, 601 Light St., 7–9 p.m.
The Maryland Science Center turns Valentine’s Day into a night of drinks and hands-on experiments. Explore exhibits after hours, try love-themed science activities and games, and sip wine while you wander from attraction experiments to heart rate tests and a dinosaur dating game. The event is 21 and over, with tickets priced at $40.
Saturday
Roots and Resonance: An Operatic Love Letter to Baltimore, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, 830 E. Pratt St., 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
This daylong program blends performance, history and conversation, bringing opera into dialogue with Baltimore’s Black and Jewish cultural histories. The event includes a moderated panel, a catered lunch with a guided museum tour and a closing recital curated by Baltimore-born baritone Daniel Rich, featuring opera, spirituals and new works by local composers. Tickets are $12 for college students.
Maple Magic, Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, MD, tours at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Ladew Gardens’ annual Maple Magic invites visitors to experience the full process of making real maple syrup, from identifying trees in winter to collecting sap and watching it boil down over an open fire. The outdoor, staff-guided program ends with samples of fresh syrup and maple candy, and it runs in small groups, so advance registration is required. Tickets are $12 for non-member young adults.
Sunday
Tats for Tails, Baltimore Tattoo Museum, 1534 Eastern Ave., 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
This annual fundraiser pairs flash tattoos with a good cause, with participating artists donating 100% of tattoo proceeds to BARCS Animal Shelter. Designs start at $100, and tattoos are done on a first-come, first-served basis using a numbered ticket system. Adee’s Coffee Roasters nearby will offer a 10% discount while you wait, making it an easy way to support local artists and help animals in need.
