You don’t need a partner to celebrate Valentine’s Day this weekend in Salem. Local venues have everything from a pole and aerial dancing performance to a special Market for the Strange themed around “strange lovers” in art and craft.
If you’d rather attend a show without all the reminders of Cupid, there are several musical genres to choose from too. Here’s a guide to what’s happening this weekend from Friday, Feb. 9, to Sunday, Feb. 11.
A sensual evening of dance
The Reed Opera House hosts “Quixiotic,” a “powerful and sensual performance” mixing pole and aerial dancing on Saturday evening. A full bar and refreshments are available, with aerial servers refilling champagne glasses.
The show is a joint production of Empowerment Pole & Fitness and Salem Aerial Dance Company. A vendor market opens at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. at 189 Liberty St. N.E. Tickets are $30 and nearly sold out, according to organizers. Learn more or buy them here. 21+ only.
Market for the Strange
Salem’s vendor market celebrating the weird, quirky and unique from local artists and crafters is one year old. This weekend’s event, “Strange Lovers,” runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St. S.E. You can take photos with Cupid, get a tattoo and browse selections from 70 vendors.
Admission is $5 and children under 12 are free. There is an 18+ only section.
Live music: Beethoven, punk and LGBT chorus
The Oregon Symphony performs Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in Salem Friday night, alongside more contemporary pieces. The show is at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium, 270 Winter St. S.E., starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $37 and are available online here.
Infinity Room has two live music shows this weekend featuring local bands.
On Friday, catch End of Conflict (punk/metal from Salem), Combo Move (punk rock from Portland), and Bent Spokes Posse (rock from Portland). The show is 21+ after 10 p.m.
On Saturday, performers are Sunwell (alternative rock from Salem), Tigers of Youth (alt-swing-fusion-rock from Silverton), and Harbor Place (alternative rock/hip-hop from Lincoln City). The show is 21+.
Both shows start at 7:30 p.m. at the venue, 210 Liberty St. S.E. Tickets for both are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Learn more and buy tickets online.
Confluence LGBT Chorus invites Salem to celebrate love in all its forms with its annual fundraiser concert Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
“This evening of small group harmonies mingled with solo performances will lift your spirits and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy,” the event description says.
The show is at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 700 Marion St. N.E. Suggested donation is $25 but nobody is turned away for lack of funds.
Roller derby
Show your love of roller derby at “My Bloody Valentine,” a Valentine’s Day roller derby mashup doubleheader featuring Salem’s adult and junior skaters. The juniors bout starts at 4:30 p.m. and adults at 7 p.m. at the Mad House, 1335 Madison St. N.E.
Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 cash and $16 card at the door. Buy them online here.
Art
Check out Salem’s February art exhibitions here.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
