ARANETA CITY is celebrating the Valentine’s weekend by putting up floral installations, arches, and garlands all across its malls to serve as backdrops for romantic photos. At Gateway Mall 1 and 2, there will be ready-made bouquets, complete with ribbons and dedication cards, as well as exclusive horse-drawn carriage rides that couples can avail themselves of. A 360-degree camera photobooth and interactive flower bar with personalized arranging activities can help visitors bring home romantic memories. At Ali Mall, Pop QC will have booths with gift items like pressed-flower art, floral perfumes, and flower-scented candles. Finally, Farmers Plaza will have a lineup of P-pop artists on Feb. 14 to serenade couples on their flower adventures.
SHOPPERS at Robinsons Department Store Galleria can enjoy a free in-store Chinese New Year-themed whimsical horse carousel ride with a minimum single-receipt purchase of P500 from Feb. 13 to 17. Drop by the Prosperi-tree and get a chance to win up to P500 in Robinson’s Department Store Gift Certificates for a minimum single-receipt purchase of P3,500. Discover what 2026 has in store and get insights into the year ahead with a free Fortune Reading for every P2,000 purchase on Feb. 1 to 17 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
THE PHILIPPINE Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) ushers in the season of romance with Concert VI: Romanza, an evening devoted to the language of romance expressed through music. The concert will be held on Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m., at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. The PPO, under the baton of PPO music director and principal conductor Grzegorz Nowak, is joined by violin virtuoso Bartek Nizioł and pianist Junhee Kim. The evening’s repertoire starts with Mozart’s unfinished classic, Concerto for Violin and Piano in D major, K. Anh. 56/315f, which has been completed by the PPO’s composer-in-residence, Jeffrey Ching. This newly realized version receives its world premiere in Concert VI: Romanza. The rest of the evening features Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No. 2. PPO concert tickets are available at TicketWorld and range in price from P1,500 to P3,000. Season subscribers get an exclusive 20% discount. E-mail salesandpromotions@culturalcenter.gov.ph or call the CCP Box Office (0931-033-0880) for details.
IN CELEBRATION of National Arts Month this February, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is holding a series of cultural programs nationwide under the theme “Ani ng Sining: Katotohanan at Giting.” As part of the celebration, the NCCA is mounting Art FriDates, a series of cultural events scheduled every Friday of February, to be held at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), Roxas Blvd. corner Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Pasay City. The program serves as a platform for participating local government units (LGUs) to showcase their distinct art forms, traditions, and cultural initiatives, with the aim of fostering artistic excellence and strengthening cultural appreciation. Art FriDates will feature the Province of Bulacan on Feb. 13, followed by Biñan, Laguna on Feb. 20, Quezon Province on Feb. 27, and Muntinlupa City on March 6.
THE VALENTINE’S DAY book donation drive initiated by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario is now in its third year. This year, Mr. Almario has dubbed the campaign as “Aklat ng Pagmamahal” (“Book of Love”) which has seen local publishers and Filipino writers come together to bequeath books to the Quezon City Public Library and its branches, as well as to the libraries being built at the Quezon City Jail. The various publishers and writers will be at the Quezon City Public Library on Feb. 14, 9 a.m. to give books. The general public is invited to come to the event to donate books and reading materials.
THE Asian Cultural Council Philippines Foundation, Inc. (ACC Philippines), in partnership with Leon Gallery, will hold its annual benefit art auction on Feb. 14 at the Leon Gallery in Makati City. The auction marks the first in a series of fundraising initiatives this year in support of the ACC Philippines Fellowship Program. The benefit auction will feature a selection of works by distinguished and emerging Filipino artists. Proceeds will directly support the ACC Philippines Fellowship Program, which enables Filipino artists, scholars, and arts professionals to pursue research, creative work, and cultural exchange projects in the Philippines and abroad. Bidding begins at 2 p.m. at Leon Gallery, Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Streets, Legazpi Village, Makati City. For auction details, visit www.leon-gallery.com. For more information on ACC programs and fellowships, visit www.asianculturalcouncil.org.
CELEBRATE THE DAY at the Newport World Resorts with music as Champions of the Heart, a Valentine’s concert featuring some of the Philippines’ most celebrated vocalists (Martin Nievera, Sofronio Vasquez, Jed Madela, Jona, and Klarisse de Guzman) takes place on Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. at the Marriott Grand Ballroom. Tickets are available at all TicketWorld outlets and the Newport World Resorts Box Office, with tickets ranging in price from P3,800 to P13,500. For inquiries, contact Customer Care at 7908-8888 or info@fhtcentertainment.com.
COUPLES can experience the Ayala Museum in a different light on Feb. 14 with “Mezcla at Night,” a Valentine’s evening where the museum opens its doors after hours for rare nighttime access to the Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila exhibitions. There will be activities including a scavenger hunt through the gallery, live flamenco performances with the Angel Flamenco dance organization and guitarist Carlo Antonio B. Juan, and food by Terry’s Bistro & Gourmet Store. Regular tickets are P1,300, while seniors and PWDs get a rate of P1,040. The program starts at 6 p.m. on Feb. 14.
TO ENJOY ART for two, couples can purchase two all-access pass tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (The M) for the price of one on Feb. 14 and 15. For P550, two people can enter the museum, exclusively over the Valentine’s weekend. This “Art For Two” offer is available online and onsite.
ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DE MANILLE (AFM) is hosting a blind date event — with books. Until Feb. 14, members can come to the AFM in Makati to pick out a book on the display table, read it, rate it using the book card, then return it in the same condition a month later, from March 10 to 14. Interested participants must first become a member of AFM to join in the book date. Membership includes access to freebies, French entertainment, private events, early-access tickets, and other news.
THIS VALENTINE’S SEASON, Spotify is putting a playful spin on modern dating by turning musical taste into a compatibility test. Through “Match Made in Spotify,” a new in-app experience, users can test their compatibility with a crush or partner, based on the music they actually listen to on Spotify. Each result comes with a personalized playlist created for the pairing, making it easy to share results and playlists with friends or on social media. It’s available exclusively on the Spotify app.
FROM FEB. 13 TO 16, Potato Corner will have a “Buy One, Free One” deal. Customers can enjoy a free large container of flavored fries with every purchase of a Mega size of fries. Also, every purchase of Giga or Tera fries comes with free jumbo-sized flavored fries. This promo runs at all Potato Corner outlets nationwide.
THE FILM Wuthering Heights, directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, is now in cinemas. The adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel is meant to be “twisted, provocative, romantic,” according to lead actress Ms. Robbie. It follows the forbidden passion between Cathy and Heathcliff, reimagined with a soundtrack by Charli xcx.

