Whether you're the flowers and chocolates type or find Valentine's Day a bit of a cliche, the date is one that is hard to avoid.
February 14 is the traditional day on which to show a loved one just how much he or she means but for many couples it can prove a bit of a headache finding new ways to celebrate. So we've drawn up a list of 10 top events offering something special or unique in celebration of Valentine's Day.
For lots of people the focus is upon food and while a meal cooked together and shared can make for a perfect night at home - if you've skills in the kitchen that is - the treat for many others is in dining out. Our guide therefore includes a few Valentine's meal events and one-off deals.
Read more: First Valentine menu at Metrocentre's Doppio Malto is beer-inspired
Keep an eye out too for more special offers to be announced at venues around the region. On Newcastle Quayside, for instance, the Gino D'Acampo restaurant is offering a Valentine's deal on gift cards and anyone buying one between February 6 and 14 will receive an additional 20%, so purchasing one for £100, for instance, will see an extra £20 added. The restaurant, inside INNSiDE hotel, also will be serving a Valentine's menu and afternoon tea if anyone is looking for further ideas.
Watch a St Valentine's Day Massacre
Taking its name from the infamous gangster slaying in Chicago on February 14 in 1929, this murder mystery evening being hosted at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle promises an unforgettable Valentine's experience, although it actually takes place on February 17. Out to conjure up the atmosphere - but none of the horrors - of that 1920s era, will be actors featuring in a gangster story.
Presented by immersive entertainment company Murder 57, the plot for the night will centre around Jack - known as Johnny - Johnson whose Starlight Rooms night club comes to the attention of police when it is linked to a series of murders. But is Johnny being framed? That's what the audience can debate over the accompanying three-course meal with tea or coffee.
The murder mystery and meal costs £59 or - with the addition of an overnight stay and breakfast the next morning - £124.50 (£209 for two guests). For further information and to book see here and for more about upcoming events at the grade one-listed city hotel see here.
Join a cocktail-making masterclass
A double treat is on offer at Revolución de Cuba in Newcastle where it's all about sharing and indulgence on Valentine's Day. The restaurant-bar in the Cloth Market is inspired by Havana and it will be bringing that sultry, classic vibe to bear on a special event that promises to capture 'the heart of Cuba'.
A Valentine's Day Cocktail Masterclass is taking place there on February 14, from 6pm, when guests can enjoy shaking and making some top tipples. The 90-minute shared experience will see multiple couples join together to create one class and they can expect lots of fun, games, challenges and plenty of shots.
The event is not just for those in a relationship but is also aimed at pairs of friends and it could well being out people's competitive sidea. The cost is from £25 per person and Virgin Experience Day vouchers also will be accepted.
An alternative option to sweeten the mood for couples celebrating Valentine's Day is the venue's new Cuban Afternoon Tea. This recently-launched treat offers a twist on a classic sarnie-and-scone tradition with a mix of tapas followed by - for each guest - a brownie, pastel de nata (the popular Portuguese custard tart) and strawberry margarita shot.
The tea, costing £12.50 per person, can be booked for two people or for large groups, with an option to add a cocktail or glass of prosecco for £5 or a bottle of prosecco for £20. There's also a 'cocktail teapot' available for £15 for two.
To book email bookings-newcastle@revoluciondecuba.com or call 0191 917 7076. The cocktail masterclass can be booked directly with Revolución de Cuba or the experience can be bought from Virgin Experience Days with the voucher then being redeemed by getting in touch with the venue.
Cosy up at the Castle Keep
For a night with a difference, Newcastle's historic Castle Keep will be opening on February 14 for an Exclusive Valentine's Day Evening Tour. At a time it's normally closed for the night, the grade one-listed monument is inviting guests to soak up its magical atmosphere on a guides tour which will include some stories of the castle's past inhabitants.
It says the one-and-a-half hour tour will take in its 'romantic' Great Hall for a glass of sparkling wine and "an historically-inspired sweet treat" before a climb to the roof to see the stunning city skyline views. A professional photographer will be on hand to take couples' photographs, for £5, in the King chambers which will be emailed to them following the event.
There are two tour time options: 6pm and 8pm, with guests being asked to arrive 15 minutes early at the meeting point which will be the Keep entrance opposite The Bridge Hotel. To book for the £15 tour see here.
Drive out for a Valentine's Afternoon Tea
The 'most romantic of afternoon teas' - served inside a pretty barn in Northumberland - is on offer on February 11, with table slots available every half hour between 2pm and 4pm. The cost is £24.95 and the cosy setting is High House Barn at High House Farm, near Matfen, which says "our menu has been specially crafted to celebrate the season of love with reds, pinks and crisp whites adorning the selection, accompanied by the sumptuous tastes of luxurious cocoa; the classic way to celebrate your affections."
Not only does that sound lovely enought but the themed menu will include sandwiches, smoked salmon and cream cheese crostini, sausage rolls and scones served with locally-produced preserve and whipped cream. Plus there'll be a selection of sweet treats including red velvet cake, macaroons, Eton mess, chocolate-dipped strawberries and love heart cheesecake as well as chocolate truffles. Adding fizz to the occasion will be a prosecco option too. Book here.
Share pizzas and Love Hearts
A 'Punk'd up' Valentine's Deal is on offer at a city restaurant which includes a heart-shape pepperoni pizza that won't cost a lot of dough. Pizza Punks in Newcastle's Grey Street says it will have a special deal on for February 14 of two pizzas and two Love Heart cocktails for an 'inflation-busting' £22.
It marks a special extension to its 'cheap date Mondays' offer (which also applies to the branch in Belfast) and the restaurant is aiming its deal at those celebrating Valentine’s, Palentine’s or Galentine’s - which basically means anyone eating out with someone they like. The pizza favourite, which opened in the city in 2018, is renowned for its 'punk’d up' pizzas with customers invited to add unlimited toppings to a sourdough base and these can be anything from garlic and rosemary roasties to beef shin ragu. To book for Valentine's Day see here.
Laugh at love
The food of love and a night of laughter will combine in a Valentine's Comedy Show and Dinner at the South Causey Inn at Stanley in County Durham - and it will be peppered with hits of alcohol along the way. The £40 event will get under way in the pub's Durham Suite at 6.45pm on February 11 with dinner starting at 7pm and then a comedy show at 9pm, with a line-up of comics made up of Anja Atkinson, Sascha Lo, John Gibson and host Si Beckwith.
Guests can expect a tapas-style three-course meal featuring four starters, four mains and four desserts with an alcoholic shot - vodka, tequila and then limoncello - between each course. Other drinks, including cocktails, will be on offer at the bar. For full details of what's on offer at the pub throughout February, where other events include Valentine's cocktail masterclasses, afternoon tea and an Valentine's Acoustic Night on February 10, see here.
Create hearts of glass
The National Glass Centre is inviting people to make a glass Valentine's Day heart which sounds like a perfect keepsake and a reminder of love which will last (hopefully). The experienced glass makers at the centre - which is currently at the subject of relocation ideas due to the building's structural problems - will act as guides in helping create a beautiful heart decoration out of molten glass.
Available sessions, which cost £40, are already filling up quickly but there are currently tickets still available for noon on February 11 and both the 10am and 2pm slots on February 12. See here and for more about National Glass Centre's programme of events see here.
Tour The Bowes Museum and dine in style
This is Durham is advertising a special event at The Bowes Musuem in Barnard Castle, County Durham, where love will be in the air on February 14 as visitors are invited to wander its romantic exhibits and enjoy the likes of prosecco and chocolates in the stately surroundings. That's what is set to accompany an intimate two-course dinner being served in its Cafe Bowes.
The home of such well-loved attractions as the robotic Silver Swan is due to open from 6pm for its Valentine's Night Dinner event which will include a guided tour of the museum's most romantic piece in its LOVE collections. The price is not yet announced: see here.
Play a blinder with a meal at St James' Park
On the back of Newcastle United's semi-final success, where better to celebrate a day of love than in the very spot that magic was worked on Tuesday night - or about as near as you can get to it anyway. The team's St James' Park home is hosting a special event for foodie fans on February 14, with a six-course fine dining menu, created with passion and served up with cracking views.
The ground's Park Grill will be the setting for the Valentine's Day meal and its windows overlook the pitch so take along a camera as that view looks just as spectacular illuminated at night as it does by day. Read more about what's on offer here.
Book a night under the stars
Anyone looking to impress a partner on Valentine's Day may find a 14th century castle helps to make the right impact - and added touches of food, drink and live entertainment can't help either. On Valentine's Day - and also on February 11 - Lumley Castle in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, will be hosting an event called A Night Under The Stars.
The romantic treat, costing £55, will begin with a glass of prosecco and a single red rose upon arrival then will follow up with entertainment and a three-course meal in the castle's Garter Suite. A DJ and disco will then continue the party mood until 1am. An overnight hotel stay can be added too for those keen to make it a full night under the stars. See here.
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