Stranger Suggests: Valentine’s Dessert Night, HUMP! Film Festival, Madonna, Some Stars of Native American Comedy,

WEDNESDAY 2/14  

Valentine’s Dessert Night

(FOOD) Valentine’s Day can often be rife with pressure, which is a recipe for inevitable disappointment. If you’re looking for a more laidback (but nonetheless enchanting) celebration that doesn’t require reservations, Coyle’s has you covered: On February 14, they’ll reopen in the evening from 5-8 pm for their annual Valentine’s Dessert Night, which will include some of their fanciest treats, such as macarons, chocolate eclairs, Paris-Brests, and their coveted coconut caramel chiffon cake, as well as beverages and sparkling wine. Linger in the dining room or take your baked goods home for Netflix and chill. (Coyle’s Bakeshop, 8300 Greenwood Ave N, 5-8 pm) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 2/15  

2024 HUMP! Film Festival

(HUMP!) Dan Savage’s pioneering erotic film fest will premiere an all-new lineup of sexy films featuring all genders and orientations at On the Boards this year. Since 2005, HUMP! has brought inclusive, creative, and kinky films to the big screen—scope out the sex-positive fest in person for a tantalizing treat. This year’s fest features not one but two feature-length lineups—part one includes a feast of “24 brand-spanking-new films” for your eyeballs. It’s worth a venture outside of your sex dungeon, but you can still wear the latex catsuit. (On the Boards, 100 W Roy St, 7 pm and 9:30 pm screenings Thurs-Sun through March 2, $20-$30) LINDSAY COSTELLO

FRIDAY 2/16  

年轻人社死档案室 (Young People Social Death Archive)

(PERFORMANCE) Up-and-coming bicultural and experimental theater company Yun Theatre, whose works “challenge traditional norms and confront social and political issues affecting marginalized communities,” will premiere their latest production, 年轻人社死档案室 (Young People Social Death Archive). Penned by playwright and “social awkwardness sufferer” Siming Lu, the production explores loneliness, identity, and the harshness of new adulthood with a dose of irony and humor. Best part? Each performance includes pre-show gatherings and post-show live tunes and dance parties. (Theatre Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave S, Feb 16-18, $16-$35, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO

SATURDAY 2/17  

Madonna: The Celebration Tour

(MUSIC) With Ticketmaster charging exorbitant prices for big-name concerts, I prayed to the pop gods not to announce any tours that would entice me. So of course, the Queen of Pop herself had to go and announce her Celebration tour. Described in the press release as a career-spanning “one-of-a-kind experience” that pays respects to her career’s birthplace of New York City, Madonna has vowed to give fans “the show they have been waiting for.” Plus, RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Bob the Drag Queen is opening the show. Goddamnit, I guess I have no choice but to go. I mean what more is there to say? Bitch, it’s Madonna! (Climate Pledge Arena, 305 Harrison St, Feb 17-18, 8:30 pm, tickets were available starting at $81 at press time, all ages) AUDREY VANN

SUNDAY 2/18  

Dr. Joy Buolamwini with Charles Mudede: Decoding the Future

Dr. Joy Buolamwini will be at Town Hall with The Stranger’s own Charles Mudede on Sunday, February 18. AUthor photo by Naima Green/Cover Image Courtesy of Penguin Random House

(BOOKS) Deemed “the conscience of the AI revolution” by Fortune, Dr. Joy Buolamwini dug into the racial and gender biases encoded in artificial intelligence while a graduate student at MIT. (And you thought you were smart.) In Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines, Dr. Buolamwini unpacks the challenges that the new technology creates and how the “coded gaze” may expose these vulnerabilities in the future. She’ll be joined for this wide-reaching conversation by Charles Mudede, senior staff writer at The Stranger. (Town Hall Seattle, 1119 Eighth Ave, 7:30 pm, $5-$25, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO

MONDAY 2/19  

Some Stars of Native American Comedy

(COMEDY) With shows like Reservation Dogs and writers like Tommy Orange on the rise, Native arts and performances are getting some overdue shine. This evening of laughs spotlights Native comedy greats including Miguel Fierro, Oakland-based stand-up Jackie Keliiaa, Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma member Adrianne Chalepah, and queer trans comic Howie Echo-Hawk—expect a night of stereotype-shirking laughs and thoughts on the land back movement. (Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St, 7:30 pm, $35) LINDSAY COSTELLO

TUESDAY 2/20  

Ginny Ruffner: Project Aurora

(VISUAL ART) Last February, I described Atlanta-born sculptural glass artist Ginny Ruffner’s work as “perfect for this time of year—it’s colorful, tactile, and nature-inspired, imparting a sense of hope in the viewer.” I still feel that’s the case. Ruffner has a way of shaking off my winter doldrums. This time, though, she seems to be upping the ante—her solo installation Project Aurora is a 20-foot wall of light that’s “programmed to undulate, evoking the Aurora Borealis.” As someone who has never made it to Lapland, I’m here for the glowy interpretation. (National Nordic Museum, 2655 NW Market St, noon-10 pm Tues-Sun through June 2, free-$20) LINDSAY COSTELLO

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