Cheers and jeers: Valentine’s is here!

Photo by FOODISM360 on Unsplash

Friday

Today is Valentine’s Day. [pregnant pause] If you’d forgotten and will be in trouble for this, don’t worry. There’s plenty of options for you to do something special! Or if you’re someone who’d rather let this holiday come and go without notice, there’re options for you, too!

In Cambodia, there is an unfortunate spike in sexual assaults on this day. Please remember that it is a day to celebrate love – real love – and you cannot force that, and you cannot take it from someone. We ask that you think about the people in your life whom you love (lovers, family, friends) and let them know, be it with a phone call, a silly card, a hug, a hand squeeze. The more we share our hearts, the more we inspire others to do so, too, and love – real love – grows. 

Our Picks

As part of a global initiative to end all violence against women, the Phnom Penh Fem Fest has taken the occasion to celebrate Cambodia’s most impressive females during its 2020 launch party. With live music from The Sound Initiative (“Khmer girls making original Khmer music and spreading appreciation through the Kingdom”), a live painting by Cambodia’s top female artist (and ASEAN Women of the Future award nominee) Chhan Dina and music spun by trailblazing director and DJ Sao Sopheak. The event’s luxe sponsors (Bodia, Baitong Hotel, Four Pillars Gin) have donated luxe experiences to the event’s raffle and giveaways, so it’s an event that keeps on giving! Plus, it’s free to attend.

6-11pm, Lantern Rooftop Bar, St. 282

Regardless of your relationship status, how’s your doggie doing? Could s/he use some buddies? Futures Factory is holding an absolutely adorable-sounding Valentine’s Day “Dog Meet Dog” party, where people can bring their little buddies to meet other little buddies. Even if you don’t have a dog, but really love to see them enjoying life, you’re more than welcome to attend – and also participate in the cocktail making session (RSVP for a spot) and eat and drink. Doggie parents: Animal Mama is giving away free rabies shots for dogs, so make sure to take advantage if yours has been going without.

5-9pm, Futures Factory, St. 13

Music

Music tonight really runs the gamut! (aka there’s something for everyone)

Singer Mariana Hensley and pianist James Atkinson will “jazz up” Farm to Table’s acoustic night with their romantic renditions of classic, well, jazz. 

6:30pm, Farm to Table, St. 360

Three bands are playing Cloud tonight in a “My Indierock Valentine” show. The show, featuring Sangvar Day, Simoun and Psykic Elecktric, is free and accompanied by $1 beers. 

7pm, Cloud, St. 9

Phnom Penh Classical Concerts series is feeling the mood tonight, with German violinist Markus Gundermann playing Franz Liszt’s “Love Dream” and Edward Elgar’s “Salut d’Amour” as well as others. To celebrate Beethoven’s upcoming 250th birthday, the finale will be his “Spring Sonata”. The concert is $10 for adults and $3 for students.

7pm, Raffles, St. 92

Husband and wife duo Geography of the Moon will bring their blend of dreamscape, post-psychedelic folk to Alchemy’s special Valentine’s Day dinner. 

7:30pm, Alchemy GastroPub, St. 123

Rolling together two holidays, Duplex Grand Café’s Naughty or Nice party for anyone on Valentine’s Day, regardless of if they’re single (those are the naughty ones, likely) or in a couple. Three acts will take turns on the stage – Reth Suzana, fire dancers Heat of Siem Reap and DJ Nary. The $10 entrance includes two beers from party sponsors Hoegaarden. 

7-11:30pm, Duplex Grand Café, Sisowath Quay

Bassac Lane’s outdoor concert series hosts the Uncomfortably White Brothers Band tonight. They will croon Barry White and Marvin Gaye to get you in the mood…and feel a little uncomfortable.

9pm-midnight, Bassac Lane 

Comedy

Valentine’s Day make you grumpus? Laugh it off at a special anti-Valentine’s Day show at The Box Office. It’s free (both laughter and the show). As the invite says, it’s really not a holiday that should be taken seriously. 

7:30-9:30pm, The Box Office, St. 244

This sounds like a good one for shits and giggles: party hostel Mad Monkey is holding a speed dating night! While no aspect of this may scream romance, it should be good for a story at least – if not for meeting “the love of your life”. 😉

8-9pm, Mad Monkey, St. 302

What Else?

The Garden is hosting a special Valentine’s Day/Galentine’s Day/Ilovememyselfandmine’s Day with undergarments from luxe Cambodian-made lingerie brand Culotté.es for sale and buy-one-give-one glasses of wine from Blowfish Wines. 

6-9pm, The Garden at Bassac, St. 308

Rooftop skybar Rokku is holding a special Couples Quiz Night, asking questions about your partner…’cause nothing spells romance like public embarrassment over your most intimate moments! Just kidding. It must be fun because it’s the same premise of the American TV show The Newlywed’s Game – and that was on the air for almost 50 years! And it’s free, there will be free drinks for ladies before 9pm, and there will be live music, too. 

8pm-midnight, Rokku, Sisowath Quay

Blue Chilli is celebrating Valentine’s Day. If you’re familiar with the bar, ‘nuff said. Go. If you’re not, it is a popular establishment with nightly drag shows. Tonight’s is extra special because it features the regular show, plus DJ YaYa and a pole dancer imported from France.

10pm-4am, Blue Chilli, St. 178

Dance

Four DJs are playing old skool hip hop, R&B, trash pop and urban classics at Pontoon Pulse’s Golden Days 90s/2000s party. $8 includes one drink from party sponsor Johnnie Walker.

11pm-5am, Pontoon Pulse, St. 172

Party Patio is adding some bass to the mix with drum and bass DJ Sequence playing his first gig at the dance spot cum bar. Opening the night is local celeb Marie Thach playing tech house techno. It’s a free dance night.

9pm-1am, Party Patio, St. 308

It’s hard when you’re out there, trying to meet people to be “more than just friends”. You can look for a ring, but that’s not reliable. So Club Love is holding a traffic light party, where one’s clothing automatically tells people if they’re single and ready to mingle or just there to groove. [Please note: just because somebody’s wearing the “available” colors, it doesn’t mean that s/he is “available” to everybody. Consent is important, as is respecting a person’s wish to be left alone.] Special DJs Indigo and Blazien are playing, and the $7 door fee gets you a drink of your choice.

9pm-4am, Club Love, St. 278 

Film

The Flicks is showing a touching film that questions how we judge one another as well as when to stay firm with the rules and when to bend them. In Corpus Christi, a young man who’s been living in youth detention inadvertently becomes the priest for a small town that could use some serious healing after a past tragedy. Who’s to say he’s not the right one to help them?

9pm, The Flicks, St. 95 

Saturday

Our Pick

Raising the Voices of Grassroots Women Leaders is a storytelling, panel discussion, meet-and-greet. Dose of Cath vlogger Catherine Harry will lead the panel discussion with ten Cambodian women leaders who have challenged the norms in many areas – be it gender norms, education, self-care or simply leadership itself. The women will share their stories and meet and take photos with attendees as well. Hosted by Weaving Women’s Leadership for Change, the event is free.

4-8:30pm, The Factory, National Road 2

What Else?

The Singapore Embassy is celebrating 55 years of diplomatic relations with Cambodia by putting together a Street Art Fest, bringing together artists from the region. At its opening today, two artists, FONKi and Yip Yew Chong, will do live paintings, the proceeds of which will go to the Cambodian Children’s Fund and Cambodia Living Arts. The kick off event will also have music, food and drinks.

5-9pm, WB Arena, National Road 2

A new library dedicated to creativity is having its soft opening today, giving a sneak peak to books you will soon be able to peak into. Books on design, travel and fictitious vampires will be displayed in a room designed to look like a Victorian-era lounge. The opening is free and will have refreshments. 

10am-noon, The Factory, National Road 2

At jewelry store Penh Lenh Galentine’s Day-themed workshop, attendees will learn to make a bracelet whilst drinking champagne, eating snacks and also playing Valentine’s Day-themed bingo. Tickets are $40, and seats are limited.

5-7pm, Penh Lenh, St. 456

Teach your kids to grow (plants) up right at Eleven One Kitchen’s gardening workshop. Children will learn about seeds and what plants need to grow. They’ll be taking home their own flowerpots and seeds. The $19 fee includes the materials, juice and a sweet treat.

1-3pm, Eleven One Kitchen BKK, St. 334 

Meta House is on the hunt for Cambodia’s best Smash player. They’re getting a start by hosting the first SmashBodia tournament, giving the winner a $150 cash prize. Rules for this tourney are in the invite, but also know that you need to bring your own controllers!

Noon-6pm, Meta House, St. 178

Seekers is celebrating single people this Valentine’s Day weekend by letting them drink double. Two-for-one special cocktails and music from DJ Shaman mean you’ll have a good time all by yourself.

8:30pm-midnight, The K’s, St. 208 

Samai Rum is visiting Sundown Social Club for a special “tiki cocktail takeover”. It’s running all night, including during happy hour!

4pm-midnight, Sundown Social Club, St. 440

Music

Intégrité, the restaurant/bar/karaoke spot that features specialties from Brunei, is hosting an Afro-Kizoba party. Kizomba is a genre of dance music from Angola that’s sung in Portuguese. The party will have tunes from other African countries, too.

9pm-midnight, Intégrité, St. 450

For something a little closer to home, Cloud is hosting a Khmer folk music night. Aram Khmer blends guitar, bass and drums with traditional Cambodian instruments roneak ek and the tro ou and smooth Khmer-language vocals.

7-11pm, Cloud, St. 9

Amazing partners Kirsty Day and David Bell promise to get the crowd singing and dancing to a wide-range of hits at The Box Office. 

6:30-11:30pm, The Box Office, St. 244

Soul singer Mirasol Aguila is playing Alchemy, accompanied by guitarist Arone Silverman and drummer Kenn. Not limiting themselves to soul, the trio will be playing hip hop, R&B and contemporary hits, too.

7:30-10:30pm, Alchemy GastroPub, St. 123

LF Social Club has done a little cosmetic surgery, and they’re looking forward to showing it off at their soft launch party, featuring local Latin music sensations The Havana Kings. They make you dance.

8-11pm, LF Social Club, St. 308

Dance

HypeLab Club Love takeover = DJs Kenny Chase, Premo Sounds, Brandon Perez and Daniel Omens turning this pop-music club into an all night rave.

9pm-4am, Club Love, St. 278

Martin Tobias, a London DJ who’s played the likes of Ministry of Sound Club, is visiting Party Patio tonight to play a set of his funky, tribal groove techno and deep tech house. Joining him is DJ Théo, and the evening is sponsored by Cambodia beer – buy three mugs and get a T-shirt. A jug gets you two. A tower, three. You get the idea.

9pm-1am, Party Patio, St. 308

For your hit of acid (paired with house, techno, electro), Rhythm Control can dose you. DJs Alan Ritchie, Rob Bianche, Lefty Stryker are bringing the underground electro to Pontoon Pulse.

11pm-5am, Pontoon Pulse, St. 172

Film

A volcano is going to erupt in a country roughly the size of Cambodia (in this case it’s North Korea. Don’t worry! This volcano is entirely made up) and, if it does, it would destroy millions of lives, there and in the neighbouring countries. To prevent this tragedy, heroes from both Koreas come together to stop it…with missiles. 

9:20pm, Aeon Mall 2 Cinema

Sunday

Film

Had enough love? Horror movie Fantasy Island opens this weekend – a twisted take on the popular US TV show from the 70s-80s in which a mysterious Mr. Rourke grants people their every desire on his private island. In this version, however, everyone’s fantasy, whether malevolent or not, ends up with people brutally killed (and trapped on an island, of course).

Various times, Legend Cinemas, various locations

What Else?

Farm to Table is holding a special all-day trip to the salt farms of Kampot. All of the mysteries of this essential life staple will be revealed during a tour of a salt farm, which also includes lunch, refreshments and transportation to and from. Seats are limited and $45 each.

7am-6pm, Farm to Table, St. 360

We have even more things listed on our calendar. We send you good wishes and love!