GR|MAG’s Top Weekend Picks

Revisit your childhood this weekend at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum’s adults-only event or spark your imagination with the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Harry Potter concert. You can also visit multiple galleries this weekend and take in the artwork, including iconic pieces by Andy Warhol. Finally, if you want to start your Valentine’s celebrations early, Robinette’s is offering a chocolate and wine event that is sure to please your sweetheart. Get out and enjoy Grand Rapids!

Grown Up Play Date @ Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
(Friday)

Call a babysitter and make a reservation at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum (GRCM). You read that right; on Friday, Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. GRCM is just for adults. Treat your valentine to a fun night of food, drinks, games, art projects, and more at the GRCM’s Grown Up Play Date.

Because “the benefits of play don’t end with childhood,” this exciting event offers adults the chance to explore the museum exhibits, play Super Market Sweeps and a life-size version of Candy Land, paint scented pictures, create shrinky-dink buttons and keychains, participate in a raffle for special prizes, and enjoy food and drinks from BarFly Ventures and New Holland Brewery.

Tickets are $35 per person and are available by calling 616-235-4726, visiting the museum front desk, or online at GRCM. All proceeds from the event help fund future GRCM exhibits and programs.

Grand Rapids Symphony Presents “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
(Friday & Saturday)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyz_Q0j0w5A

Grab your wands and your broomsticks and fly downtown to watch the third installment of the Harry Potter series at the Grand Rapids Symphony. The story of how Harry, Ron and Hermione meet Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, and foil Lord Voldemort yet again will be screened in HD on a 40-foot screen, while John Williams’ magical score is performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony Pops under the direction of guest conductor Justin Freer.

Arrive at DeVos Performance Hall early and get your picture in front of Hogwarts, enjoy a refreshing glass of I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Butterbeer and meet up with your fellow housemates in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Come in costume or wear your house colors. Doors open one hour prior to show time.

This event is family- and muggle-friendly and will be performed on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 pm. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Grand Rapids Symphony or call 616.454.9451 x4.

Celebrate LaFontsee Galleries’ 30th Birthday
(Friday)

LaFontsee Galleries is celebrating 30 years in Grand Rapids on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The party will include music, tours, behind the scenes demos, refreshments, and, of course, ART! As part of the celebration, the gallery opens “Collective,” featuring the majority of its 70+ artists. The party is free to attend.

Last Chance to See Warhol Exhibit @ the GRAM
(Thursday – Sunday)

If you’ve been meaning to get downtown to view “Andy Warhol’s American Icons,” this weekend marks your last chance to do so. The exhibit will be moving on after Sunday.

“American Icons” spotlights iconic figures like Marilyn Monroe, Sitting Bull, Muhammad Ali, Liz Taylor, and one of the most famous Grand Rapidians, Gerald R. Ford. The exhibit also includes Warhol’s well-known Campbells soup can screenprints and an important early painting on loan from the Whitney Museum of American art, Green Coca-Cola Bottles (1962), among other iconic symbols of America.

“American Icons” draws on artworks from GRAM’s collection, as well as works from private collections and other public art institutions throughout the country, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Andy Warhol Museum, and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

Check GRAM’s website for hours and ticket information.

Love, Wine and Chocolate @ Robinette’s
(Saturday)

Valentine’s Day is approaching, and whether your plans include spending time with someone special or treating yourself to some well-deserved chocolate, you can make your way to Robinette’s this weekend and indulge in an early Valentine’s treat.

The apple orchard and winery is hosting its sixth annual Love, Wine and Chocolate event this Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The event costs $6 per person, and the price includes a souvenir wine glass, up to six wine or hard cider tastes per person and access to the Chocolate Snack Bar.

Also available that afternoon is $5 per five-minute chair massages and 25 percent off purchases in the Gift Barn (excluding wine and previous purchases). No reservations are necessary for this event.

55th Ann Arbor Film Festival Tour @ Wealthy Theater
(Thursday)

In need of a film fix? The Grand Rapids Public Library has teamed up with Cinema Lab and the Wealthy Theater to bring the 55th Ann Arbor Film Festival to Grand Rapids.

Tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Wealthy Theater will showcase a variety of interesting and sometimes challenging short films spanning a variety of genres, including experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, and hybrid. A short discussion will also follow the program.

Admission is free and space is limited. Viewer discretion is advised.

*Main photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Symphony