Not too late to do something different for Valentine's night

Almost every restaurant in the region will be offering special deals to entice lovers for romantic dinners a deux tonight. Oysters, Champagne and unseasonal strawberries will be sourced for restaurant kitchens so that couples can enjoy the food of love.

Florists will also be working around the clock to make sure sweet-scented blooms are available. But the region will offer plenty of alternatives for those who don't want to spend Valentine's Day in that traditional way.

The Robin 2, in Bilston, will offer a Valentine's Evening with singer-songwriter for The Wedge, Andy Lloyd.

The performer has lined up alongside The Bloomsbury Set, Popman and Raging Bull, Sanctuary and Food during a lengthy career and is well known for hits like Living In America.

Arthouse cinema will be on offer in Wolverhampton, with the Light House staging a screening of L'Atalante.

The film is described as funny, heart-rending, erotic and exhilaratingly inventive. It was Jean Vigo's only full-length film and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever made. Tickets are available from the venue.

There will also be an open mic night at the Light House, where people can expect an array of acts from across the region. A spokesman for the venue said: "People can witness the wide range of musical talent with styles ranging from folk and flamenco to experimental. They can come on down and perform. There is comedy, poetry and live music in a chilled out atmosphere."

Shrewsbury will host the most unlikely Valentine event of all, with a performance of The Chuckle Brothers planned for Theatre Severn. The duo will star in Return of the Pirates of the River Rother 2. Venue spokesman Craig Reeves said: "Paul and Barry are visiting a theme park for the day and decide to brave going on one of the daring water rides.

"Once inside, they are leaning on a wall when they accidentally fall through and find themselves magically transported back in time in to a world of pirates and sunken treasures."

Soul is on the bill at The Birmingham Glee Club, where Michael Kiwanuka headlines the popular venue. The performer won the is the BBC Sound of 2012. He started his career after being influenced by a free cover mounted CD on a magazine. Kiwanuka left early musical loves Nirvana and Radiohead behind when he came upon a rare recording of Otis Redding's Sitting On The Dock of the Bay on a magazine tribute to Bob Dylan.

Ludlow Assembly Rooms will offer an alternative to romance with screenings of the family film Happy Feet Two and the Meryl Streep hit The Iron Lady. The venue will also host The Ludlow Lectures with a talk about the history and archaeology of Ludlow's landscape from Andrew Wigley.

In West Bromwich, meanwhile, film fans can look forward to both the best - and worst – in romantic comedy. The Public arts centre, based in New Street, will play host to Nicko and Joe's Bad Film Club on Valentine's evening from 6.30pm as the much loved comedy duo provide an entertaining running live commentary of the 'so-bad-it's-good' Gigli – a total misjudgement of the rom-com starring Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and Al Pacino.

Famed for its regular film screenings across the Midlands, the Bad Film Club is a place where likeminded folk can gather celebrate the guilty joy that is a good bad movie.

As the shackles of polite cinema etiquette are discarded, the audience are encouraged to jeer, heckle and participate with the film creating a unique interactive cinema experience.

Following Gigli, the Black Country venue will be the screening When Harry Met Sally, as Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal show us how the romantic comedy drama should be done.

Linda Saunders, Managing Director of The Public, said: "We're providing an opportunity for people to enjoy Valentine's Day in a light hearted untraditional manner. Whether a true romantic or Valentine's cynic, the film night promises to offer an excellent evening of entertainment."

Tickets are £8 for the two films or £6 for Bad Film Club and £4 for When Harry Met Sally if purchased separately.

Tickets for the cinema club are available from www.thepublic.com or on 0121 533 7161.