Even if you're not watching the big game on Sunday, you can still score some cupcakes, catch a great indie band, a rock legend or rising country stars, kick back during a hockey game and cover your Bingo card in chips.
Lady Antebellum
San Antonio's Stock Show and Rodeo is a Texas-sized event taking place Feb. 3-12 and featuring competitive horse riding, western art, kiddie entertainment, comedy, food and big name musical acts.
Red Wings vs. Predators
The Red Wings -- 11 times the winners of the Stanley Cup -- are coming into Nashville on a serious high. In Wednesday’s win over Ottawa, Detroit right wing Johan Franzen became the first NHL player to score five goals in a single game since the Minnesota Wild’s Marian Gaborik pulled off the same feat in 2007. The Predators, still rebounding from a string of three defeats, will come hungry. They still have a winning record (27-15-6). But so do the Red Wings (31-13-6).
Vancouver's Lunar New Year Parade
Regularly regarded as one of the world's top Chinatowns, Vancouver's most vibrant district ushers in the Year of the Rabbit with a parade Sunday, Feb. 6 (12pm-2pm), starting from the Millennium Gate at Pender Street. The parade will feature an impressive assembly of lion dance teams, multicultural dance troupes and community groups viewed by an expected 50,000 spectators.
Robert Plant & the Band of Joy
What most people know as “one of Robert Plant’s post-Led Zeppelin bands” is actually anything but. Plant, who led the Zep for more than a decade of some of rock music’s heaviest and most original metal, co-founded Band of Joy in 1966. It evolved into a kind of pre-Led Zeppelin (the late, legendary John Bonham played the drums) and became Plant’s enduring side project, reforming with various players during and after the heyday of Led Zeppelin. The latest edition is a six-piece group, including singer-songwriter Patty Griffin. The Band of Joy plays Atlanta's Fox Theater Saturday.
Le Bingo
Take Bingo out of a musty rec center, move it to a lively cocktail lounge, add a sassy drag queen and a fancy French article and it’s Le Bingo! NYC's Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker Street hosts these wildly popular (and just wild) weekend Bingo nights. Play a card this Saturday, Feb. 5, at 7pm. Hosted by Linda Simpson, whose big personality is eclipsed only by her hair, the night features free entry, Bingo cards for $2, drink specials, spokesmodels, special games and prizes.
Super Bowl XLV
It may be a remnant of the gladiatorial spectacle but it’s almost irresistible just the same (even if the lions never show up). Sunday's contest is between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers. Each has history on its side. The Steelers have won more Super Bowls (six) than any other NFL team; the Packers (who’ve won it all three times) are back for conference bragging rights -- the NFC has won the game more than the AFC -- and, well, how can you not play for keeps when the trophy is named for your legendary coach. You don’t even have to like football to watch. Madison Avenue has made the Super Bowl audience one big national focus group for TV advertising. And this year's half time act is the chart-topping future rock-hip hoppers the Black Eyed Peas.
The Decemberists
The Portland-based indie rock supergroup released their sixth full-length album, The King Is Dead, in mid-January. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. Although The King seems to sell itself, the group is hitting the road for an international tour in support of the release. On Feb. 4, the Decemberists play at Chicago's Riviera Theatre, where they'll greet a sold-out crowd. With 10 of their first 12 U.S. appearances sold out, Kansas City and Seattle better get on it before the group hops the pond for the European leg of their tour.
Vintage Winter Sports Exhibit
If you can't beat the snow, ski it! Boston is buried under the white stuff and, while sun-worshipers might be shivering under their comforters, winter enthusiasts are praying for more. If you can't get to the mountains, here's another option: The Vintage Winter Sports exhibit. From now through March 18, see how the sport has transformed over the years at the Grand Circle Gallery and the New England Ski Museum. The show features more than 30 vintage ski and Winter Olympic posters, vintage skis and apparel, antique snow shoes and ski paraphernalia.
New World Symphony Wallcasts
Miami, grab your lawn chair and picnic basket. We’re going to the symphony! The New World Symphony, now in its new Frank Ghery-designed home, will project every live performance on the building’s 7,000 square-foot wall. Each wallcast is free and open to the public. This Saturday, Feb. 5, enjoy "Awakenings," tunes by the company’s brass fellows.
Los Angeles Cupcake Challenge
Bragging rights are on the line as L.A.'s top bakers vie for the mantle of the city's best cupcake creator. Hundreds of hungry sugar fiends are expected to attend the Los Angeles Cupcake Challenge, which is in its fourth year and organized by local company Drink, Eat, Play. The nearly two-dozen participants will compete in traditional and non-traditional cupcake categories Feb. 5 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa. Tickets are $40. Remember your Tupperware!
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