How to have a very Canberra Valentine's Day

'I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.'

(Act 4, Scene 1)

Much Ado About Nothing, the first show of the first season of Shakespeare by the Lakes, will open on Valentine's Day at Tuggeranong Town Park Community Stage. The performance will commence at 6.30pm. Wednesday will be the first of four free and outdoor performances produced by Lakespeare & Co., a new Canberra theatre enterprise motivated by the idea of making Shakespeare's work more accessible to the residents of Canberra and Queanbeyan. All the shows will be feature a live musical performance by Sunny Amoreena and her band, as well as food vans serving hot coffee, fresh Much Ado-themed bagels, woodfired pizzas, artisanal doughnuts, authentic cannoli, dumplings, pancakes, and sparkling wine and cold beer (depending on the location). More details here.

Love never works out the way you want it to, or expect it to. The Oscar-winning film La La Land was quite a surprising twist on the theme. Come on, who picked that ending, with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone wondering what might have been. Even if you didn't really like it, and lots of people didn't, this way you can say you spent Valentine's night with Ryan Gosling. The Openair Cinema is screening La La Land on Valentine's Day, on the Patrick White Lawns in front of the National Library of Australia. Gates open at 6:30pm and the movie starting at sunset. $30 per person. And you can sing and dance on the lake foreshore afterwards.

Mrs Grey will see you now. Is it just good timing that the third in the 50 Shades series 50 Shades Freed is screening now? Ana and Christian are back, doing what they do best, trying to look sexy and coming across just a little puzzled. No rules, no more secrets. Just like most marriages. Expect most marriages don't involve your husband buying you a house, or taking you to Italy for lunch in his private jet. Or all that other stuff, you horny buggers. Screening across Canberra at multiple times during the day, and night. Next time you head to Bunnings spend a little more time in the screws and tie-down aisle than you should and see what hubby says.

Plenty of places around town are offering up special fancy Valentine's Day dinner packages and plenty of them are already sold out. Luckily I'm more of a fish and chips by the lake brown paper bag kind of girl and there's plenty of options here too. Head to Flatheads in O'Connor for some takeaway and hit up the northside of the lake, or for ease of convenience head to Snapper at the Canberra Yacht Club which never fails to be a good night. Lick the chicken salt off each other's fingers.

Casanova, the famed 18th century lover, allegedly ate 50 oysters for breakfast. Now it would just be greedy if you behaved that way at King O'Malley's Oyster Pop-Up Masterclass on Valentine's Night. Hosted by the NSW Farmers Country Connection, this is your opportunity to sample some of the best NSW oysters, while getting up close and personal with the local people and farmers that make good food possible. Rod Terry from the Clyde River is a second generation oyster farmer who will give this hands on masterclass on all things oyster. Learn to shuck oysters yourself how to select the best oysters, shucking safety, taste profiles, serving techniques, and where to source the freshest oysters. $30 for general admission and that includes some wine matching and tasting as well. More details here.