💃 Star Wars, Love, and Dancing

Welcome to your weekly San Fernando Valley update: February 12–February 18, 2026.

In this week’s NoHo Nick:

• 💗 Valentine’s Day

• 💃 Belly Dancing

• ⚔️ Star Wars

• 🀄️ Mahjong

I started this newsletter 18 months ago.

This week, NoHo Nick crossed 5,000 active subscribers!

I hope you feel more connected to your community with this weekly newsletter. I know I do!

Thanks for your support, and happy Lunar New Year.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Duffy’s Dough.

Duffy’s Dough is a new line of take-and-bake bread products available at all SoCal Ralphs.

100% of their profits go to hunger relief (Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry).

Founded by actors Patrick Duffy (Dallas) and Linda Purl (Happy Days) after they started baking bread for friends and family during the pandemic.

Patrick’s family has been using the same sourdough starter for over 70 years.

They invited me to their kickoff event at the Ralphs in Sherman Oaks last week.

Here’s what’s happening:

📱 Social media addiction trial begins in LA. Meta and YouTube are in court over claims that they deliberately addict children. Mark Zuckerberg will testify. TikTok and Snap settled out of court. (AP News)

🎒 LA students walk out to protest ICE operations. 12,500+ students walked out across the district on February 6. Elementary, middle, and high school students participated. (LAist)

🗳️ Los Angeles shifts “further left” ahead of 2026 elections. Republican voter registration has dropped from 30% in 1993 to around 15% today. LA is significantly more Democratic than NYC. The city will elect a mayor, two citywide offices, and eight City Council seats this year. (CalMatters)

Ongoing

🎾 Therapists Who Pickleball (Sherman Oaks): Bi-monthly pickleball meetup for mental health professionals. Free. Friday, February 13, at 5 PM. Every second Friday, at Hazeltine Park.

Thursday, February 12

💕 Singles Mingle (Burbank): Meet new people, share laughs, and maybe spark a connection. DJ and dancing. Includes 1 drink and snacks. Plus, discounted comedy show tickets. $30. Thursday, February 12, from 5 to 8 PM at Romancing the Bean.

Friday, February 13

🔬 Science at the Cube: Valentine's Day (Sylmar): After-hours access to Discovery Cube LA, a science museum. DJ, Latin dance classes, and a Sweetheart Science Challenge. Drinks included. Interactive exhibits stay open all night. ~$30. Friday, February 13, from 7 to 11 PM at Discovery Cube Los Angeles.

🎤 Karaoke Night (Sherman Oaks): Sing your heart out at this weekly karaoke night with a lively crowd. 21+. Free. Friday, February 13, at 8 PM at Happy Rabbit Bar and Lounge.

Saturday, February 14

⚔️ Star Wars Singles Night (North Hollywood): A Star Wars singles event for Valentine's Day. Lightsaber color codes (red for single, blue for wingmen, green for taken), drink specials, and costumes encouraged. 21+. Free. Saturday, February 14, at 8 PM at Idle Hour.

📸 Aura Photos (Studio City): Get your aura photo taken solo or as a couple while shopping with local makers and small businesses. Transform your body's energy into a color portrait. $60. Saturday, February 14, from 10 AM to 3:30 PM at The Shops at Sportsmen's Lodge.

🎬 The Notebook (2004) (Van Nuys): My Valley Pass and Regency Theatres team up for a flashback movie series. Reclining seats and fresh popcorn. $12.50. Saturday, February 14, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM at Van Nuys Plant 16 & REX.

🧹 North Hollywood Community Clean Up (North Hollywood): Grab gloves and join the next community cleanup. A quick two hours to help keep the neighborhood looking fresh. Free. Saturday, February 14, from 8 to 10 AM at Urbane Cafe in North Hollywood.

🃏 Learn to Play ‘Magic: The Gathering’ (Sherman Oaks): Curious about MTG but don't know where to start? Join a beginner-friendly session where an instructor walks you through a standard game. $5. Saturday, February 14, at 1 PM at GeekyGlamorous (13634 Burbank Blvd, Sherman Oaks).

🐪 Reptacular Ranch Valentine's Day Fundraiser (Sylmar): Valentine's afternoon at a ranch in the Angeles National Forest. Camels, tortoises, and reptiles. Three-course dinner, live music, cocktails, and s'mores. Proceeds help to bring science education to underserved communities. $225. Saturday, February 14, from 1 to 5 PM at 8828 Gold Creek Rd, Sylmar, CA 91342.

🎨 Mini Art Fest (North Hollywood): "Fest of Friends" is an arts festival and food drive. Vendors, live music, indie short films, skill-sharing workshops, live figure drawing, and community resources. Bring non-perishable food for the food pantry. Free. Saturday, February 14, from 3 to 9 PM at MCC Community Center.

Sunday, February 15

💃 Belly Dance Workshop (North Hollywood): A beginner-friendly belly dance class. Two hours of technique and rhythm. No experience needed. $30. Sunday, February 15, from 12 to 2 PM at Eighty Eight Studios.

🀄 Mahj and Mingle (Calabasas): An elevated afternoon of mahjong and wine. Two hours of social play. Food and wine included. Lessons available for beginners. $50 open play or $75 with a lesson. Sunday, February 15, from 3 to 5 PM at Calabasas Pickleball Club.

Happening Soon

📚 Book Club (North Hollywood): Monthly literary book club. All readers welcome, even if you didn't finish the book. Free. Wednesday, February 18, from 7:30 to 9 PM at Idle Hour.

✍️ Creative Writing Workshop (Lake View Terrace): Share your short story, zine, or poetry at this free writing workshop at the library. Listeners welcome too. Free. Saturday, February 21, from 12 to 1:30 PM at Lake View Terrace Library (12002 Osborne St, Lake View Terrace, CA 91342).

🌙 Night Market (Tarzana): A night market packed with food vendors, goods vendors, a DJ, and giveaways. Free. Saturday, February 21, from 5 to 9 PM at 5619 Lindley Ave, Tarzana, CA 91356.

🦞 Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil (North Hollywood): 15th annual Mardi Gras celebration. Hundreds of pounds of live Louisiana crawfish. Sazeracs, Hurricanes, beignets, chicory coffee, king cake, absinthe fountain, and cocktails. From $20 to $50 per person. Tuesday, February 17 to Wednesday, February 18, 2026, from 8 PM to 2 AM at Risky Business.

💝 Vegan Pop-up Brunch (Sylmar): A Valentine's Day fundraiser for a short film. Vegan menudo, vegan pozole, breakfast tacos, coffee, and desserts. Saturday, February 14, from 10:30 AM to 1 PM at 13774 Paddock St., Sylmar, CA 91342.

🇵🇪 Peruvian Restaurant (New—Thousand Oaks): Inca Kingdom is an authentic Peruvian restaurant attached to the Little Sedona Market gift shop. 670 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks.

🥟 Din Tai Fung (Coming Soon—Woodland Hills): The xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) specialist will open a new location at Westfield Topanga in 2027. (Eater LA)

🀄️ Beginner-friendly Mahjong Club (Downtown LA): Lessons and games. Supplies provided. Monthly meetup. $14. Friday, February 13, at Studious Coworking Space.

✨ Light and Sound Art Exhibit (Multiple Locations): Sound and light sculptures in LA parks. The first 200 attendees at each site receive a limited-edition Valentine's card from local artists. Bring chairs and blankets. Free. Saturday, February 14, from 4:30 to 7:30 PM at multiple locations, including Lake View Terrace, Porter Ranch, East Hollywood, and seven other sites.

🔧 Car Maintenance Workshop (Highland Park): Learn the basics of vehicle maintenance. Free. Saturday, February 14, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM at Coyotl + Macehualli Lending Library.

Pooped is a short film made in Toluca Lake.

“What happens when your dog poops too close to your neighbor’s front door?”

Directed by Kyle Tye. Written by Paulina Alvarez and Danielle Beckmann.

❓️ You've seen it on Guy Fieri’s "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." What Burbank restaurant has been serving chili since 1946?

Last week’s question: What is the oldest Tiki bar in Los Angeles?

Answer: Tonga Hut (North Hollywood)

Thank you for reading. See you next week!

PS The 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election will be held on June 2, 2026. Do you know who you’re voting for?

PPS I just started playing TimeSplitters for PS5. It was my favorite game on the PS2.

📩 Was this forwarded to you? Sign up to get it.

📣 Want your event featured? Submit it.

🛍️ Promote your business to Valley locals. Advertise in NoHo Nick.