The best things to do in the Greater Bay Area this February

The fun doesn't stop in February: there are plenty of noteworthy events happening across the Greater Bay Area this month. Whether you’d like to catch a gig with friends, immerse in new cultural experiences, or you’re looking for a way to romance your other half this Valentine’s Day, you can find all of this – and more – below.

1. Guangzhou: Macbeth

Patrick Stewart’s chilling turn as Macbeth in Rupert Goold’s 2010 film adaptation of the Scottish play is being screened in HD at the Guangzhou Opera House Experimental Theater . Set in the mid-20th-century, with the three witches portrayed as Cold War-era nurses, this version of Shakespeare’s blood-thirsty tragedy takes place in sterile bunker surroundings, with Banquo bumped off by a silencer-equipped handgun. This movie will be shown on 16 February. 

2. Guangzhou: Ju Xiaofu

World-renowned Ju Xiaofu, the Chinese pianist and Juilliard School alum, has performed in prestigious venues throughout Europe, North America and Asia. This one-night-only concert on 22 February at the Guangzhou Opera House will showcase his musical prowess, with Debussy’s Images, Book 2 triptych, three Rachmaninoff pieces, the three movements of Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit and three Scriabin sonatas. 

3. Shenzhen: Propjects

The work of avant-garde Dutch artists Maurice Scheltens and Liesbeth Abbenes is spotlighted in Propjects, the duo’s first full-scale exhibition in the Chinese Mainland, curated by Marcel Feil and Liu Gang. The title blends the words “props” and “projects”, encapsulating the way their work transforms objects into photographs that create a unique artistic reality within the photographic frame. You can catch them at the Shenzhen Art Museum until 13 April.

4. Shenzhen: Return to Pompeii

In this fascinating exhibition at Sea World Culture and Arts Center , the dramatic events of the fabled eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD are brought to life with VR technology and more than 30 4K projections. The ancient city and volcanic explosion are vividly rendered with immersive visuals and sound, as guests walk through historical sites and contemplate the magnitude of a legendary natural disaster that has echoed through millennia. This exhibition runs until 3 March.

5. Foshan: Odes to Heroes (Yingge)

Yingge, or Odes to Heroes, is a large-scale folk war dance that combines powerful drumming, incredible choreography and rousing themes of bravery against all odds, told from the perspective of a young man from the Chaoshan region of Guangdong. Catch the spine-tingling production by the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre company at the Foshan Grand Theatre on 14 and 15 February.

6. Foshan: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea comes alive on stage in this Chinese-language theatre adaptation of Jules Verne’s 19th-century sci-fi classic, aimed at a younger audience. Through multimedia and large-scale marine life installations, the audience will be immersed in Verne’s vivid underwater world and thrilling nautical tale at the Foshan Grand Theatre on 23 February. 

7. Zhuhai: Shenzhen City Philharmonic Orchestra

Hear that lilting tin whistle? Celine Dion’s era-defining hit My Heart Will Go On will form the climactic centrepiece of an eponymous concert draped in romance this Valentine’s Day. Catch the Shenzhen City Philharmonic Orchestra performing a night of classic love songs, designed to get you singing away with your amorato by your side at the Zhuhai Grand Theater.

8. Macao: Nick Carter

Backstreet’s back…not quite! It’s time to get nostalgic for the 1990s and bop along to hits spanning decades at Nick Carter’s comeback show at The Venetian Theatre. The Backstreet Boys frontman returns after a seven-year hiatus as a solo artist, performing hits and personal favourites in an intimate concert experience that has already blown through North and South America. Catch this concert on 22 February.

9. Macao: 2NE1

K-pop girl group 2NE1, aka CL, Bom, Dara and Minzy, will land at The Venetian Arena in Macao on 22 and 23 February with their Welcome Back reunion tour of Asia after spending more than 10 years apart. Likened to the Spice Girls and TLC for their attitude-laden R’n’B-pop sound, they debuted in 2009 and rocketed to popularity with singles including Don’t Cry, Lonely and I Am the Best.