Some Calgarians are serving up something pretty unusual for Valentine’s this year.
They’re inviting people to go way beyond the traditional chocolates and flowers as they set sail for romance.
The Jane Bond BBQ restaurant is hosting a pirate-themed event at its downtown special event space.
Called “Pirate Wedding,” the event is billed as an interactive dinner show experience.
The captain for the evening, Brendan Hunter, is a veteran Calgary performer who’s organizing the show.
“It’s an immersive experience where they come and join the pirate crew,” Hunter said. “They attend the wedding, but things don’t go as planned. So, will we have matrimony or will we have a mutiny? The audience decides.”
A pirate setting may not be everyone’s idea of what makes for a romantic evening, but Hunter says it’s a good choice for a Valentine’s event.
“Pirates are the misfits of the world and I think it’s a great barometer. We all want to connect. We all want love. We all want a place where we are included, but where we can also be the most us that we’ve ever been,” Hunter said. “And I think the pirate life — especially as the cartoony version might celebrate — is exactly that.”
The restaurant space will be decorated to reflect the pirate theme, with diners encouraged to join the performers in donning pirate garb.
Jane Bond BBQ’s Adrienne Keith says the pirate theme makes for a good setting for romance.
“It’s hot and it’s fiery and there are beaches, and that’s all romance,” Keith said. “That’s what we fight for in the winter in Canada.”
The organizers are serving it all up a couple of days after Cupid has made his rounds.
“It’s on Friday, Feb. 16,” Hunter said, “because Wednesday’s hump day and Friday’s party day.”