Join us as a couple for a night of dance and snuggle!
But if you are single, get ready to mingle!
Love is in the air with the moon lighting up the night at the Vargas Museum!
Vargas After-Hours (A Valentine’s Day Gathering) invites couples and group of friends to wear their best Mardi-gras outfit and chassé like a fever all night. Inspired by the social events that Jorge Vargas organized at the Kawilihan compound, this year’s Vargas After-Hours sparkles with the spirit of festivity and passion this February. This is scheduled on 14 February 2024, Wednesday, at The Lobby, UP Vargas Museum. Doors open at 6:00 pm.
In December 1953, Vargas had a Mardi Gras masquerade party where invited guests dressed up and wore masks. This makes the Kawilihan compound, Vargas’s homestead in Mandaluyong, an important space for cultural events and performances the family hosted over several decades. This idea of a transformative use of space is amplified once again by the museum through its second event for Vargas After-Hours. The carnivalesque nature of the Mardi Gras celebration comes from the celebratory tradition of communities in Louisiana, New Orleans in the late 18th century. Taking the context of this holiday over to the Filipino culture of celebrations or fiestas, alongside our fondness for Valentine’s Day, this year’s Vargas After-Hours brings the air of romance and festivity through art and jazz.
The event begins with a special guided tour of our permanent exhibitions which will include archival photos and documents exclusively on view during the event. Guests will be serenaded with jazz performances by Struggail and the Elileon Jazz Trio. You can also get your long-awaited couples tattoo and love month-themed designs with Miss Pokes Tattoo or have a tarot reading session with Pau of Paghilom and Pluto Tarot. Bring home a souvenir of this memorable night by posing with your loved one in our photo booth or having your couple’s portrait drawn live by artist-couple Lea Lim and Chad Villanueva. Tickets are inclusive of food and wine, one souvenir (your choice between a photo or a live portrait for free), and an exclusive and special guided tour of our exhibition at the Main Gallery.
Vargas After-Hours is the museum’s latest public program—it dims its lights and keeps its doors open beyond viewing hours to feature a series of events to be held at the museum at night. The public program is a shift in the UP Vargas Museum’s spatial function, parallel to Kawilihan’s history as a social hub, beyond typical viewing times with the day slowly turning to dusk.
Get your tickets now and experience a night of art and jazz at the museum after hours.
Ticket prices:
2,500php (seated tables for two)
4,500php (standing cocktail tables for three to four)
Attend in your best masquerade outfit.
Limited tickets available at bit.ly/VargasAfterHoursFeb14.
Ticket prices are in packages. Discounted tickets for PWD and Senior Citizens can be purchased via the museum reception only. No discounted tickets will be sold through online transactions.
Vargas After-Hours is a fundraising program of the museum for its future projects. The event is at the UP Vargas Museum, Roxas Avenue, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. For inquiries and other information, email us at vargasmuseum@up.edu.ph.
