Free this week: catch a performance by the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the closing of the Iranian film festival.

Monday

Aeolus Quartet: Masterworks

Listen to works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms performed on the violin, viola and cello in this recital by a University of Maryland School of Music Graduate Fellowship Ensemble.

Tuesday

Chad America’s 12th Annual Valentine’s Day Rock & Roll Dance Party

Both singles and couples can give their Valentine’s Day a classic feel at this dance party with Rock & Roll from the 50s and 60s.

Need to fan the flames this Valentine’s Day? We have 25 spots that serve as great romantic restaurants or places for a first date, to pop the question and plant a kiss.

Also in Weekend:

It’s okay to mope like Morrissey at Jammin’ Java, which hosts two cover bands performing the songs of the Smiths and Morrissey on Valentine’s Day. (Yui Mok/Associated Press ) If you’re looking for somewhere to rail against Valentine’s Day, or perhaps spend the day wallowing with friends and nursing your broken heart, anti-Valentine’s Day options this year include options for both.

There are parties where you can “shred your ex,” and others with a bitter-sweet theme, including a concert of covers of the most depressing music ever, courtesy of the Smiths.

Saturday

Heart Break Ball at St. Stephens Church

Words Beats and Life’s DJ battle at St. Stephens Church is the opposite of romantic. It’s cool. Ditch the heels, put on some sneakers and get ready to dance.

Cupid is Stupid Anti-Valentine’s Day Drinkfest at Town Tavern

This party is billing itself as a perfect bash for “everyone who thinks Valentine’s Day is overrated.” Singles, or couples who refuse to be part of the Romance Industrial Complex, can head to Town Tavern for an open bar from 8 to 10 p.m., then $3 Cherry Bombs and other drink specials the rest of the evening.

The Shred Your Ex and Find Your Next party at the Bottom Line

Why seethe in silence on the weekend before Valentine’s Day when you could bring old photos, cards or e-mails from your ex and shred them publicly for all to see? Then grab some drinks and work on meeting your next: The bar offers $2.50 Miller Lites and $3 V-day shooters.

Tuesday

The Anti-Valentine’s Day Party at Bar Pilar

If you can pardon the dust of the ongoing remodel, Bar Pilar should have one of the hottest parties in town. Nix cupid in favor of a night of hilarious wallowing, with “bitter” and “sour”-themed cocktails and desserts and plenty of breakup songs. Think: Cupid’s Broken Arrow, a cocktail with rum, sugarcane citrus soda and housemade bitters, citrus-pickled melon and mint; and desserts such as the bittersweet chocolate terrine with burnt orange sabayon and maldon.

Is It Really So Strange? A Morrissey / Smiths Valentine at Jammin’ Java

“Do you wear black on the outside ‘cause black is how you feel on the inside?” That’s how Jammin’ Java is billing this show, the perfect event for cynics and Debbie Downers everywhere; tribute bands Speedway Operator and Spineless Swine perform the songs of Morrissey and the Smiths.

Valentine’s Day Boozer at Phase One

The country’s oldest lesbian bar gives cupid the kiss-off with this bash, offering $1 Bloody Valentine’s Day shots, $2 PBR pounders and $3 tequila shots and a night of dancing.

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District Commons, a new American tavern by Jeff Tunks, opened in October. (By Matt McClain/For The Washington Post)

In Sunday’s Washington Post Magazine, Tom Sietsema takes a long look at the latest addition to restaurateur Jeff Tunks’s portfolio: District Commons, a new American tavern on Washington Circle. While Tom wasn’t blown away by the restaurant’s culinary ambitions, he did find it a reliable place for comfort and quality at a reasonable price. Take a look inside the space with Matt McClain’s photos:

A scene from the Oscar-nominated short film “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.” (Shorts International) Academy Award purists — those who insist on actually watching all of the nominees, even in the obscure categories, before submitting their ballots — should check out these programs of Oscar-nominated short films opening Friday. Among the roster of mini-movies are ones likely to make you laugh and others likely to make you cry. But either way, they’re also likely to increase your odds of winning the office pool. All programs are unrated.

ANIMATED

If one word could describe the overall tone of the five candidates this year, it would be “poetic.”

Especially lovely are “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” — a nostalgic fantasia about the transportive joy of reading — and “Sunday,” an old-fashioned, hand-drawn entry that follows the idle activities of a small-town boy. Along with “Wild Life,” the latter is one of two films produced by the National Film Board of Canada, an animation powerhouse.

Another powerhouse, Pixar, has an entry as well. Called “La Luna,” the nearly seven-minute charmer by Italian director Enrico Casarosa is the studio’s longest theatrical short ever. Look for it at screenings of the upcoming animated feature “Brave.”

At Landmark’s E Street Cinema. Contains cartoon roadkill and other animated animal death, a bloody zombie and thematic material related to death. Unrated. 79 minutes.