As we continue through these cold winter months, South Bend and surrounding communities continue to offer a variety of fun events that are certain to pique your interest.
Gather your family or friends, get in the car and attend one, or all, of these exciting events scheduled for the week of Feb. 2 – Feb. 8, 2026.
DEBARTOLO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER — University of Notre Dame, will offer the following films this week in Browning Cinema. For more information on each item go to performingarts.nd.edu/event/:
• Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m.: Hairspray (1988) Rated PG, $7 adult, $5 senior (65+), free for non ND student/child.
• Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m.: Band of Outsiders (1964), Not Rated, $7 adult, $5 senior (65+), free for college and high school students.
• Feb. 8, 1 p.m.: The Miracle Season (2018), Rated PG, Professor Pfinklepfunder’s $1 Sunday Films.
• Feb. 8, 4 p.m.: Hedda (2025), Rated R, $7 adult, $5 senior (65+), free for non-ND student/child.
“SCINTILLA” BY ALESSANDRO CAMON — The Acting Ensemble StageWorks presents “Scintilla” from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 3. Synopsis: a reclusive artist refuses to leave her home as a raging wildfire approaches. A lyrical, sobering look at the fires we set, those we flee, and those that engulf us. StageWorks staged readings are performed with script in hand and minimal blocking, props, lighting and sound. Purchase tickets in advance at actingensemble.com or at door for $11 general admission and $10 seniors/students. The Acting Ensemble is at 602 E. Mishawaka Ave., Mishawaka.
57 YEARS OF SUNNY DAYS: HOW PBS AND SESAME STREET CHANGED THE WORLD — President and general manager of PBS Michiana WNIT, Amanda Miller Kelley, will explore the success of the long-lasting program “Sesame Street” in this presentation at The History Museum, 897 Thomas St., South Bend. Kelley will also chronicle the history of WNIT at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 4. Afterward, a tour of the Muppet Car at the Studebaker National Museum will be offered. Admission is $3 or $1 for members. Reservations are required by Feb. 2 and can be made online at historymuseumSB.org.
LOCASH — 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at Blue Gate Performing Arts Center, 760 S. Van Buren St., Shipshewana. Tickets at thebluegate.com.
FIRST FRIDAYS FIRE & ICE — Head to downtown South Bend from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6 and see ice carvers, fire dancers and fireworks.
FIRST FRIDAYS INAUGURAL DATE NIGHT — Make a match as Downtown Goshen Inc. holds a dating-themed First Fridays event from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6. The evening will feature a Sip n’ Shop experience, dancing, special menus at participating eateries, live music, and special activities for families and friends.
BAT HOUSE WORKSHOP — Bats are beneficial to our planet and almost 25% of all mammals on earth are bats. Bat houses provide bats a place to raise their young, sleep during the day and a place to winter. Join this workshop from 5 to 6 p.m. Feb. 6 and learn to build a bat house. All materials provided. Bring a battery-operated drill if you have one. The cost is $17 per house. The workshop will be held at the Ox Bow Haus Shelter, Ox Bow County Park, 23033 County Road 45, Goshen.
ARTIST TALK WITH ANTONIA RUPPERT — Lubeznik Center for the Arts will feature Antonia Ruppert during its First Friday Artist Talk from 5 to 8 p.m. CT Feb. 6 at 101 W. Second St., Michigan City. A meet and greet will begin at 5 and the artist talk will begin at 6 p.m. “Connected Voices” explores portraiture through painting, collage and original songs. Admission is free. Complimentary light bites and a cash bar.
JOHN BRANYAN — 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at Blue Gate Music Hall, 175 N. Van Buren St., Shipshewana. Tickets $24.95 (plus tax & fees). Tickets at thebluegate.com.
LOCAL PLAYWRIGHT FESTIVAL OF 10-MINUTE PLAYS — Beckwith Theatre Company, 100 New York Ave., Dowagiac, will showcase original 10-minute plays written, directed and performed entirely by regional artists. The festival runs Feb. 6-7 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. The plays include minimal scenery and offer everything from drama to comedy. Purchase tickets, $15 per person, at beckwiththeatre.com/box-office.
THE ROCKETMAN SHOW — 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at Blue Gate Performing Arts Center, 760 S. Van Buren St., Shipshewana. Tickets: $69.95-$24.95 (plus tax & fees). Tickets at thebluegate.com.
2026 ICE FEST — Head to downtown St. Joseph and watch ice carvers turn frozen blocks of ice into works of art from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 6. At 7 p.m. see the Fire & Ice Tower. From 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 7, the Ice Fest will have teams and individual carving, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ice Interactives and games, and from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Ice Wars where ice carvers go head-to-head in 15-minute rounds of ice carving frenzy. The crowd determines the winner. Magician John Dudley will be performing at 1 p.m. at the corner of State and Pleasant Streets, 2:30 and 4 p.m. at Silver Beach Center. On Feb. 8, view completed sculptures all day.
WINTER NIGHTS AT DR. LAWLESS PARK — Head out Feb. 7 and 14 from 5 to 9 p.m. and have some winter fun outdoors. Go tubing (no toboggans or snow boards), cross-country skiing, fat-tire bicycle riding, arts and crafts, star gazing demonstration, fires to warm up by and concessions available for purchase. Admission is $3 per person or two canned goods per person. Winter Nights are weather permitting with snow. Dr. Lawless Park is at 15122 Monkey Run St., Vandalia.
AUTHOR TALK — John D. Van Dyke will be speaking at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. Fourth St., Michigan City, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT Feb. 7 from his new book, “The Lindbergh Kidnapping and the Origin of the Virtual Conspiracy Theory.” He will offer signed copies of his book for purchase.
LAPORTE COUNTY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA — The program titled “The Roaring 20s” will celebrate music from America’s Jazz Age and features guest vocalist Rebekah Howell. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the LaPorte High School Performing Arts Center, 602 F St., LaPorte. Tickets are $27.52-$24.46 (includes service fees) and can be purchased at lcso.net/event/the-roaring-20s/.
‘MR. MOODEE’ GUITAR CONCERT — Tom Williams will be performing a free solo acoustic guitar concert at 2 p.m. CT Feb. 7 at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. Fourth St., Michigan City.
ICE TIME FESTIVAL — Held in downtown Dowagiac on Feb. 7, this year’s event will feature three-dimensional art formed from ice, Legos, timber, cast iron and even a human. Carving will start at 7 a.m. and continue until each sponsored block of ice is finished. See the Lego display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside at 143 S. Front St. The Chainsaw Craftsman will be demonstrating timber carving from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Beeson Street. Live Statue Robert Shangle will be onsite from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Dowagiac Area History Museum will unveil the recently acquired Round Oak “Gold Stove” at 1 p.m.
CURIOUS CONSERVATIONISTS CLASS — Potawatomi Zoo is offering a class just for adults from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 8 to teach about animal mating systems. How do porcupines find a mate? How common is monogamy? Why are peacocks so fancy? Learn this and more through discussions, games, animal encounters and more. The cost is $25 per person for adults 21 and older. Purchase tickets at potawatomizoo.org/edzoocation/curious-conservationists-class/. The zoo is at 500 S. Greenlawn, South Bend.
ARTIST TALK WITH MARIA BURUNDARENA AND LUFTWERK — Meet and hear directly from the artists of Lubeznik Center for the Arts’ current exhibition, “LIT! Site-Specific Installations,” at 11:30 a.m. CT Feb. 8. Hear about their work, inspirations and processes. Admission is free. Lubeznik Center for the Arts is located at 101 W. Second St., Michigan City.
ANNE LINDBERG: AT THE EDGE OF THE SEA — The Moreau Gallery presents the exhibit “At the Edge of the Sea” by Anne Lindberg through Feb. 26. Lindberg grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is currently a visual artist living and working in Wilmington, North Carolina. She has exhibited nationally at galleries and museums. Moreau Gallery, Moreau Center for the Arts at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, is open Mondays-Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. and Friday by appointment.
POTAWATOMI ZOO WINTER DAYS — The zoo is open every Saturday and Sunday through March 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Winter days are free for Potawatomi Zoo members and admission for non-members is discounted to $12 for adults and $10 for children. The zoo train will run when weather permits and tickets are $3 per person. Visitors can feed the giraffes inside the giraffe visitor center; tickets are $3 for two pieces of lettuce. Concessions will be available from The Lodge and when weather permits, also from the Farmhouse Café. The gift shop will be open. The regular zoo season opens on March 28.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: What events are happening in the South Bend area from Feb. 2 to 8?
Reporting by Cheryl Morey, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
