Yes, the time is almost upon us where singletons cringe at the thought of VD (that's Valentine's Day - ahem!), but delight at the fact that friends in a relationship have to hurriedly prepare something for their partners.

There are lots of shows and gigs this Valentines day, falling as it conveniently does on a Saturday, opening-up the chance of daytime or night-time events.

As you can well imagine, a number of the prominent - romance-related West End shows have already sold out (don't you just hate organised people), but there are still a few gems available, including the special Valentine's Day charity gala performance (proceeds to Capital Radio's Help a London Child) of the smash hit Dirty Dancing - but those tickets don't come cheap, at £100-£150 a pop (ouch!).

For the less well-healed, there is: Chicago the Musical (£28.50 - £75), Billy Elliot the Musical (£63.50), Entertaining Mr Sloane (featuring Gavin and Stacey's Matthew Horne - £45), Hairspray (£64.50 & £85), Grease featuring Jimmy Osmond (£58.85).

Not really a romatically-themed night, but a crowd-pleaser none-the-less is Cirque du Soleil's Quidam at the Royal Albert Hall (£45 - £69.50). In a similar vein is Canadian circus troupe The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de la Main), who perform their popular show 'Traces' at the Peacock theatre - tickets cost £36.

Surprisingly, La Cage aux Folles, featuring Graham Norton still has some tickets available on 14th Feb (£43.45), as does Craig Revel Horwood's adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Sunset Boulevard' (£54), Touched... for the Very First Time - Zoe Lewis' funny one-woman play about a Madonna-obsessed fan (£22.50). 'This isn't Romance' by award-winning Korean writer In-Sook Chapell - a tale of Identity, sex and twisted revenge is an alternative way to spend Valentine's day....

For the cultured amongst you, the London Coliseum is staging Mozart's opera 'The Magic Flute' by the English National Opera. Tickets range from £45 to £84.

At Bush Hall, we have another one which will not necessarily please the missus, but is sure to please the guys: "Valentines Varie-tease" - part of the London Burlesque Festival. Tickets cost £18.50.

For a swashbuckling Valentine's Day, try Zorro the Musical, featuring the music of the Gipsy Kings, choreographed by internationally renowned Spanish choreographer Rafael Amargo and RSC associate stage designer Tom Piper. Tickets cost between £40 and £50.

Outside of the West End, but still in London are (appropriately): Casanova the Musical, based on the life of womaniser Giacomo Casanova... guys: just don't get any ideas! Tickets range from £15 - £23). Back on the love theme, we have Shakespeare's classic 'Romeo and Juliet' at Space in the Docklands, produced by Admiration Theatre.

For events outside of London, try clicking on the 'Valentines Day Shows' link in the sidebar to the right. You can filter these results by region to narrow-down the list.