Five fun ways to spend time in February

By Leigh DeLozier Feb. 2, 2026

Winter might not lend itself to outdoor campus activities, but February brings many options for indoor entertainment. Check the Emory University and Oxford College calendars for full details, but here are five examples of weather-friendly activities to enjoy this month.

1. Participate in Black History Month events.

Emory will observe Black History Month with a variety of activities throughout February.

Get creative during the Emory Libraries button-making workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 11 a.m. in the Robert W. Woodruff Library lobby. Participants can color a pre-made design or create their own. Postcards will also be available for sending to a friend or loved one.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, Emory Libraries hosts “Be Present: Black Women’s Leadership in Building an Inclusive Movement for Social Justice.” The eight-person panel will discuss work that is being done and things to look toward in the future. Join the conversation at 4 p.m. in the Jones Room, on third floor of the Robert W. Woodruff Library.

The annual Soul Food Gospel Fest is set for Sunday, Feb. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Emory Student Center Multipurpose Rooms. Hosted by Voices of Inner Strength Gospel Choir, the afternoon brings together multiple groups to celebrate the love of Jesus and Black History Month. Reservations are needed.

The Emory Black Student Union’s Mardi Gras celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 17, will include food, games and a look at Mardi Gras traditions such as the King of the Zulu Krewe. The fun begins at 2 p.m. on the third floor of Cox Hall.

Check the university’s event calendar throughout February for a more complete list of Black History Month events.

2. Enjoy the talents of guest musicians.

From Emory Jazz Fest to student performances, February is full of musical entertainment.

Don’t miss the chance to hear vocalist Denise Thimes during Emory Jazz Fest 2026, happening Friday, Feb. 6, and Saturday, Feb. 7. Thimes sings with the Gary Motley Quartet on Friday at 8 p.m.; the Emory Big Band plays on Saturday at 8 p.m. Get all the details and reserve tickets through the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, where the concerts will be held.

Campus welcomes Sphinx Virtuosi, featuring Sterling Elliott on cello, to the stage on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 8 p.m. The group’s latest program, “Visions of Peace,” is a collection of new voices that celebrate the human spirit’s indominable resilience and people’s unwavering commitment to the pursuit of peace. Purchase tickets from the Schwartz Center’s website or box office.

Check the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts website and Emory Arts events calendar for more about the month’s musical events.

3. Spend time enjoying an exhibit.

For those who prefer viewing art to hearing it, stop by Emory Libraries or the Michael C. Carlos Museum to explore exhibit spaces.

World Cup excitement has already begun, with soccer-related programs getting underway across campus. “Footwork: Celebrating Soccer, Culture and Community” opens in the Robert W. Woodruff Library’s Schatten Gallery on Thursday, Feb. 19. Drawing on Emory’s academic expertise, rich collections and global partnerships, the exhibition explores Atlanta’s interconnected stories of soccer, civil rights and globalism from 1968 to today — helping us understand how our regional identity, our team and even our sneakers express who we are.

The Michael C. Carlos Museum is also looking ahead to the World Cup with “Footwork: Where We Gather.” The exhibit, opening Thursday, Feb. 26, joins traditional sports photography with contemporary works by photographer Sheila Pree Bright, whose new series celebrates Atlanta sports culture and uplifts the community that sport engenders.

“Compassion: What Moves You?” is on view at the Carlos Museum until October. As part of the university-wide Year of Compassion initiative, the exhibition invites visitors to consider what motivates, moves and gives them purpose; how to find empathy and resonance in one another through shared humanity and diversity; how and why we sometimes fail to be moved, fail to find common purpose, and neglect to protect or help others in need; and what we can do to address that.

Access to Carlos Museum exhibits is included with museum admission. Admission is always free for Emory University students, faculty and staff.

4. Learn from an author or artist.

Emory’s Atlanta and Oxford College campuses play host to entertaining and thought-provoking artists and authors throughout the year, and February is no exceptioin.

An artist talk and poetry reading on Monday, Feb. 9, features Naomi Molnar, creator of “Memory of a Larger Mind,” the forthcoming museum retrospective that will open at the Oregon Jewish Museum in 2027. Hear her discuss the project’s interdisciplinary work at 2:30 p.m. in Callaway Center, Room S420. Then, at 6:30 p.m., Molnar will read from her recent book “PROTOCOLS: An Erasure,” which was shortlisted for the 2025 National Jewish Book Awards. Both events are free and open to the public.

Nonfiction author Emily Raboteau visits Emory for two programs this month. She will read from her book “Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against ‘the Apocalypse’” on Wednesday, Feb. 11, as part of the 2025-26 Creative Writing Program Reading Series. The reading begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (PAIS), Room 290, and will be followed by a book signing. A colloquium featuring Raboteau will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. in the Kemp Malone Library of Callaway Center, Room N301. Both events are free and open to the public, with no registration required.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, author Brian Goldstone speaks about Atlanta’s working homeless, inequality in America, journalism and other topics related to his book “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America.” The free discussion will be in PAIS, Room 290, at 5:30 p.m. Registration is required.

Croatian composer, sound artist and curator Davor Vincze shares perspectives on “Interdisciplinary Performance in Immersive and Interactive Environments” during a noon presentation on Friday, Feb. 27, in PAIS, Conference Room 464. He will explore how contemporary artistic practices move beyond single disciplines to create immersive, interactive and integrative experiences. The presentation is free, but registration is required.

5. Cheer on the Emory Eagles.

Athletics pick up steam in February, as winter sports seasons wind down and spring action begins.

Watch Oxford College athletes compete at home on the basketball and tennis courts. Plan for extra fun on Saturday, Feb. 14, during the Oxford alumni men’s basketball game and sophomore day. Activities begin at 2 p.m. in Williams Gymnasium.

On the Atlanta campus, the swimming and diving teams host the NCAA Region 2 Diving Championships on Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28. You can also catch the men’s and women’s basketball and tennis teams in action throughout the month, as well as home season openers for the baseball and softball teams. View the full calendar and make plans to support the Eagles — and remember that all Emory Athletics events are always free to attend.

Photos by (clockwise, from top left) Emory Athletics; ARu, Inc. (Kosuke Matsushima, Masashi Fujimoto and Ryoji Yukino), INOCHI THEATER: If Your Life Were Light; courtesy of the artists. Photo by Ryuichiro Suzuki; Oxford College Athletics; and Bill Head.

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