Gay men’s retreat: Make new friends while learning about yourself and others. MPowerSD will host the return of the Gay Men’s Retreat in Julian. The weekend is free and includes discussions and workshops about building healthier relationships and community. Workshops to help navigate the roads of life relationships as gay men and positive change through communication, include “Sex in San Diego” and “Whose Excuse is it Anyway?” Food and cabins are included for free. Retreat participants are responsible for their own transportation. The event will take place Jan.30 to Feb. 1 in Julian. For more information, call 619-515-2446 or visit www.myspace.com/mpowersd.

Board Women: Family Matters and The Women’s Resource Center will present Board Women, a night of board and card games for housewives, couples, parents, and single women over 18. Have the chance to win prizes and meet new people. The event will be take place at The San Diego LGBT Community Center from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Child care is also available for $5 per child, but must be reserved. There is a $5 cover. For more information, call 619- 692-2077 or e-mail jschmoll@thecentersd.org.

Winter White Dance Party:

San Diego Pix and Rich’s will host the Winter White Dance Party with doors opening at 9 p.m. The night includes an ice bar, arctic nitro blasts on the dance floor, and a special dance performance. Music will be by DJ Nikno and winter white attire is encouraged. For more information, visit www.richssd.com.

Shanghai Circus: After a successful run last year, the new Shanghai Circus is returning to the Balboa Theater at 3 p.m. Watch the acrobats, tumblers, contortionists, jugglers, cyclists and gymnasts as they perform breath-taking stunts. Tickets range from $22.50 to $42.50 and active military, senior and student specials are available. Balboa Theater is located at 868 Fourth Ave. in Downtown San Diego. For tickets, call 619-570-1100 or visit www.sandiegotheatres.org.

Open Mic at Lestat’s: Chill in the spacious, chic/goth comfort zone of Lestat’s Coffee House in North Park. Monday is open-mic night from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a sign up at 6 p.m. Every night there is live music and an eclectic collection of overstuffed chairs, chaise lounges and Victorian sofas to watch it on. If you’re hungry, there is good food at the bakery towards the back. There is also a furnished reading room and Internet access for the less socially inclined. Lestat’s Coffee House is located at 3343 Adams Ave. For more information, call 619-282-0437 or visit www.lestats.com.

Free admission Tuesdays: One of the great things about living in San Diego is Tuesdays in Balboa Park! Every Tuesday, many of the museums in the park offer free admission on a rotating schedule. Park guests have the opportunity to see all of the wonderful gems that lie inside these amazing cultural institutions without having to pay the admission charge. Museums free on the first Tuesday of each month include the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and Centro Cultural de la Raza. The Timken Museum of Art is always free! For museum hours, locations, and additional information, visit www.balboapark.org.

‘Since Africa’: A recently widowed socialite and her daughter volunteer to help a “lost boy” of the Sudan relocate to America. The refugee tries to leave his past behind him and forge a new life in a new land, mystified by American ideas of art, ritual and family. As the two women get to know the young man their romantic notions about Africa and their own experience of loss are transformed as they face the truly epic tragedy of the Lost Boys of Sudan. Tickets range from $29 to $66 and can be purchased through the box office at 619-23-GLOBE or online at www.theoldglobe.org.

‘Dance/Theatre’: The Diversionary Theatre will present Dance/Theatre at 7:30 p.m. The special event, which runs through Feb. 8, features four original performances by six local choreographers and merges theater and dance, while presenting stories inspired by the Diversionary’s previous productions. Tickets range from $24 to $50. The Diversionary Theatre is located at 4545 Park Boulevard in University Heights. For more information, call 619-220-0097 or visit www.diversionary.org.

Valentine’s Soiree: Ulan Medical Spa will offer a Hollywood-themed Valentine’s Soiree from 5:30-9:30 p.m. The event will include free appetizers, wine, raffle prizes, and will also introduce the spa’s Beautiful Benefits membership program for as low as $49 per month. Space is limited and the first 10 RSVP will receive an Ulan Celebrity Goodie Bag! Ulan Medical Spa is located at 7510 Hazard Center Drive, Suite 607, San Diego, CA 92108. For more information, call 619-294-8526 or visit www.ulanmedspa.com.