Some people treat February 14 like a cute idea. I never could. As a Valentine baby, I grew up feeling like love deserved a real moment on the calendar, not just a last-minute dinner reservation.
In New York, winter doesn’t care about your plans. It’s dark early, trains run slow, and storms show up without warning. Still, year after year, I chose the same thing: I showed up for love on February 14, on purpose, even when it was inconvenient.
This is the simple timeline of how a small home gathering grew into the Valentine Gala, and why its legacy still matters in the New York Haitian music and entertainment community today.
The first years, when it was just a home gathering and a promise to keep going
Before the Valentine Gala had a ballroom, a bandstand, and a dress code, it had a living room. The first gatherings were intimate and personal, friends squeezing in close, family checking on the food, music in the background, and laughter filling the kind of space that only feels safe because everyone knows each other.
New York shaped those early nights. People came straight from work. Someone always arrived late because of traffic. Coats piled up by the door like a second wall. It wasn’t fancy, but it was warm, and that warmth mattered in the heart of winter.
Many thought I was crazy for hosting events in February. Too cold, too risky, too expensive. But I wasn’t trying to build a trend. I was building a tradition.
As a luxury event designer and culinary creative, Valentine’s Day became the perfect time to show what I could do. After the holidays, winter gets quiet. Clients start planning weddings, communions, graduations, and milestones. I placed my brand behind one universal theme that never goes out of style: love.
Why celebrating on February 14 mattered, even before it was popular
Being born on Valentine’s Day made it personal, but the deeper reason was simple: love needs practice. People need joy they can count on. Traditions keep a community close, even in a city that moves fast and forgets faster.
Back then, major promoters in the Haitian music industry didn’t want the February risk. The cold felt like a deal breaker. I didn’t plan around comfort; I planned around culture. I celebrated through snowstorms, rain, random weeknights, and even blackout weather. And still, guests showed up, driving through it all, because they believed in what the night stood for.
For years, it was a one-woman show. I planned the event, catered the food, designed the décor, handled logistics, and hosted my guests. Each year, I also stepped onto the floor for a signature performance, a moment guests came to expect as my gift to them and my own celebration of love. People would wonder what I’d be wearing, knowing I changed outfits as the night unfolded.
Some years, February 14 landed on a Tuesday, the kind of night when most people want to eat and sleep. Other years, the forecast looked like a warning, not a plan. Transportation got messy. Vendors ran late. Power issues forced last-second pivots.
Those nights taught me something practical: love is not a mood, it’s a decision. If the music had to start a little later, it started later. If candles had to fill the room until lights came back, candles did the job. If the guest list shifted because a storm scared people off, the ones who came danced twice as hard.
Over time, the one-woman show became a village, a circle of hands and hearts carrying the Valentine Gala forward with the same intention it was built on. What began as a simple DJ party grew into an elevated experience, with luxury décor, a lavish cocktail hour with live entertainment, a plated three-course dinner, and live performances to close the night. When most galas ended with a DJ, I brought in live bands and raised the standard.
From living room to Valentine Gala, how the night grew with the New York Haitian music scene
Growth didn’t happen overnight. It came in steady steps. One year the guest list doubled. Then the home felt too small, so the venue got bigger. Sound systems improved. Tickets became the clean way to manage capacity and expectations. The energy stayed familiar, but the production had to match it.
Word traveled the way it always does in New York, through group chats, family calls, and photos that made people say, “Wait, where was this?” Valentine’s Day slowly became a hot date on the New York Haitian music calendar because people felt something real in the room. They didn’t come just to be seen. They came to celebrate, reconnect, and breathe.
What changed as the crowd got bigger, and what never changed
As the Gala grew, details had to tighten. Timing mattered more. Staffing mattered more. The venue had to support lighting, food service, and a proper stage. The dress code became part of the mood, not a rule for rules’ sake. When guests dress well, they show respect for the night and for each other.
Still, the core stayed steady: love, respect, elegance, and safe fun. The goal was never chaos. It was joy with structure, the kind that lets everyone relax.
Hosting at scale also taught me how to protect the heart of the event. Bigger rooms can feel cold if you let them. So the focus stayed on the experience, the welcome, the flow, the feeling that each guest mattered.
Haitian music, especially kompa, has a way of pulling people together. It’s rhythm you can lean into. It’s the shared lyrics, the familiar drum patterns, the dance steps passed down without a formal lesson.
New York adds its own flavor. People come from every borough, every background, and still meet on the same dance floor. You hear Creole, French, and English in one conversation. You see couture beside classic Haitian elegance. The city’s hustle shows up in the execution, in the way everyone arrives ready to make the night count, because tomorrow comes fast.
That blend, Haitian culture plus New York drive, became the Gala’s signature.
The legacy after 26 years, what the Valentine Gala taught about love, community, and consistency
Legacy isn’t a trophy. It’s what lasts after the music stops. After 26 years, the Valentine Gala became more than an annual party. It became a reunion, a cultural anchor, and a reminder that love is something you can build on purpose.
My first Valentine Gala featured Impression Band, followed by unforgettable performances and collaborations with Emeline Michel, Boulo Valcourt, Beethova Obas, Rigaud Simon, and many others. Martine Marseille was announced on one of my flyers but later relocated out of state and could not perform. Over the years, I welcomed Rutshelle Guillaume, Kai, Vyab, Zafem, and artists who trusted my vision before Valentine’s Day became fashionable in New York. Many returned more than once because the organization, the love, and the energy were real.
Right before the pandemic, I hosted one of my most meaningful Valentine Galas, a free thank-you gala for loyal guests. That night, I surprised them with a live performance by Emeline Michel. It was my way of saying, I see you, and I’m grateful.
What guests carry with them, memories, connections, and a sense of belonging
People don’t only remember a song. They remember how they felt standing in the middle of a room that looked like care. Some guests met a partner there. Some rebuilt friendships that got lost in the rush of life. Some came to honor a loved one they were missing, choosing joy without guilt.
The crowd has always been a mix: couples, singles, families, elders, and a younger set learning what Haitian pride looks like dressed up and celebrated. For many, it’s a piece of home, without leaving New York.
How to build a tradition that lasts, even if you are starting small
This legacy has always been built on commitment, not convenience. If you want to start your own tradition, keep it simple and stay true to it:
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Pick a date you can keep, then protect it.
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Name the purpose (love, family, friendship, healing).
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Plan for reality, weather, timing, and budgets.
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Document the journey, photos, flyers, and stories matter later.
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Ask for help, traditions grow when other hands can carry them.
Consistency turns a small idea into something people trust.
The 2026 Venise Valentine Gala Experience
The legacy continues with the Venise Valentine Gala on February 14, 2026, at The Sands Atlantic Beach in Long Island, New York. Inspired by the romance, mystery, and elegance of Venice, the evening invites guests into candlelight, music, couture, and timeless love.
This year also marks a historic moment. The Venise Valentine Gala will feature Klass’ very first Valentine Gala performance in New York, and their first at this annual event, following their return from Haiti. For longtime fans, it’s more than a show. It’s a homecoming and a continuation of what this night has always carried.
The night begins with a two-hour Venetian cocktail experience with Orchestra Di Napoli, setting a romantic tone with live Italian orchestration. Guests will mingle, sip, and enjoy an atmosphere that feels like a grand evening along Venice canals.
Then guests will be seated for a luxurious three-course dinner, surrounded by décor designed to reflect Venetian elegance and cinematic beauty. Live performances will carry the night from refined to celebratory, blending culture, music, and emotion into one full experience. This is not a come-and-go event, it’s meant to be lived from beginning to end.
It’s also a larger moment for the culture. It’s time to stand behind the women building, producing, and elevating Haitian art with consistency and vision, not noise.
The Valentine Gala started as a home gathering and became a New York tradition because it stayed rooted in one idea: love is worth the effort. Year after year, the choice stayed the same, show up, even in winter, even when it’s hard.
The legacy is not just the décor, the fashion, or the lineup. It’s consistency, and the way a community can gather around it and grow. However, you mark February 14, keep it real, keep it intentional, and keep showing up for love.
(Kennia S Lucien is contributor to Haitianbeatz and the Founder & Creative Director, Kwizine Art, Inc. She is also the Producer of the Annual Valentine Gala; Event Director, Stand Up to Poverty)
