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Thursday, February 18: Washington goes glam for its annual fashion week. Enjoy a networking party, a trunk show, and an array of couture collections throughout the city. Tickets are required for some events. Go here for more information.
Swedish rockers the Soundtrack of Our Lives will hit DC for two very different shows, both on the same night. First, you can catch an acoustic set at the House of Sweden at 6:45 ($15; tickets here). Then the group will be at the Black Cat mainstage at 8 with opener Nico Vega. $15.
The hipster Web site BrightestYoungThings.com is hosting Cruisin’ on the Odyssey cruise ship. In addition to free appetizers and a cash bar, there’ll be a band and other entertainment (there’s a rumor that White House crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi are going to be guests). Tickets ($25) and more information here.
Friday, February 19: It might be too late for Vancouver, but those who want to start training for the 2014 Olympics should head to the Hilton Garden Inn (815 14th St., NW) for the USA Olympic Curling Expo from 6 to 9. The free event features four curling sheets for attendees to practice sliding 42-pound stones from one end to another. Olympic curling events will be televised live in the ballrooms and lobby lounge, and demonstration videos and lessons will be offered as well.
The Iranian Film Festival continues at the Freer Gallery with a screening of Heiran, the story of a forbidden relationship between an Iranian and an Afghan. Tickets are limited to two per person, distributed one hour before showtime. The film begins at 7 in the Meyer Auditorium.
The Loudoun County YMCA is hosting its 22nd Annual Chocolates Galore & More Night with hors d’oeuvres and sweets from local restaurants. Participants include Capitol Chocolate Fountains, Gourmet Amore, Sweetz Bakery, Triple Oak Bakery, and Chantel’s Cakes & Pastries. Tickets are $70 for reserved seating and $60 for general admission. The event, 7 to 11, is at the National Conference Center (18980 Upper Belmont Pl., Leesburg; 703-729-8000). Proceeds go to YMCA’s Loudoun County’s Building Bridges annual-giving campaign. For more information or to buy tickets, click here.
Saturday, February 20: The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage presents the Devil Music Ensemble, a contemporary group performing the score to the only surviving Chinese silent martial-arts film, Hong Xia’s 1929 Red Heroine. The event begins at 6.
So maybe you’re not winning gold medals in Vancouver, but that doesn’t mean you can’t participate in your own Olympics in Washington—beer Olympics, that is. From 1 to 6 at Tom Tom in Adams Morgan, there’ll be such events as Waiter Carry, Boat Race, Empty Can Toss, Speed Quarters, Beirut, Boot Chug, Jello Shot Straws, and Beer Trivia—in other words, sports that our culture can be proud of. If you want to register, gather a team of eight (with two alternates) and pay the $400 group registration fee. More information and registration here.
Black-tie glamour, Texas Hold ’Em, cocktails, and a Guitar Hero tournament? You’ll get all that and more at the National Kidney Foundation’s Casino Night at the Corcoran. Bonus: All proceeds go to the Kidney Foundation. Get information and tickets ($100) here.
Sunday, February 21: The moody, intense songs of the Editors plus the anthemic, swelling rock of Antlers as opener? We’re sold. Check out both bands at the 9:30 Club at 7. Get tickets ($20) here.
If you move fast, you may be able to snag some of the few remaining tickets to the Chesapeake Oyster & Beer Festival today at National Harbor (the Saturday session is sold out). The $85 ticket includes samples of more than 30 beers, unlimited oysters, and more seafood. Not a bad deal. Get more information and tickets here.
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, head to the festive Chinese Lunar New Year Parade. Firecrackers, dancing, and a large parade will take place along H Street between Sixth and Eighth streets, Northwest. 2 to 5.
Michael J. Gaynor has written about fake Navy SEALs, a town without cell phones, his Russian spy landlord, and many more weird and fascinating stories for the Washingtonian. He lives in DC, where his landlord is no longer a Russian spy.
