1. Who said you can’t pamper your palate without giving your wallet a happy ending? Join the good folks from What’s the Deal on Thursday for two hours of schmoozing and boozing with an open bar at the upscale lounge The Reserve from 5 to 7. All rail drinks will come courtesy of Absolut Vodka. To gain entry, guests must sign-up for the What’s the Deal listserv here.
2. Jive, sway, and bob to jazz vocalist L’Tanya Mari’s voice as she performs a free concert under the undulating canopy roof of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Kogod Courtyard on Thursday from 5 to 8.
3. Bring your business cards, your flirtiest dress, and head to Hotel Helix Lounge on Thursday as the International Club of DC throws a Happy Hour Soirée from 6:30 to 9:30. Mingle with other internationally-minded professionals while sipping $2 PBR’s, $3 Peroni drafts, and $5 glasses of wine. Entry is $7 at the door, but $5 for those RSVPing in advance here. Light food and sangria will be offered for the first 30 guests, so come early!
4. Don your most sophisticated baret and darkest clothes and before marveling at Donald Syriani’s free opening exhibit, Art Within Photography, at the L2 lounge on Thursday from 7 to midnight. Inspired by fashion and design Syriani’s work experiments with abstract arrangements and space. Free champagne will be offered. The exhibit moves to Contemporania (3315 Cady’s Alley, NW) after opening night.
5. Join executive producer Greg Kruglak at a free screening of his film Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint at the Freer Gallery on Friday at 7. The film tells the story of the man who would emerge as Tibet’s greatest yogi, poet, and saint.
6. Fist-pump and head-bang the night away at the Velvet Lounge’s downstairs venue on Friday at 10 as DJs Joshua Ryan and Robert Bozick spin garage jams and hard-pounding rock n’ roll at the Balls! Dance Party. The gay-friendly event is free, but guests must be 21 and over to enter.
7. The free “Kites of Asia Day” will be held at the National Air and Space Museum on Saturday from 10 to 3 and will feature demonstrations of a variety of Asian kites. Curators will explain how kites have influenced the development of aviation and the science behind kite flying. Individuals can also make their own kite in preparation of the Smithsonian’s annual kite-flying contest on the Mall the following week.
8. The National Gallery of Art is showing a free screening of the recently-restored 1959 film Araya on Saturday at 4. Winner of an award at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, the movie chronicles a community of salt harvesters and fishermen from the Araya region of Venezuela. The film will be presented in Spanish with subtitles at the East Building Concourse’s auditorium.
9. Looking for some substantive conversation beyond the realm of Twilight: New Moon? Join the sultry singles at The Soundry for the Art of Conversation Singles Night on Saturday from 7:30 to 11. After an ice breaker, singles will move from table to table, giving everyone a chance to converse with one another. The only rule? “No smug marrieds” allowed. Tickets are $15 for the public, but only $5 for members of The Soundry or DC Active Singles.
10. Southeast’s newest arts venue, The Fridge is recruiting a slew of performing artists and sideshow acts to flesh out the first of its monthly Sunday Circus review on (you guessed it…) Sunday. Starting at 6:17 (and no, that’s not a typo), improv artists, acrobats, fire dancers, and other acts will take center stage Jeramie Bellmay, Alexa Grey, and Soohan host the event. Admission is $15 normally, but $10 if you “dress for the circus–” so remember to bring your leotard and stilts.
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