Thursday, July 29
Get your fall jewelry fix tonight at Georgetown’s Puro Cafe. The Wisconsin Avenue coffee shop is hosting Stella & Dot, an online-only brand of adorably versatile jewelry, for a special trunk show. 5:30 to 8:30, with 20 percent of proceeds benefit Fashion Fights Poverty.
Film buffs get a history lesson at Tudor Place on Thursday. In honor of 100 years of film in Georgetown, the neighborhood estate hosts a special exhibition of early-1900s movie scores and antique film equipment. Admission ($15) includes a free movie ticket to any AMC theater. 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Drinks and light refreshments will be served.
Author and Washington Post journalist Dave Kindred discusses his book, Morning Miracle: Inside the Washington Post, at Politics and Prose Thursday. The book details the struggle of the Post—and other newspapers—to survive in the digital age. Free; 7:30.
Hightail it out to Virginia for some good old-fashioned girl power—soul diva Aretha Franklin headlines at Wolf Trap. 8 PM; $25 to $100. Tickets are available here.
Thievery Corporation may best be known for bars and music, but the duo is branching out. Head to the Fridge tonight for the premiere screening of Babylon Central, member Eric Hilton’s first film about a courier/DJ who accidentally gets caught up in a Saudi Arabian attempt to divest from the US dollar. The movie, which dubs DC the “modern-day Babylon,” sure sounds intriguing to us. 7:30; tickets ($8) are available here.
Friday, July 30
The Made in Hong Kong Film Festival continues at the Freer Gallery of Art with 1978’s The Contract, a satire of the entertainment industry by the Hui brothers. Free; Friday at 7, Sunday at 2.
New-boutique alert! If you haven’t made it to Chevy Chase yet to see the Julia Farr showroom (5232 44th St., NW; 202-364-3277), we recommend you do just that. The store, owned and operated by a sixth-generation Washingtonian, features brands such as Halston Heritage and Catherine Malandrino and offers personal wardrobe consultation.
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy with a National Symphony Orchestra rendition of the video game’s memorable score. Performed at Wolf Trap, the show is enhanced with high-def video and art stills. 8:30; $20 to $52. Click here for tickets.
Teens take their turn at exhibition design with “Investigating Where We Live,” a visual journey through three DC neighborhoods opening tonight at the National Building Museum. The exhibit is the product of the museum’s summer outreach program. Free; 6 to 8.
America’s most inappropriate traveling game show stops by H Street’s Palace of Wonders tonight for all sorts of high jinks. In Grab My Junk, you’ll see burlesque performers do their thing, then get a chance guess their dirtiest secrets while competing for prizes. $10, doors at 7, shows at 9:30 and 11:30.
Who doesn’t love a free dance party? Every last Friday of the month, DJ Danny Harris (of Fatback fame) hosts Distract at the Rock & Roll Hotel, an all-night mash-up of Top 40, dance pop, and everybody’s favorite ’90s songs. 9:30 PM to 2 AM; 21 and older.
Saturday, July 31
Get a glimpse of tomorrow’s art scene at “(e)merge,” a panel discussion geared toward aspiring Washington artists at Conner Contemporary Art. Panelists—who include Washington Project for the Arts program director Kristina Bilonick, Hamiltonian gallery founder Paul So, and American University art professor Zoë Charlton—discuss the concept of building artistic communities. The talk is followed by a party featuring tunes by DJ Keenan Orr and refreshments from Marvin and Red Hook brewery. Free; 4 to 8.
Check out the Irvine Contemporary’s curated MFA exhibition, “Introductions 6,” which features works by six recent graduates from across the country. The finalists, chosen from more than 200 applicants, hold sway at an opening reception tonight. Free; 6 to 8.
Local clothier Hugh & Crye celebrates its official launch with For Shirts & Giggles, a party at the 3306 M Street Gallery. Listen to a DJ spin while you sip Peronis and nosh on fare from Coppi’s Organic restaurant. Tickets ($10), which benefit Martha’s Table, are available here; 8 PM to 1 AM.
The Black Cat hosts a trifecta of home-grown hip-hop stars. Diamond District, the Cornel West Theory, and Damu the Fudgemunk are all playing the venue’s mainstage. Tickets ($12) are available here; 9 PM.
Sunday, August 1
Indie-electronica band Bluebrain and Urban Artistry team up with the Pink Line Project for Restriction, a thoroughly trippy dance concert in Meridian Hill Park that takes place in complete silence—to the outside observer. Prior to the performance, attendees download to a personal MP3 player a specially designed soundtrack available here. At 2 PM, participants press play simultaneously for an eclectic, shared experience. Free.
A two-day showcase of new choreography wraps up today at Dance Place. The program includes work by established and up-and-coming choreographers and features diverse styles, from modern to classical Indian dance. Tickets ($8 to $22) are available here; 7 PM.
This game isn’t just about sports: The Street Soccer USA Cup, a competition for a multi-city network of soccer teams for homeless players, declares a winner today at the Washington Kastles Stadium. The teams, which are often credited for pulling their members out of homelessness, begin semifinals at 8 AM. Click here for the full game schedule. General admission is free.
Today is your last chance to see One Man Lord of the Rings, a comedic take on the Oscar-winning films that ends its month-long run at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company tonight. Actor/writer Charles Ross geeks out with a performance condensing the 11-hour-and-23 minute-long, multi-character epic into 65 minutes of z
any antics. Click here for tickets ($30 general admission, $25 subscribers); 2 PM.
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Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
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.
