Thursday, October 24
BEER: Does a TV show having its own themed craft beer mean it’s gone too far? I’d argue yes, but that’s because unlike everyone else in the world, I’m not crazy into Game of Thrones. Ommegang launches its new Westeros-themed Take the Black Stout at Penn Social tonight. The evening will feature games, prizes, a Game of Thrones costume contest, and themed glassware. Free. 6 PM.
SHOPPING: The new Dr. Martens store in Georgetown opens tonight and is celebrating with live musical performances featuring Misun and a deejay set by Patrick of Ra Ra Rasputin. There’ll also be free beer and chances to win free clothes. Free. 7 PM.
HALLOWEEN: If the most effort you’re willing to put into your Halloween costume is wrapping yourself in tinfoil and going as a leftover, the Half-Assed Halloween Party is the one for you. The rules: Spend no money and less than 30 minutes on your costume, and head over to Union Pub to help support Making Strides for MS. There will be prizes for the best “crappy” costume and drink and food specials. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. 8 PM.
Friday, October 25
HALLOWEEN: The Hamilton is getting rid of its chairs and doing its best rock club impression with Halloween Howl, a dance party/concert featuring performances by lots of local artists—both cover and otherwise. Expect lots of “Thriller,” “Psycho Killer,” maybe even some “Monster Mash.” It’s a costume party, and there will be prizes, so hope you’ve got a good one. Tickets ($20) are available online. 8:30 PM.
COMEDY: Wonderland’s Don’t Block the Box comedy show is back with a Halloween-themed special for you guys, which means instead of telling funny jokes, the standups will just be trying to scare the bejeezus out of you. Or, more likely, they’ll just tell regular jokes and then you can dance to Halloween-ish music afterwards. $3. 7:30 PM.
MUSIC: Steve Aoki is a crazy person, and I have no qualms about saying that. He’s a deejay/producer, but instead of standing at a Macbook during his sets pretending like he’s doing something, he jumps around the stage like a six-year-old who just downed a case of Pixy Stix. His openers are no slouches either: You’ve got Pharrell, who has the song of the summer ’til that whole “Blurred Lines” thing happened, and Waka Flocka Flame, whom I could probably write a doctoral thesis about my love for, but I’ll spare you guys. By the way, it’s Merriweather’s last show, so say goodbye before it hibernates for the winter. Tickets ($18 to $125) are available online. 4 PM.
Saturday, October 26
BAR CRAWL: Thankfully for everyone who works in Georgetown, Nightmare on M Street is on a weekend this year. That just means it can be crazier than ever. DC’s biggest bar crawl of the year hits 30 bars in Farragut, Dupont, and Georgetown; drink specials include $4 Bacardi drinks, $3 Blue Moons, and $2 Coors Lights. Stick around until the early morning hours and it’s likely to be one of the scarier scenes you’ll see in DC. Tickets ($30) are available online. 5 PM.
OTHER HALLOWEEN STUFF: It’s Halloween: There are a ton of other costume parties to check out. Here’s some notable ones: Silver Spring is hosting a Zombie Walk for those of you who are feeling a bit undead at the moment. The Lookout is hosting the Tower of Terror Halloween Dance Off, featuring three floors of dancing, an open bar, a photo booth, and a costume contest. Naked Girls Reading is celebrating its one year anniversary with Naked Ghouls Reading, which just means women will read scary stories aloud wearing no clothes. For more ideas, visit our Guide to Halloween.
COMEDY: You know Janeane Garofalo as the worldwide megastar who has appeared in Reality Bites, Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion, The Truth About Cats and Dogs, and lots of other stuff. Now get to know her up close and personal at the Hamilton, where she’ll perform standup and maybe bust out some spoken-word truths: She’s also a pretty important liberal radio talk show host. Tickets ($20) are available online. 8:30 PM.
FALL FESTIVAL: Get out of the city for Piketoberfest, Rockville Pike’s new fall festival, featuring a farmers market, wine-tasting, pumpkin-decorating, live music, and a truck touch, which is exactly what it sounds like: Kids get to hang out with huge fire trucks and the like. Free. 10 to 3.
BOOKS: You could probably use some new books to read, or at least to decorate your shelves. The Friends of the SW Library are hosting the last weekend of their used-book sale, featuring hundreds of books, most of them for less than two bucks. Proceeds benefit the library. Free. 10 to 2.
PARTY ALL NIGHT: I’m not exactly sure how the permit situation here is working (maybe there will be no booze?), but Tropicalia is staying open all night for you vampires/other nocturnal creatures out there. Doors are at 3 AM, and the place ain’t shutting down til 9 AM. The night (morning?) features go-go dancers, tribal drums, costume contests, and candy. Proceeds benefit the HIV/AIDS service community. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. 3 AM.
Sunday, October 27
SOCCER: Assuming you’d be all Halloween’ed out, Sunday is a bit thin this week. You can watch DC United’s last game of the season against the Houston Dynamo—it’s also Fan Appreciation Day, meaning you’ll get a free poster and 30 percent off all United merch. Tickets ($26 to $55) are available online. 1:30 PM.
PARADE: You can also take the kids trick-or-treating at the Del Ray Halloween Parade, featuring lots of candy, costumes, and contests (best pet costume, best decorated business, etc.). Free. 2 PM.
ZOO: Finally, there are still some Boo at the Zoo tickets left, for the moment. Kids can get up close and personal with lots of animals (not the ones that like eating children), trick-or-treat throughout the zoo, and wear cute animal costumes. Tickets ($35) are available online. 5:30 to 8:30 PM.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter.
