1. Park your donkey outside the Capital City Brewing Company in Shirlington and join the weekly gathering of the Arlington chapter of Drinking Liberally on Thursday for a night of left-of-center politics and pints. Members will be in the back room from 7 to 9, and guests are welcome. Draft beers cost $5.75, but if you come a bit early to prepare your banter, you’ll catch the Brewing Company’s happy hour from 4 to 7 with half-price beers.

2. Grab your child (or find your inner child) and blast off with a free screening of Toy Story to inaugurate the Outer Space Fall Outdoor Movie series (Second and M sts., SE). Each Thursday at 7:30, the Capital Riverfront neighborhood is screening a different space-themed film. Bring your own blankets and astronaut food.

3. Kiss the summer goodbye with some sand in your suit at Town Tavern’s Flip Flop Farewell party on Friday. The chichi Adams Morgan bar is importing more than two tons of sand to get revelers in the sunshine spirit. If that doesn’t do the trick, ladies who RSVP on their Web site and wear bikinis get free top-shelf drinks from 7 to 8. There’s no cover, and those wearing flip-flops or beachwear can enjoy $3 Bud, Bud Light, Stellas, and half-price mixed drinks from 10 to midnight.

4. Def Poetry Jam gets a dose of guitar-driven distortion at the Writer’s Center’s StoryStereo Friday at 7:30. Emerging poet Suzanne Frischkorn and prose writer Neil Smith read passages from their books while the DC-based rock sextet Roofwalkers accompany the authors with songs from their debut album. The event is free, but be sure to RSVP at the Writer’s Center Web site.

5. Curious to know about the battle that saved Washington? Want to trace the history of Prohibition in the capital? Lace up your walking shoes, strap on your bike helmet, and choose from WalkingTown DC’s 120 free ambling or peddling tours on Saturday and Sunday. The biannual event is a virtual calorie-burning encyclopedia of the city and run entirely by volunteers. Each tour has a limit of 35 participants. For a list of tours, times, and where to RSVP, visit WalkingTown DC’s Web site.

6. Detoxed from last week’s Adams Morgan Day and going through neighborhood-festival withdrawal? Don’t fret—the annual H Street Festival is Saturday from noon until 6, with more than 30 musical acts, rock climbing, and a fashion show to highlight Northeast DC’s burgeoning Atlas District. Admission is free, with area vendors setting up shop on the street.

7. If people can greedily celebrate half birthdays, then why can’t holidays? Guinness fans should know that there are only six more months until we drink to Ireland’s patron saint, so stop by the Dubliner from 4 to midnight on Saturday for the Halfway to St. Patty’s Day Festival for drink specials ($2 Coors Light until 9, $3 after), an Irish-jig contest, and live music. Tickets cost $5 in advance, $7 at the door if you wear Irish clothing, $10 at the door otherwise.

8. Aside from Absolut and Victoria Silvstedt, Sweden remains an icy, blond question mark for many Washingtonians. Brush up on Scandinavian culture at the House of Sweden’s After Dark event Saturday from 9 to midnight. Sponsored by the Swedish Embassy, the event is part of a weekly series featuring DJs and drink specials. This week: Swedish hip-hop star Adam Tensta, who has opened for Jay-Z and Kanye West. Tickets are $10 in advance and include a free drink ticket.

9. FONZ is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with its annual fiesta at the National Zoo on Sunday from 11 to 5. Munch on Latin American foods, listen to Latin music, and enjoy costumed dancers at the free event. Handmade jewelry, sculptures, and instruments will be on sale.

10. Pregame for Halloween early this year by heading to the Freer Gallery on Sunday at 2 for a free showing of A Month of Hungry Ghosts. The documentary captures the eerie Hungry Ghost Festival, a monthlong ritual in Singapore taking place during the seventh lunar month, in which demons are thought to return to Earth to complete unfinished business. Admission is first come, first served. Goosebumps provided.

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