Thursday, March 5
DANCE: I was going to recommend you go see French Horn Rebellion at U Street Music Hall merely because I love the name, but it turns out that the music the band plays is quite good as well. Ex-marching band players make electronic dance music for band geeks is how the band is billed, but to be totally honest, it sounds like a lot of other stuff in the genre—catchy and danceable. 7 PM, $15.
THEATRE: The description for Bigger Than You, Bigger Than Me, a new play at the Anacostia Arts Center, is vague enough that I don’t really know what you’re in for. A public school teacher doesn’t really like what she’s gotten herself into, she meets a colleague who she strikes up a friendship with, and then there’s a third character, married to one of them, who works for Homeland Security and is somehow impacted by this friendship. I’m not really sure, either. But there’s enough going on to sound intriguing, and it sounds kinda Washington-insidery to me, which is always fun on stage. 7:30 PM, $10.
Friday, March 6
GAMBLING: The National Harbor casino still isn’t open, but if you need a gambling fix (and can’t bring yourself to go to Arundel Mills or Baltimore), Tysons Corner’s Ritz-Carlton is hosting Casino Night, featuring Texas Hold ‘em, blackjack, craps, roulette, a dinner buffet, open bar, silent auction, dancing, and more. It’s not cheap (what casinos are?), but a portion of the proceeds go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, so you can feel good about taking money from others. 6:30 PM, $95.
COMEDY: For a while there, Demetri Martin was going to be the biggest comic in the world. He’s still extremely funny, and he did have that Comedy Central show for a while, but he never quite blew up in the way he was supposed to. That doesn’t matter though: He’s still doing well for himself and he’s still very funny. But maybe it does help explain the title of his new special, The Persistence of Jokes, which he’s filming at the Lincoln Theatre this weekend. 7 PM, $40.
FILM: I’m not a Trekkie, but still, the death of Leonard Nimoy felt like the end of an era. Pour one out for him at Black Cat’s Ten Forward Happy Hour, which, for one weekend, is taking a break from screening one episode of The Next Generation to screen The Wrath of Khan, in which Nimoy is at his best as Spock. 7 PM, free.
Saturday, March 7
BAR CRAWL: St. Patrick’s Day has come even earlier this year—there’s already a host of Leprechaun-themed events, even though there are, plausibly, two more appropriate weekends to do it. But let’s not begrudge anyone their fun—the Leprechaun Lap is your standard messy Dupont Circle bar crawl, featuring stops at James Hobans, Mackey’s, BlackFinn, Irish Whiskey, and less-Irish places like Bottom Line, Black Rooster, Public, Kabin, and Recessions. Two-buck Coors Lights for all! 1-9 PM, $15.
BRUNCH: Not to be outdone, Irish Whiskey (which is also participating in the bar crawl) is hosting what’s called Luck O’TheMadison Party Brunch, featuring bottomless mimosas, a dance floor, and, oh yeah, a buffet. Ticket includes a $10 donation to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. 12 PM, $35.
BOOKS: If pub crawls and party brunches sound revolting to you—different strokes, I guess—maybe you’d feel more at home at the 40th annual Washington Antiquarian Book Fair, in which you can check out and, in theory, buy, extremely old books. Many of these books are not for readin’ anymore, they’re there to make you rich one day—treat them nicely. Morning-5 PM, $8.
DANCE: Black Cat hosts Party Lights, a backstage, vinyl-only dance party featuring stuff you could probably find at yard sales if you actually knew what you were looking for. There’ll be a lot of soul, 60s girl group stuff, and garage rock. 9:30 PM, free.
Sunday, March 8
TRAVEL: The DC Travel and Adventure Show is at the Convention Center, and while it’s certainly not as good as actually jetting out of this miserable weather (actually, the Convention Center is about as far away from a vacation you can get), it’ll do for now. Travel experts like Pauline Frommer, Samantha Brown (of the Travel Channel), and Patricia Schultz (1,000 Places to See Before You Die) will be around helping you plan your next big trip. 10:30 AM – 4 PM, $11.
BEER: New Belgium brewery hosts Pickled, Braised, and Brewed: The Art of Slow Food, to prove that good things come to those who avoid the frying pan. Head over to Edgewood’s Mess Hall to sip on the very delicious Slow Ride IPA (and a few other New Belgium brews), biscuits, meats, pickles, etc. 1 PM, $45.
