Thursday, October 9
FASHION: GQ stylists will be at the Lord and Taylor in Chevy Chase this evening to help you polish up your personal fashion sense. There’ll be a deejay, food, and cocktails, and the first 100 people will get a free gift of some sort. Free. 5 to 9 PM.
HAUNTED THINGS: Capital Fringe’s new DC DEAD zombie game opens tonight, and it sounds incredible. It’s part interactive game, part haunted house, part theater performance—you hang out in Fort Fringe, are given a bunch of “neurotoxin darts,” and are asked to shoot zombies with them. So, yeah, it’s like a horror movie, live in person. Tickets ($35) are available online. 7 PM.
Friday, October 10
MOVIES: Union Market’s drive-in movie series is back after a couple-week hiatus from the summer. It’s once again a short run, with four movies each Friday until the end of the month. Things get started this week with Monsters University; the DC Rollergirls will be around to deliver food like you’re at an old-school drive-in, and Timber Pizza Company food truck serves slices all night. $10 per car; free otherwise. 6 PM.
EARTH: National Geographic hosts DJ Spooky, an author, composer, and (obviously) deejay, at an event called Arctic Rhythms. Basically, it’s a musical performance with a backdrop of videos and images taken in the Arctic designed to remind you about all the wonders of the world. Tickets ($30) are available online. 7:30 PM.
THE FUTURE: Ever worry that the music you’re listening to and the things you’re doing just aren’t futuristic enough? Genre X at Black Cat has you covered, featuring deejays with names like Ayescold, Native Sun, and FXWRK. This is how we will all spell in the future. Free. 10 PM.
Saturday, October 11
FESTIVALS: It’s Columbia Heights Day this weekend, and though it’s not quite as big of an event as H Street Festival or Adams Morgan Day, it’s a pretty good time. Most of the neighborhood’s businesses will be out and about (or on the sidewalk in front of their stores and restaurants), and there’ll be a dunk tank, face painters, and an eating contest, with an outdoor screening of E.T. to finish off the night. Free. 10 AM to 7 PM.
BAR CRAWL: Thanks to The Walking Dead, zombie madness now continues pretty much year-round, but it seems especially appropriate in October. Head to Chinatown for a zombie bar crawl to celebrate the return of the show—you’ll get one free beer just for going, or three if you come as a zombie (the choice here is clear). The crawl starts at Penn Social and hits Jackpot, Fado, and RFD; each spot will feature $3 beers and $4 rails. Tickets ($25) are available online. 3 PM.
VARIETY SHOW: The Capital City Showcase is at Wonderland Ballroom this month, which is a wonderful place to be on a Saturday night. See four local comedians, a musician, and a hip-hop artist perform. Tickets ($10) are available online. 7:30 PM.
BURLESQUE: Flannel, Pogs, and scrunchies are back in at Like, Whatever, a ’90s-themed burlesque show at Bier Baron. It’s only a matter of time until literally everything gets turned into a burlesque show, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. But it does sound pretty cool! Saved by the Bell characters will, of course, make an appearance. Tickets ($12) are available online. 10 PM.
DANCE: It’s the last ever Moon/Bounce Dancing Affair at Black Cat. Head there one more time to reminisce about all the times the deejays there have supplied us with ’90s hip-hop, pop, and other once guilty pleasures we long ago stopped feeling guilty about. $7. 10 PM.
Sunday, October 12
FOOD: More than 40 restaurants will be participating in this year’s Taste of DC event on Pennsylvania Avenue. There’ll also be live performances, the World Chili Eating Championship (!) featuring Ben’s Chili Bowl chili, and more than 50 specialty and craft beers. Tickets ($10) are available online. Noon to 7 PM.
FILM: West End Cinema hosts the Reel Independent Film Festival, featuring, as you might expect, lots of independent movies. On Sunday, there are two “blocks”—the early one features Breaking the Rules, a documentary about pollination, and Ofir, a documentary about the founding of the first wildlife law enforcement team in Africa and the sad events that spurred it. Later on, you’ll get Underground Sound, about a musician who plays on the New York City subway; Chasing Refuge, about how suicide grips a family; and Astray, about a runaway teenager. Tickets ($10 per block) are available online. 2 and 7 PM.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter at @jason_koebler.
