Thursday: This month’s Homo Hotel Happy Hour, usually held the third Thursday of the month, arrives a week early in celebration of Capital Pride. The host hotel for the event, which raises funds for various LGBT organizations, is the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel in Chinatown. The happy hour starts at 6. For more information about Homo Hotel Happy Hour, check out the event’s Web site.
Speaking of gays, a group of panelists—including Metro Weekly’s Sean Bugg and Feministing.com’s Miriam Perez and Jos Truitt—are discussing the state of gays in the media at the DC Center (1810 14th St., NW). TheNewGay.net’s founding editor, Zac Rosen, moderates the discussion. Free; 7:30.
What’s the Deal hosts a free happy hour at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room—all you have to do is sign up to receive e-mails from the deal-of-the-day Web site and you’re entitled to two free drinks. Subscribers also get to sip on $5 giant margaritas. The happy hour runs from 6 to 8; guests who linger after get to skip the cover charge for the bar’s DeJa Vu ’80s dance party, which starts at 9. To RSVP, click here.
Vanity Fair contributing editor Christopher Hitchens reads from and discusses his latest book, Hitch 22: A Memoir—which Diana McLellan in the Washington Post called “a fat and juicy memoir of a fat and juicy life”—at Politics and Prose at 7. Free.
Menudo may not be making an appearance at Wonderland Ballroom for the Friends! party (as its flyer jokingly indicates), but anyone who listened to—and, let’s be real—loved jams from Tiffany, New Kids on the Block, Hanson, the Backstreet Boys, etc., will be there. The party, which celebrates 50 years worth of pop songs and artists, gets started at 10, with DJs Cold Case and TMY behind the turntables. Free.
The Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District’s outdoor free film series, held at Canal Park (Second and M sts., SE), is showing Forrest Gump at 8:45. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs; those who arrive early can partake in trivia and other games. The series runs every Thursday through August 5. For more information, click here.
Molière’s The Hypochondriac is given a fast-paced makeover by the Picnic Theatre Company for an outdoor performance at Dumbarton House. The performance starts at 7:15, but guests are encouraged to arrive as early as 5:30 to enjoy a picnic in the garden. Wine and crepes will be available. Dress code is “classy picnic.” Tickets ($10) can be purchased here.
Friday: Wine Enthusiast hosts Toast of the Town at the National Building Museum. The event includes tastes of dishes from 30 Washington restaurants, including 1789, Old Ebbitt Grill, PS 7’s, Punk’s Backyard Grill, and Sei. Wineries include J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Morgan Winery, and Villa Cafaggio. For a full list of restaurants and vineyards and to purchase tickets ($89 for grandtasting, $169 for VIP), go here. The VIP tasting is from 5 to 7, the grand tasting from 7 to 10.
Who said tech nerds don’t know how to party? DC Digital Capital Week, a ten-day festival on all things technological, creative, and entrepreneurial, kicks off with a party at Long View Gallery. There’ll be live music and performances as well as video-art installations. Admission is $20 and includes a drink. Click here to purchase your ticket.
John Waters’s 1990 comedy, Cry-Baby, starring Johnny Depp as bad boy Cry-Baby Walker, screens at Rosslyn’s Gateway Park at 8:15 as part of the ongoing I Love the ’90s film series. Free.
The Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, which features live music, food, exhibits, and vendors, gets under way today with a performance by the band Rusted Root at 8. Held on the Fairfax County Government Center grounds, the festival runs through the weekend. For a full schedule of events, click here.
The folks behind the alternative gay Web site TheNewGay.net celebrate the LGBT community with HomoSonic, an indie, electro, and disco dance party at the Black Cat. Admission is $10 at the door. The party starts at 9:30.
Money can’t buy you class, but it can get you on a cab headed to Tysons Corner to see The Real Housewives of New York City’s Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen. The couple, commonly referred to as Silex, will sign copies of their new book, Little Kids, Big City: Tales From a Real House in New York City (With Lessons on Life and Love for Your Own Concrete Jungle), at Barnes & Noble. 7:30.
Saturday: Watch Saturday’s World Cup matches at Soccer in the Circle, an outdoor viewing party on two massive screens in the center of DC’s Dupont Circle. Catch the US versus England at 2:30; early birds can see South Korea versus Greece at 7:30 AM, followed by Argentina versus Nigeria at 10.
While we’re on the World Cup topic: The British gastropub Againn is hosting a Bangers vs. Burgers competition in honor of the US versus England match. While watching the game on three television screens at the bar, guests can order English bangers and mash or an American-style burger with fries—each served with a beer shandy for $15. Choose carefully, as meal choices will be tabulated to see which country is better supported. For more on where to watch the World Cup games, check out our trusty guide.
The Swim Meet, a new pool party held at the Hilton Embassy Row, launches today w
ith food, drinks, music, and complimentary towel service for guests. Also, it’s free—and lunch is included—for those who arrive within the first hour. There’s a $10 cover charge after that. The party starts at 1.
Remember the awesomeness that was last fall’s Tweed Ride? Well, the folks behind the event, Dandies and Quaintrelles, have partnered with the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens for a new event: the Seersucker Social. Once again, people are encouraged to dress in their best vintage attire—seersucker as the preferred fabric of choice—and ride their bikes in style. Arrival time at the museum is scheduled for 4:30. There’ll be live music and wine, beer, and cocktails will be served. There’s no charge for the ride, but registration is required to receive a map of the ride course. Admission price to the post-ride social at the museum is $20. To register, click here.
BrightestYoungThings scenesters and Capital Pride bring you Homo Erectus: The Evolution of Pride at the Hilton Embassy Row. In addition to bringing some of the city’s most talented DJs (Shea Van Horn, Matt Bailer, Ca$$idy, and Natty Boom) under one roof, the party features a six-foot T-Rex-shaped ice luge (!) as well as prehistoric-themed rooms. Tickets are $25 in advance and will also be at the door. For more information, click here.
Sunday: The Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor, which runs Saturday and today, features talks by local chefs and bloggers, cooking demonstrations, a clambake, and a beef cook-off. For a full schedule of events, ticket information, and to see a list of participating chefs, click here.
Say goodbye to Capital Pride until next year with the Anniething Goes dance party at U Street Music Hall. Miss Lesbannie and special guest DJ Lady Miss Kier will emcee the event. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For more information, click here.
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