Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Thursday, May 3: If you’re a serious beer lover, you might be interested in “The Art of Refermentation,” hosted by National Geographic Live. Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery—one of America’s first microbreweries—will discuss refermentation, the rapidly fading art of fermenting beer in the bottle, cask, or keg rather than in a large fermenter. There will, of course, be beers for the tasting. Tickets are $65 (buy them here). At the National Geographic Society’s Grosvenor Auditorium (1600 M St., NW; 202-857-7700).
China is the world’s largest producer of feature films after the United States and India. This week’s China Film Festival showcases seven new movies, including Washington and US premieres, film-festival winners, and Chinese box-office hits. Find more details here. $6.75 to $9.25. At the AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center (8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring; 301-495-6720).
Friday, May 4: Couldn’t get tickets to the Arcade Fire show and didn’t win our ticket giveaway? There’s still plenty going on tonight to keep you entertained. How about drinking for a good cause? That’s usually enough to make me content. You can do it today at Local 16 (1602 U St., NW; 202-265-2828) for the launch party of In the Running, a nonprofit raising funds for environmental causes in conjunction with one woman’s effort to become the youngest person to run seven marathons on seven continents (yup, Antarctica, too). More info is at the group’s Web site. The Local 16 party starts at 7 pm.
Saturday, May 5: Looking for some Cinco de Mayo fun? Head to our roundup.
Surely by now you’ve heard of PostSecret, the popular blog that displays postcards mailed in by readers divulging their darkest, most scandalous, and often touching secrets? Tonight at Artomatic (2121 Crystal Dr., Arlington), the man behind the PostSecret project, Frank Warren, will be signing copies of his three books, all compiled from cards sent to him. 6 pm to 8 pm.
If you weren’t at last night’s Arcade Fire show, you should head out to the Black Cat (1811 14th St., NW; 202-667-7960) tonight, because you’ll have the chance to see what some are calling DC’s own Arcade Fire. Le Loup has been around only a few months but is garnering more buzz than any other band I can remember. The seven-member group (including one French horn) plays swelling, experimental indie rock. So go early to check out Le Loup—the evening’s opening act—and stick around for Jukebox the Ghost and Exit Clov, the two other excellent bands on the bill. $10, 9pm.
If you’re looking for a little illustrated fun, check out Free Comic Book Day, taking place at comic-book stores across the area (and nation). Read more about it at After Hours.
A popular annual event, the Flower Mart at National Cathedral (Wisconsin and Massachusetts Aves., NW) features an antique carousel, children’s activities, food, and of course lots of gorgeous flower arrangements. The theme this year is “A Salute to Canada.” 10 am to 5 pm; free. For more information, call 202-537-3185.
Sunday, May 6: Everybody’s done it—tried to get to the beach for the weekend but ended up caught in hours of traffic on the Bay Bridge. Look at the bridge in a new light today during the annual Bay Bridge Walk, where you can walk the 4.5-mile span as fast or slow as you want. 9 am. Donations of $1 are required. Get more details, including the three parking locations, at this site (PDF file).
If you're looking to relive the Gold Cup or Kentucky Derby, try your hand at making the fantastic mint-julep recipe posted at the Best Bites Blog. Easy and delicious.
Today’s matinee is the closing performance of Coriolanus at the Kennedy Center. Our reviewer said, “From the carefully lit blood-red set to the original music, from director Gregory Doran’s direction to the uniformly excellent cast, this Coriolanus is riveting.” 1:30 pm. Tickets ($61-$78) are available here.
