Things to Do

Where & When: What to Do This Weekend

Great bars, a wine expo, a Johnny Cash film, concerts, and much more in this weekend’s guide to nightlife.

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Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Thursday, February 26: Today at 11, join four notable local bartenders featured in the March Washingtonian for a discussion about the spirits du jour, the history of cocktails, the craft and technique behind a well-made drink, and more. Submit your questions now!

Are you a fan of improv? How about improv battles? You’ll get just that at the third annual Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament at the Source this weekend. Forty teams of 119 improvisers will go head to head in a bracketed showdown. The whole shebang kicks off tonight, and shows will take place every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday through March 28. Head here for more info.

Johnny Cash would’ve turned 77 today, and to celebrate his birthday, the AFI Silver Theatre is screening Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, a documentary about his famed performance. 7 PM; $10. Get tickets here.

Friday, February 27: The second annual Virginia Wine Expo happens this weekend at the Greater Richmond Convention Center (403 N. Third St., Richmond). The event features 50 Virginia wineries and samples of more than 300 wines as well as seminars, food, and cooking demonstrations. The event runs from 4 to 10 on Friday, noon to 7 on Saturday, and 11 to 6 on Sunday. A Saturday-and-Sunday tasting pass costs $60, and an all-access tasting pass is $289. To buy tickets and get prices for individual events, click here or call 804-783-7300.

Buzzed-about Somalian rapper and poet K’Naan will play for free at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage at 6.

Saturday, February 28: Get on this one early, because we can’t imagine it won’t sell out: Local popster Jukebox the Ghost is playing DC9 for the venue’s fifth anniversary. This is probably your last chance to catch Jukebox the Ghost—which is going to hit it big soon (the band routinely sells out the Black Cat)—in such a small venue. Bonus: The cover drops to $5 after midnight. 9 PM; $10. Buy tickets here.

Another up-and-coming musician on the local scene will hold his CD-release party tonight at the Black Cat. Benjy Feree’s new album, Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee Bobby Dee, will have you dancing along to his foot-stomping folk-rock. Openers Tim Fite and Laughing Man are both also excellent. 9 PM; $12.

The National Gallery of Art screens In the City of Sylvia in the East Building auditorium at 3:30. The 2007 film, directed by José Luis Guerín, takes place in Strasbourg over the course of three days as a young artist searches for a woman  he thinks he met in the city years before.

Hilarious standup comic Patton Oswalt brings his show to Lisner Auditorium tonight. There are still tickets for the 10 PM show; get them here. $20.

Sunday, March 1: Why not wrap up the weekend by visiting one of the best bars in the area? We’ve got a list of our 75 favorites in the current issue of The Washingtonian. But if you’re jonesing for more, we put the other favorites we couldn’t fit in the magazine online. Check ’em out, drink up, and have a great time.

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