Thursday, March 26: UPDATE: This show is now sold out. Glasvegas, an indie-rock quartet from Glasgow will perform at the Black Cat tonight. We’ve been loving the band’s big, noisy guitar-rock sound lately. Tickets ($15) can be purchased here.
In honor of World Water Week, local artists are showing off works that emphasize how just one glass of water can be significant. Check out their works at Edison Gallery in DC’s Gallery Place; open noon to 4.
Friday, March 27: The Found Footage Festival at the Arlington Cinema ’n’ Drafthouse tonight is pretty much exactly what it sounds like—the festival folks play hilarious and bizarre video clips they’ve found at thrift stores and garage sales from all over the country. The clips are interspersed with comedy and commentary from the hosts. 7:30 PM; $10. Get tickets here.
Hirshhorn After Hours returns! This hipster-filled art party is always a guaranteed good time. Video artists, DJs, and an outdoor space with lots of booze (cash bar) will be involved. One thing to note: This time around, you must purchase tickets ($18) in advance; there will be no sales at the door. Get them here.
The DC-based rock group the Andalusions play a free in-store performance at Crooked Beat Records in Adams Morgan at 7. The band’s first seven-inch is out on Dischord Records.
Saturday, March 28: In celebration of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival, the Freer Gallery presents a day-long festival of four Japanese anime films in the Meyer Auditorium. Tickets are free but handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, so get there early. Half of the tickets will be distributed at 10:30 AM, and half will be distributed 30 minutes before each film. More info is here.
At Artini, you’ve got fabulous drinks mixed by some of the city’s best bartenders, partying folks dressed in their finest spring cocktail wear, and a great space at one of our favorite museums. What’s not to like? True, tickets to tonight’s event are $100 for those who aren’t members of the Corcoran Society, but if you’ve got cash to burn and a free slot on Saturday night, we heartily recommend it. Get tickets here.
The Warehouse has been hosting some very cool events, and this weekend is no exception. Sprung at the Warehouse will have a set by homegrown folk-rockers US Royalty, a DJ, and presumably lots of dancing. Tickets are $8, and things get rolling at 9:30 PM.
Hundreds gather on the Mall for the annual Smithsonian Kite Festival today from 10 to 4. A handmade-kite competition will give awards in categories for children, adults, and master kite makers, but anyone can join in and fly kites throughout the day. More info here.
The National Gallery of Art screens two Japanese films from the early 1960s, Catch and Shiro Amakusa, the Christian Rebel, starting at 2 in the East Building’s auditorium. In Catch, a black American pilot falls into the hands of a group of villagers looking to cash in on a bounty. Shiro Amakusa is based on a 17th-century uprising in which Shiro, a young boy, leads the poor and exploited Christian peasantry against the Shogunate.
Sunday, March 29: A formal lantern-lighting ceremony takes place today as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival. The 357-year-old stone lantern is a true piece of history: It was presented to Washington by Japan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Treaty of Peace, Amity, and Commerce between the United States and Japan, which was signed by Commodore Matthew Perry at Yokohama on March 31, 1854. The ceremony takes place from 2:30 to 4 at the Tidal Basin (Independence Ave. and 17th St., SW). Free.
Check it out: Guide to the Cherry Blossoms
Did you know there are lots of places besides the tourist-packed Tidal Basin to see cherry blossoms? We rounded up some of our favorite off-the-beaten-path spots. Though it’s not peak cherry-blossom time yet (that’s April 1 through 4), there are still plenty of trees that have started blooming.
Cheesetique holds “Raw Milk Rules,” a class that focuses on raw-milk cheeses both soft and hard. It goes from 6 to 7 and costs $35. Call 703-706-5300 to register.
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