Thursday, October 25
TALKS: All year,
Thirst has been overrunning bars with nerds as experts give TED-style talks about all manner
of things. Tonight, six Smithsonian experts will talk about the feasibility of space
guns, indigenous tattoo culture, the colors found on the surface of Mars, why American
Chinese food tastes so good (hint: it’s doused in corn syrup), and DINOSAURS. Dress
up in your favorite nerdy costume (please try to coordinate so there’s not too many
Neil DeGrasse Tysons, Bill Nyes, or Reddit Upvotes). Best costume wins ten free drinks
that Thirst recommends you hand out to “break the ice, make some friends, and have
fun; please don’t hide in the corner and attempt to pound ten drinks.” SOUNDS LIKE
A CHALLENGE. Tickets ($20) are available online. 7 PM.
CAUSES: Take advantage of the last vestiges of nice-ish weather before we get stormed on by
a Halloween hurricane at Tony & Joe’s on the Georgetown Waterfront.
Sip With Socialites is throwing a benefit and auction to Becky’s Fund for domestic violence victims;
a $20 donation gets you inside and a free purple cocktail. Misses Wyoming, Maryland,
and DC will be on hand for you to ham it up with. Tickets ($20) are available online.
7 PM.
Friday, October 26
DRAWING: Unleash those doodles you scribble on your notepad at boring meetings at the American
Art Museum’s
Drawing at Dusk. Get inspired by the art or sketch a live model—the museum will supply the pencils
and other drawing materials, so all you need to bring is a sketchbook. Free. 5:30
PM.
THROWBACK HALLOWEEN: Unsurprisingly, nearly everything going on this weekend is Halloween-themed, so plan
your costume accordingly. If you wanna go as early-days Madonna or Prince and have
a taste for the classier things in life, P.O.V.’s
Neon Nights ’80s Halloween Party is for you. A deejay will be bumpin’ New Wave, dance, and hair metal from the decade
you just can’t leave behind. Tickets ($40) are available through Event Farm. 8 PM.
HIPSTER HALLOWEEN: You didn’t think you’d get a Halloween weekend without a BYT party, right? Queue
up the ironic costumes for
Temple of Doom (but don’t screw this one up or you may be greeted with eye rolls). The party will
feature burlesque, karaoke, a ton of candy, a hypnotist, zombie go-go dancers, free
zombification if your costume sucks or could stand to be a little more undead, and
crazy dance music from Nouveau Riche. Tickets ($20) are available online. 8 PM.
BURLESQUE HALLOWEEN: The other Halloween rager option is at
Red Palace, which will feature, as usual, sideshow and burlesque performances. You get a belly
dancer, a contortionist, lots of burlesque, and interactive games. Wear a costume.
Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. 9 PM.
Saturday, October 27
KIDS’ HALLOWEEN: Get some shopping done and entertain your kids at the
Old Town Boutique District, which hosts trick-or-treating all day for your little witches and monsters. Free.
FASHION HALLOWEEN: Hope your costume’s ready and you’ve got lots of energy, because the Halloween parties
start before the ghosts come out at night. The
Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce is throwing a party at T-Square in Georgetown, and your costume better be classy
and fashionable or GET OUT (my rule, not theirs). Tari will be on hand selling its
decidedly not-spooky fashions; there will also be drinks, food, and candy, which is
also kind of a food. Tickets ($20) are available online. 3 PM.
ZOMBIE HALLOWEEN:
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse and
Art Whino are taking over the Fairgrounds for some good ol’-fashioned zombie fun. If you are
terrible at turning yourself into a zombie, they’ll do it for you (if you enjoy standing
in scary-long lines).
Shaun of the Dead,
Dawn of the Dead, and
Zombieland will play on a giant screen, and DJ Lil’ e will spin so you can get your dance on.
Tickets ($20) are available online. 6 PM.
ALL SORTS OF THINGS HALLOWEEN:
LivingSocial also hosts a party, featuring seven specialty cocktail tastings (seven deadly sin-themed),
a burlesque show (is there a huge contingent of burlesque dancers for hire I’m missing
somewhere?), a dance party, all-you-can-eat cupcakes, and fried foods spread out between
seven deadly rooms, all with a different theme. Tickets ($59) are available online.
8 PM.
YET MORE HALLOWEEN: Finally (not actually finally, there are dozens of other parties around town), we’ve
got
Penn Social. Their party sounds pretty run-of-the-mill: They’ve got a deejay, an ’80s cover band,
Halloween-themed drinks, and costume contests. But having seen their space, it seems
like this party might be one of the better ones—it’s essentially a huge room with
high ceilings and few obstructions for maximum dance space. Sounds perfect for your
expansive Optimus Prime costume. Tickets ($20) are available through Eventbrite. 9
PM.
Sunday, October 28
MOVIES: The
National Museum of American History screens
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one of the best movies of all time. Jack Nicholson was already a star, but his performance
in
Cuckoo’s Nest solidified him as a legend. Afterward, a panel will discuss the film’s importance
and the motivation for making the movie, as well as celebrate its Czech director,
Milos Forman (it’s Czech National Day, so it’s festive and stuff). Free. 1 PM.
BREAKABLE, FUNCTIONAL ART: If you’re looking for some cool ceramics for your current or future kids to knock
over, head to the Hill Center for
Pottery on the Hill, featuring works from 15 local and national ceramic artists. Free. Noon to 4.
ZOMBIES: If you haven’t checked out Rockville’s
Warehouse: Project 4.1, Sunday might be a good day. A medical study gone wrong has caused lots of crazy
mutations and the zombification (I hear zombies are big these days) of hundreds of
people. See if you can help them—or at least come for the freakshow, if you’re brave
enough. Tickets ($20) are available online; mention “walking dead” for a discount.
7 to 10 PM.
Want even more Halloween? check out our special Halloween section for recipes, events,
and other spooky happenings.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com,
or find him on Twitter @jason_koebler.
