Things to Do

What to Do This Weekend: April 11 to 14

Learn about pirates, hit the Sakura Matsuri street festival, and play mini golf at various Dupont bars.

Dupont bars turn into mini golf courses for a bar crawl Saturday. Image via Shutterstock.

Thursday, April 11

MUSIC: Looking to dance? U Street Music Hall hosts
Goldroom, a Los Angeles-based deejay whose synth pop is more Passion Pit than the wubwubwub
robot music you seem to hear a lot these days. Openers Stepdad make even dancier music.
Tickets ($12) are available online. 10 PM.

PIRATES: Archaeologist
Barry Clifford discovered the first-ever pirate shipwreck when he found the
Whydah, which sank off the coast of Cape Cod in 1717. Clifford will be at the National Geographic
Museum discussing his haul, which included more than 60 cannons and 10,000 coins.
Talk about a buried treasure. $22. 7:30 PM.

Friday, April 12

SHOP: U Street’s
Lettie Gooch
is celebrating its seventh anniversary. Like any seven-year-old, the clothing boutique
loves candy—but unlike most seven-year-olds, it’s willing to share. Come in anytime
after happy hour for a free candy bar, Champagne cocktails, goodie bags, and a deejay.
Free. 5 PM.

MUSEUM PARTY: The
Francophonie cultural festival is coming to an end with a huge party at the Smithsonian African
Art Museum. Things get started with Cameroonian singer/songwriter Kaissa and end with
world music deejay the Pinstriped Rebel. A fashion show, dancing, drinking, and art-admiring
happen sometime in between. Tickets ($35) are available online. 8 PM.

ART: Works from more than 60 artists will be on display at restaurants, shops, and galleries
in Takoma this weekend as part of
Art Hop. Get a preview with the kickoff party at Trohv, which features beers from 3 Stars
Brewing Company, food trucks galore, and dessert from Capital City Cheesecake. Free.
6 PM. Art Hop runs 11 to 5 through Sunday.

UP THE PUNX: St. Stephen’s Church and the Pinch host
Damaged City, a two-day hardcore punk festival featuring a couple dozen bands from around the
country, tons of zines, vegan food, records, and unshowered people. The festival runs
Friday and Saturday.

Friday at St. Stephens: $15, 6 PM. At the Pinch: Free, 11 PM.

Saturday at St. Stephens: $25, 1 PM. At the Pinch: Free, 11 PM.

Saturday, April 13

AFTER-PARTY:
Big Sean plays the Fillmore Saturday, but things will really pop off at the after-party at
the Howard Theatre. Sean hosts—expect lots of G.O.O.D. Music staples by Kanye West,
Pharrell, and 2 Chainz. Tickets ($20) are available online. 10 PM.

(EXPENSIVE) SCAVENGER HUNT: Grab a few of your most resourceful friends and your thinking cap and put away your
shame if you want to have any hope of winning
Hunt DC, the city’s largest scavenger hunt. It ain’t cheap, and I’m not sure why, but the
hunt takes all day and you get a drink and a T-shirt out of it. So far, more than
170 teams are signed up, so the competition will be fierce. Tickets ($59) are available
online. 11 AM.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS: Pennsylvania Avenue will be taken over by the
Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival all day Saturday. The festival features Japanese food, art, martial arts, and J-Pop
performances on four different stages. Things get started near the end of the parade,
which you can find out more about through the website. $5. 10:30 to 6.

BAR CRAWL: Not sure what kind of golf course has 11 holes, but Dupont’s
mini golf bar crawl challenge is back. It hits the usual bars (Mackey’s, Recessions, Mighty Pint, Madhatter, etc.),
which will all have mini golf holes constructed inside them. Participants get $2 Coors
Lights and $3 Blue Moons all evening. Tickets ($12) are available online. 2 PM.

Sunday, April 14

RAP: If you’ve got any energy left from the weekend, head over to U Street for the
Hip-Hop Bar Crawl. Start at Duffy’s, where DJ Kayo will spin Bad Boy and Death Row Records joints,
and then stumble, Dougie, or pop lock and drop it to five other bars down the street.
Each bar has different drink specials and will play hip-hop from different eras and
regions. $10. 2 PM.

ART:
ArtJamz encourages non-artists (or at least amateur ones) to drink a bunch of wine and start
painting. The surprising thing is many of the works turn out great—err, good enough
to hang on your apartment wall. Go start your collection at Artz Bazaar, where you’ll
be able to pick up pieces starting at just $35. Free. Noon to 4.

Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com,
or find him on Twitter