Thursday, April 3
BURLESQUE: Burlesque is usually a late-night thing, but Blu Cafe is making it happen earlier with its speakeasy happy hour, featuring discounted apps, $6 specialty cocktails, and burlesque performances every half hour until 9:45. Free. 6 to 10 PM.
ART: The Art Museum of the Americas exhibition on Argentinian art opens as any good Argentinian party should: with wine and tango. Famous dancer Guillermo Fernandez and the country’s Seleccion Nacional de Tango will kick off the exhibit, which runs through July and features the work of more than 30 artists. Free. 6 PM.
Friday, April 4
CRAFTS: Yelp has recently gotten into the events business, and all this week it has been throwing parties in Virginia’s Mosaic District. At Getting Crafty, you can learn how to make floral crowns (so you can be ready for the Game of Thrones premiere, duh) with the writers of the Beautiful Disaster blog. There’ll be drinks and food, and the whole thing is free. 7 PM.
ART: Hillyer Art Space hosts its monthly Friday P-Art-y, featuring new works from three artists. In “All About Me,” Michael Havneraas shows off more than 1,000 ink drawings of himself, Parr Roenigk focuses on real estate’s takeover of natural places, and Everitt Clark exhibits photographs of Richmond. The artists will talk about their work, and Duke’s Grocery Pub provides food and drinks. $5. 6 PM.
DANCE: Zeba in Columbia Heights is your dance-party destination of the week—the party features both a deejay and an emcee, but you get to be involved, too. You can tweet song suggestions, which will appear on a screen, and from time to time rapper Kam Royal will seek audience suggestions for improv rap topics. PBRs are two bucks all night, and shots of Fireball are $5. Free. 9:30 PM.
Saturday, April 5
COLORS: Holi, India’s most colorful holiday, comes to Potomac. Wear white and expect to leave looking like a rainbow as you and hundreds of your closest friends will spend the afternoon dousing each other in paint. Packs of color are five bucks, and all food and drink is $5 or less. Free. 11 to 4.
ROLLER DERBY: If you haven’t had a chance to check out the DC Rollergirls this season, you’ve got one last chance. They wrap up the season with two last bouts at the Dulles Sportsplex, and you’ll get to see the best of the best—one team is made up of DC all-stars, and the other comprises from around the country. Tickets ($15) are available online. 3 PM.
MARKETS: The DC MeetMarket is back after a months-long winter hibernation. The monthly farmers/arts market sets up shop in the parking lot across the street from the Dupont Circle Whole Foods and features food, arts and crafts, live painting, raffles, and all sorts of other things to keep you busy for the better part of an afternoon. Free. 11 to 5.
PILLOWS: There’s nothing more satisfying than smashing a fluffy pillow in someone’s face—even better if it’s a stranger. Once a year, you can fulfill that at the DC portion of International Pillow Fight Day. Show up at the Washington Monument around 2 and get ready to (playfully) have at it. Free. 2 PM.
Sunday, April 6
MUSIC: George Harrison is perhaps the most underappreciated member of the Beatles—so much so that he earned the nickname “the quiet Beatle”—but this weekend he gets his due at a tribute concert at the Hamilton, featuring more than 40 performers who will focus on his best Beatles songs and some of his solo career. Tickets ($25) are available online. 4:30 PM.
ART: Fingers crossed that it’s never cold ever again and the Phillips Collection is right to throw its Art in Springtime event, featuring gallery talks, music, and a show by the International Contemporary Ensemble, who will be playing music to celebrate the museum’s “Made in the USA” exhibition. Tickets ($20) are available online. 4 PM.
FASHION: Union Market’s Dock 5 event space hosts Thread, a three-day fashion festival featuring designers, artists, crafters, and more from local and national brands of all sizes. As always, the food in the area ain’t too shabby, either. Free. 1 PM.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter.
