Thursday, April 17
PHOTOGRAPHY: Photographer Philip Holsinger has a new photo journal coming out about his time in Haiti, both before and after the devastating earthquake. The book launches at Malmaison, on the Georgetown waterfront. Proceeds from the night benefit the Happy Hearts Fund, which pushes for more educational access in Haiti. Free. 6 PM.
KARAOKE: Big Hunt only throws karaoke parties twice a month, so if you’re looking for a way to take your Thirsty Thursday up a notch, this might be a fun one. Free. 8:30 PM.
MUSIC: The University of Maryland hosts its annual hip-hop conference, a week of discussions, panels, and concerts about what hip-hop is. Most of the events are during the day, but the big thing—a French Montana show—is happening at the Fillmore and is open to the public. French has gone mainstream with “Pop That” and his latest album, Excuse My French. Tickets ($35 to $45) are available online. 8 PM.
Friday, April 18
WORLD RECORDS: Can you a) dress up like a comic-book character at your office and b) leave said office early? Congrats on having both a very lenient and a very cool job. In any case, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a Guinness World Record attempt taking place at the Reflecting Pool—the current world record for number of people dressed up as a comic-book character is 1,530 in China, and some people are gonna try to break it. Right now, 250 people have RSVPd. It’s not looking good, but at worst, you’ll end up hanging out with a bunch of nerds and having a great time. Free. Noon.
COMEDY: Wonderland Ballroom presents the Beaster Revival, a night of comedy with an Eastery twist. Six local comics will tell some jokes. The thing is free, and Wonderland is a good place to go on a Friday anyway, so might as well check it out. 8 PM.
FILM: Union Market’s Drive-In movie theater is back! Finally! Things start with National Lampoon’s Vacation, which follows the Griswold family on a cross-country drive gone awry. Bring your fancy car or bike, or just walk up—things get started at 6 with food trucks, activities, games, booths, and things of that nature, and the movie starts at 8. Free for bikers and pedestrians, $10 per car. 6 PM.
BURLESQUE: There have been enough wacky themed burlesque nights (Harry Potter! Doctor Who! Star Wars!) recently to last a long, long time, so maybe it’s time to go back to basics. Palace Productions does just that at Black Cat. Tickets ($12) are available online. 8:45 and 11 PM.
Saturday, April 19
BAR CRAWL: If it’s a holiday, there’s a Dupont Circle bar crawl to go with it. Perhaps because winter decided to rear its head again the other day, it’s a snow-themed “bunny hop,” so dress up like a snowman or an Easter bunny (or just wear pastel like everyone else). For eight hours, you can stumble around Dupont, hitting BlackFinn, Front Page, Irish Whiskey, and so on. Beers and drinks are super-cheap with a wrist band. Tickets ($15) are available online. Noon.
TEXT PARTY: With the way most people at bars look these days (heads down, phone out), you wouldn’t think it’d be necessary to throw a specific “texting” dance party, but here we are. Textuality, at 14th Street’s MOVA Lounge, will let you request songs, flirt with your crush, and cause all sorts of havoc by texting messages to a big screen while also sort of trying to dance to house music. Free. 9 PM.
AWESOME CON: Okay, that earlier comic-book dress-up thing didn’t come out of nowhere. It was organized by the same people behind Awesome Con, which is sort of like Comic-Con but more local and . . . awesome. More than 100 vendors will be selling comics, you can meet cast members from Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, Firefly, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and lots of panels will be held to discuss Awesome Con things. Tickets ($30) are available online. 10 to 7 at the convention center.
BIKE: Scavenger hunts are good—scavenger hunts on a bike are better. Join BicycleSpace for its Bunny Hop Velo Hunt. You’ll get a list of things to take photos of all around the city, and if you do it the best, you’ll get a gift (Easter) basket. Free. 1 PM.
BEER: DC Brau is hosting DC Braustomp, a day of brewery tours, beers, and live music from DC ska legends the Pietasters. You can buy a growler to take home, grab food from Grand Slam BBQ, and then dance it all off. Tickets ($12) are available online. 4 PM.
MOVIES: After Thursday’s sold-out opening party, Filmfest DC officially starts this weekend. You can catch all sorts of new and rare films at E Street Cinema, Avalon Theatre, Mazza Gallerie, and more. There are screenings all day, but highlights include The Galapagos Affair (Goethe-Institut, 7 PM, $12) and Le Chef (E Street Cinema, 7 PM, $12). See the full list of screenings and buy tickets online.
Sunday, April 20
BRUNCH: Easter is one of the two biggest brunch holidays of the year (the other is Mother’s Day, because your mom deserves nice things). Check out our guides to the top 25 restaurants’ plans and where to find brunch to go. Also a recipe for boozy Peeps, because why not?
DANCE: If you can’t possibly make it through Easter without dancing (no judgment), get to Flash on Florida Avenue for its Flashy Sundays party, featuring a huge sound system, two deejays spinning house music, and specials on Corona, Fireball, and Stoli Cosmos. Free. 9 PM.
BEASTER: Speaking of Beaster, Velvet Lounge is holding an Evening Service, featuring extremely loud music, sketch comedy, crazy dancing, and more things not commonly associated with religious holidays. Free. 8:30 PM.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter.
