Thursday, August 14
COUNTRY PARTY: It’s perhaps not the PC-est of parties, but Old Glory is hosting a Gone Country night, featuring complimentary samples of Red Stag whiskey, lots of country music from WMZQ, concert ticket raffles, and a $1,000 Daisy Duke contest. Free. 7 PM.
COFFEE: I don’t know about you, but if I drank coffee in the evening, I’d be awake for days. Still, it’s probably worth it at the Wydown’s Throwdown, a live latte-art competition featuring baristas from around the city. There’ll be beer, pizza, and, of course, lots of coffee—with very fancy images drawn in the foam. Free. 8:30 PM.
BEER: The Beer Activist is hosting Summer Sour Brews, a night of, well, sour beers. You’ll learn how to spot a good one, and soon enough you’ll be talking to all your friends about how you just get beer. Tickets ($20 to $25) are available online. 6:30 PM.
Friday, August 15
JAZZ: There are only three weeks of Jazz in the Garden left, and this weekend’s is one to not miss if you like dancing. Swingtopia takes us back to the ’40s, when big-band swing was all the rage. Get to the Sculpture Garden early if you hope to snag a good spot. Free. 5 PM.
MOVIES: The Montgomery County Board of Education hosts a drive-in film festival, featuring carnival games, live music, lots of food, and three separate movies this weekend. Friday’s is The Lego Movie, which got shockingly good reviews; Saturday is Gravity, which might sound kind of lame coming from your car’s stereo, but what can you do?; and Sunday is the newest Hunger Games film, which was vastly better than the first. Free. The carnival starts at 4:30, the movie at 8:30.
BURLESQUE: Black Cat hosts Show Me Burlesque, a back-to-basics burlesque night that eschews the fantasy and/or sci-fi themes and instead brings in two internationally renowned (in the burlesque world) dancers: Lola van Ella and Jeez Loueez, both from St. Louis, Missouri. There will also be performances from some of the best local dancers. Tickets ($12) are available online. 9 PM.
Saturday, August 16
BAR CRAWL: The standard Dupont Circle bar crawl is going Caribbean with the Mojito March. For $50, you’ll get a mojito at Cafe Citron, Mission, Madhatter, Buffalo Billiards, the Board Room, and Front Page. By the end of it, if you’re not writing like Hemingway in his prime, something has gone seriously wrong. Tickets ($50) are available online. Noon to 10.
POKEMON: Pokémon came out a very long time ago, but somehow it still resonates with people—so much so that it’s now even getting the symphony treatment. At Symphonic Evolutions at the Warner Theatre, you’ll see the most important and exciting parts of the now six generations of Pokémon games, all set to orchestral music. I bet Pikachu makes an appearance. Tickets ($36 to $66) are available online. 8 PM.
PODCASTS: Black Cat continues its summer comedy series with a live recording of Throwing Shade. Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi’s podcast has become well-known for doing exactly what it sounds like: throwing shade on people and ideas they don’t like. Expect open (and R-rated) talk about sex, plenty of laughs, and even some useful advice. Tickets ($20) are available online. 9:30 PM.
COMEDY: Speaking of comedy and women, Sixth & I hosts #NoFilter, a comedy tour featuring Grace Helbig, author of The Art of Pretending to be a Grown Up, Mamrie Hart of the popular YouTube show “You Deserve a Drink,” and Hannah Harto, author of My Drunk Kitchen, a book I desperately need to check out. Tickets ($44) are available online. 7 PM.
Sunday, August 17
POOL: The Capitol Skyline Hotel hosts a pool party this weekend, and with Labor Day just around the corner, it’s certainly a good time to get in a last swim or two. Afterward, stick around for SynchroSwim, perhaps the only time outside the Olympics that you’ll actually watch synchronized swimming. The party is free if you get there before 1; SynchroSwim starts at 4:30. $20.
CRUISE: In honor of DC Beer Week, The Odyssey, a fair ship loaded with booze (unfortunately not of the pirate variety) is setting sail with a brew-centric cruise. That means you’ll get all-you-can-drink craft beers and a buffet of food from both land and sea—ahoy! Tickets ($71) are available online. For more weekend cruise options, check out our roundup on Great Getaways.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter.
