Wednesday, November 26
COMEDY: If you’re still around or staying in town this weekend, Wonderland Circus is a cool thing to check out tonight. The show will feature comedians, musicians, and burlesque dancers and has a whole old-timey circus vibe. $5. 8:30 PM.
Thursday, November 27
TURKEY: Medium Rare will fry your turkey for free so you don’t explode your face trying to do it on your own, which sounds like a good deal to me. It’s BYOT, which is an acronym I am pretty excited to get to use. 11 AM to 2 PM.
TOUR: Once you’re done eating (if you can still move), head to Mount Vernon to take a candlelight tour and meet Aladdin the resident camel.
Friday, November 28
VHS TAPES: Play Back the Tape is pretty much what you’d expect: a series of throwback events in which various home-recorded VHS tapes get played. Head to Atlas Brew Works for a grab bag of Thanksgiving-themed tapes and other oddities. Free. 7 PM.
COMEDY: Don’t Block the Box is a comedy night you can always count on, so if you’ve got friends in town, this might be a good thing to bring them to. Matty Litwack headlines—he’s been on Fox’s Laughs and performed at venues all over the country. Three other local and New York comedians will also perform, it’s super cheap, and Wonderland is always a good time. $3. 7:30 PM.
MUSIC: Dismemberment Plan is back in a very real way, and it feels like a DC tradition at this point to see them around the holidays. The band plays at 9:30 Club, and things will probably get wild-ish. Tickets ($25) are available online. 8 PM.
DANCE: During Speakeasy Electro Swing, a deejay will play swing-style music and inject some electronic music-type stuff into it, which sounds nuts. Check it out at Little Miss Whiskey’s. Tickets ($12) are available online. 10 PM.
Saturday, November 29
DRINK: United Social Sports apparently thinks no one can actually be from DC, but that doesn’t mean its Thanksgiving Orphans bash won’t be fun. Head to Chinese Disco and get three free drinks, which is quite nice. $5. 9 PM.
SHOP: It’s now officially officially Christmas season, so we should stop begrudging any sort of holiday markets and instead just embrace them. Let’s start with the classics—the Downtown Holiday Market in Gallery Place is a good place to take visiting relatives, grab hot cider when you forgot your gloves, or hide from someone who is chasing you because there are lots of people and random crafts to blend in with. Free. Noon to 8 PM.
LIGHTS: ZooLights is also back—it’s always pretty, always free, and always a good time. A half-million lights will be shaped like animals and set to music, and it’s all very festive. Free. 5 to 9 PM.
Sunday, November 30
MUSIC: The remaining members of the Wailers are touring on the 30th anniversary of their album Legend and will perform it at the Hamilton for a reasonable price. Also nice: The seats will be moved out to make way for a dance floor. Tickets ($25) are available online. 7 PM.
MUSIC: Speaking of anniversary tours, Relient K has gotten on the early-2000s-emo-revival bandwagon. They’ll perform MMHMM in its entirety at the Fillmore, which is probably very exciting if you were in high school a decade ago. Tickets ($30) are available online. 8 PM.
DANCE: MSTRKRFT is the electronic music project of the dude from Death from Above 1979 and Al-P. The duo is great, and you should see them at U Street Music Hall if you want to dance and/or like free things. 10 PM.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter at @jason_koebler.
