Wednesday, December 31
FAMILY FUN: Lots of stuff going on tonight, as you might expect. Check out most of it in our official New Year’s Eve guide. If you and your family want to get the party started early, try Noon Yards Eve, which runs until early afternoon and features moon bounces, games, face-painting, magicians, a countdown at noon, and that sort of thing. Free. 10 AM to 1 PM.
BARBECUE: Also pre-midnight entertainment: Jack Rose is hosting a New Year’s Eve pregame cookout, featuring all-you-can-drink beer and bourbon, all-you-can-eat barbecue, and, well, there is no third thing because that’s probably all you can handle. Tickets ($45) are available online. 5 to 8 PM.
Thursday, January 1
HOCKEY: The Winter Classic is in DC this year, which is awesome if you like outdoor hockey. The bad news is that tickets sold out long ago, and you’re looking at paying $200 just to get in the door at Nationals Park. The good news is that BlueJacket is having a watch party featuring delicious house-brewed beer to help you get over your hangover. Free. 10 AM.
COMEDY: Another year, another series of After Class, Science Club’s “educational” comedy night. The performances are presented as class lessons or seminars, and you’ll learn about wacky and/or fake things that are sure to make you laugh. Free. 8:30 PM.
NYE PART II: Black Cat knows what’s up for those of you in the service industry. You spent all night New Year’s Eve dealing with amateurs who drank too much—now it’s your turn to party. The Workers’ Party is New Year’s Eve for everyone who couldn’t do it on Wednesday, featuring $4 whiskey shots and other people to commiserate with. Free. 8 PM.
Friday, January 2
BURLESQUE: Many venues are taking the weekend off before restarting their programming in earnest next week—I guess they figure you’ve had enough after a ten-day stretch of holidays and debauchery. If you haven’t, though, check out Black Cat’s New Year’s burlesque show, which ditches the gimmicks and characters that we often see and goes for your standard elegant dancing. Tickets ($12) are available online. 9 PM.
Saturday, January 3
FILM: And, again with the Black Cat, which has clearly decided to be people’s go-to events bar when no one else wants to throw anything. The bar is screening the classic punk documentary Positive Force: More Than a Witness, featuring archival footage of Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Rites of Spring, and more, plus interviews with Positive Force activists and other punk legends. Tickets ($10) are available online. 8:30 PM.
Sunday, January 4
THEATER: The American Poetry Museum hosts #txtshow, an interactive performance in which the audience texts and tweets to the performer, Brian Feldman, who will then make a story out of the material. The show runs every Sunday in 2015, so if you can’t make it this week, don’t worry—but it’s one of those things people will be talking about for a while, so you might want to be an early adopter. Tickets ($20) are available online. 7 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.
