Things to Do

Where to Watch the Oscars in DC Based on Your Favorite Best Picture Nominee

Photo via Flickr user lincolnblues.

Bridge of Spies

If your favorite Best Picture nominee was this Steven SpielbergTom Hanks collaboration about the Cold War, then you’ll want to attend the Embassy of France’s Oscar party. You obviously have an interest in European culture, and a refined, mature taste for nightlife, which means you’ll likely want to sip French wines and nibble on Parisian desserts as you watch the festivities. $35-$40, 7 PM.

The Big Short

If your favorite Best Picture nominee was this dark satire about the 2007 housing crash, then you’ll want to attend the W Hotel’s Oscar party. You’re probably skeptical of big companies (like Starwood Hotels), and, luckily, you won’t have to pay an entry fee at this event. The specialty cocktails and movie-themed snacks are another story, but at least you know you won’t be swindled at the door. Take that, Corporate America! Free, 7 PM.

The Revenant and The Martian

If your favorite Best Picture nominee was either of these unlikely survival stories—Leonardo DiCaprio in the wintery wilderness; Matt Damon on Mars—then you’ll want to attend this Washington Film Institute and Art Soiree-hosted Oscar party at Malmaison. The event is being dubbed as a “Red Carpet Party” and will feature a “Best Dressed” competition, which sounds every bit as bombastic and attention-grabbing as both Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s film and Damon’s whole existence. $35-$55, 7 PM.

Brooklyn

If your favorite Best Picture nominee was this romantic period piece, then you’ll want to attend Boqueria’s Oscar party. You’re probably young and in love too, like the protagonists of this film, which means that you’ll be able to share dishes off the restaurant’s specially-prepared tapas menu with your significant other without any fight ensuing. $45, 6:30 PM.

Mad Max: Fury Road 

If your favorite Best Picture nominee was George Miller’s post-apocalyptic epic, then you’ll want to attend DC Film Society’s Oscar party at Arlington Drafthouse ‘N’ Cinema. The cinephile in you will be excited by the evening’s trivia contest, memorabilia giveaways, and the fact that it’s going to be hosted by a local movie critic. $20, 7 PM.

Spotlight and Room

If your favorite Best Picture nominee was either Tom McCarthy’s love-letter to investigative journalism or the Brie Larson-starring film about a mother and son held captive in a small space for seven years, then your best bet is to stay home. The most fitting way to do Room justice would be to quietly watch the awards alone, while Spotlight fans will probably want to skip the show altogether and just read Marty Baron’s tweets from the Dolby Theatre audience.