Things to Do

Things to Do in DC This Weekend (July 28-31): Improv, Jazz on the Waterfront, and a Harry Potter Midnight Release Party

Kitchen Sink Fest features 50 dance pieces in 50 minutes.

THURSDAY, JULY 28

FILMS Watch a preview of the documentary Kol Hanashim on Embassy Row Hotel’s rooftop. The film, which translates to “voices of women,” interviews second-generation Orthodox Jewish women on the friction between maintaining traditional, religious roles and acclimating to 21st-century American culture. Along with the film is a live DJ, drinks, and a Q&A session with director Yisrael Welcher. Free, 7 PM

COMEDY Washington Improv Theater’s Summer Camp is all the laughter and good times you’d get at camp without the fear of heat stroke. Enjoy performances from three different improv groups as well as an “improvised slasher movie.” $15, 7:30

MUSIC For ultimate relaxation and scenic views, head over to Jazz and Blues on the Waterfront and listen to the lively, grooving sounds of David Cole & Main Street Blues. You can catch different acts each Thursday this summer on the wharf, with support from Jazz Night in Southwest in partnership with Westminster Presbyterian Church. Free, 6:30 PM

 

FRIDAY, JULY 29

DISCUSSION It’s the kind of happy hour Aristotle would approve of. Since their exhibit The Greeks highlights some of history’s greatest minds, National Geographic is serving up “The Geeks,” with talks by some of today’s greatest. Guests include Fulbright scholar Kevin McLean, who’s researching canopy wildlife conservation, and Molly Ferrill, who’s using film and photography to share the stories of victims of both human and wildlife trafficking. Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase. $15, 6 PM

MUSEUMS It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than a decade since Frank Warren began his anonymous, community art project PostSecret. In that time, he’s received more than a million nameless postcards from around the world, featuring secrets, confessions, and thoughts of all kinds. Over 500 of them are featured in the Postal Museum’s exhibit “PostSecret: The Power of a Postcard,” and the museum is throwing a party to showcase them. PostSecret Revealed will have music, cocktails, the chance to make and post your own cathartic confession, and, for those who spring for the VIP access, an exclusive conversation with Warren. 7 PM, $25-$35

SATURDAY, JULY 30

DANCE Kitchen Sink Fest is the dance world’s equivalent to flash fiction: 50 pieces in 50 minutes. The “mega-collaborative” event gathers 22 local choreographers who test the limits of theater technology and design at light speed, alongside ten installations that stand pensively still in contrast to the breakneck performances. The event runs July 30–31. 8 PM, $25 to $30.

FILMS Boldly watch Star Trek Into Darkness as no man has watched it before: at Wolf Trap, with a live score performed by the National Symphony Orchestra. Come early to hear Deep Space Nine actress Terry Farrell and Adam Nimoy—son of Leonard—talk with NASA staff about how the much-loved series impacted the space agency. $30-$58, 8:30 PM

BOOKS For many of us, memories from young adulthood include not only voraciously reading Harry Potter, but also heading to the local bookstore at midnight to pick up the next installment in J.K. Rowling’s beloved series. You can celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child the old school way at Politics and Prose’s midnight release party. Pass the time before midnight by making your own wand, participating in Potter trivia, and sipping on some butterbeer. Costumes are encouraged, and the best ones will win a prize. Free, 10:30 PM

SUNDAY, JULY 31

FOOD Break up the Sunday brunch monotony with Taste on Wheels, kicking off its third installment in NoMa’s Storey Park. Your ticket gets you a complimentary beverage (or you can spring for a bottomless drink ticket) and access to some of the area’s tastiest food trucks, including Miso Honey, Red Hook Lobster Pound and BaconN’Ed’s. $5-$19, 11 AM

MUSIC What a long, strange trip it’s been since Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995. The iconic musician would have turned 74 tomorrow, and to celebrate, The Hamilton is putting on a birthday party with Grateful Dead cover band Splintered Sunlight. Some of the group has even played with members of The Dead, giving them some extra authenticity. $15-$20, 6:30 PM