Things to Do

Things to Do in DC This Weekend (September 22-25): Book Festivals, A City-Wide Scavenger Hunt, and Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez is not your typical pop singer—she brings her blend of electronica, folk, hip-hop, and arthouse creativity to the Echostage on Thursday.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

DRINK Sauf Haus Bier Hall’s SAUFTOBERfest is in full-swing, celebrating Munich’s annual volksfest with their own festivities through October 1. On Thursday, have an expert walk you through a tasting of the bier hall’s 16 taps—that’s 64 ounces of beer—along with a live accordion performance to get you in the mood. $19,  7 PM

MUSIC If you like your pop music with a bit of dark, arthouse weirdness in the vein of Lana Del Rey or Lorde, then Melanie Martinez is going to be your new favorite singer. Much like her music videos—all of which she’s directed and/or conceived—Martinez flips the script on what a Top 40 musician is supposed to be. Her sound ranges from electronica to folk to hip hop, and promises lots of dancing when she plays Echostage tonight.  $35, 7 PM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

COMEDY There are still tickets available for Amy Schumer’s show at the Verizon Center. The writer, actress and comedian is fresh off the latest season of her Comedy Central sketch show, Inside Amy Schumer, which has made her enough of a cultural sensation to move her standup act from comedy clubs to basketball arenas.

FILM In an interesting move, the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital is screening three of the least-watched made-for-tv movies from Alfred Hitchcock’s hit anthology TV series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. While the likes of Psycho and The Birds have gone down in cinema history, this evening’s films are admittedly more on the “macabre and deranged” side, with one of them being only episode censored in the series’ decade-long run. Free, 7 PM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

SCAVENGER HUNT Spend the day exploring the city as The Hunt’s 100-riddle scavenger hunt makes its way to DC. Teams will go on an app-driven quest to uncover hidden areas and solve riddles with surprise activities to participate in. Along with the chance to win cool prizes, Hunters get a free lunch from Sweetgreen and an afterparty where they can toast the day’s adventuring with some New Belgium beer. $74, 8 AM

BOOKS Cofounded by First Lady Laura Bush in 2001, the National Book Festival is a privately funded event thrown by the Library of Congress at the Washington Convention Center. Expect signings, talks, and panel discussions from big names like Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, and Mary Roach. Free tickets required to see King; other events are first come, first served, 9 AM

COMEDY Is there anything more cathartic than having your frustrations satirized by a sardonic, British political comedian? Probably, but Andy Zaltzman’s “Satirist for Hire” at Sixth & I will certainly help lighten your mood. The comedian, author and podcast host will be addressing audience questions big and small—from national security to Carly Rae Jepsen. $22.50 to $27.50, 8 PM

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

BOOKS A partnership between George Mason University and the City of Fairfax, Fall for the Book celebrates fiction, poetry, politics, history, science, psychology, and more. Throughout the event, which runs September 25 through 30, you’ll get to listen to talks by Sandra Cisneros, Diane Rehm, Jon Mooallem, and urban-fantasy author Patricia Briggs, a number-one New York Times bestselling author whose latest is about a supernatural DC mechanic who can transform herself into a coyote. Free, 11 AM

MUSIC For the past four years, Saturday Night Live cast member and Bridesmaids actress Maya Rudolph and her long-time friend, LA singer-songwriter Gretchen Lieberum, have been bringing their intense love of Prince to the stage as Princess. Have a funky time at 9:30 Club singing along and remembering Prince’s greatness with a duo that was actually approved by the Purple One himself.