THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13
FILM The Reel Affirmations film festival, a four-day event celebrating work by LGBTQ filmmakers from around the world, returns with more than 40 feature films, documentaries and short films. The lineup includes the doc Free Cece!, which tells the true story of CeCe McDonald, a black trans woman who ended up in a men’s prison after accepting a plea bargain for killing a man who was assaulting her and her friends. Screenings will take place at the Human Rights Campaign Building and Gala Hispanic Theatre, which will also host panel discussions and Q&As with the filmmakers. $12 to $30, various times
DRINK If you miss Eleven and the gang after binge-watching Netflix’s smash series Stranger Things, head over to the Petworth Citizen for cocktails inspired by the show, courtesy of mixologist Carlie Steiner. You should probably leave the Eggos at home, though. 7 PM
COMEDY Outspoken standup comic W. Kamau Bell traded up when his FX show, Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, was canceled in 2013. Earlier this year, his politically tinged act landed him his own CNN travel series, The United Shades of America, plus an Emmy nomination for his blunt exploration of race across the country. We’re sure he’ll have plenty to say as he ventures to Sixth & I in the heat of election season. $25, 8 PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14
FESTIVAL Get inspired at the Creative Time Summit at the Lincoln Theatre, through October 16. Formerly held in New York, Stockholm, and Venice and broadcast across the globe, this three-day art-and-social-justice conference comes to town with the theme “Occupy the Future.” Keynote speakers (including Washingtonian and punk-rock legend Ian MacKaye and intersex artist Vaginal Davis), musical performances, and breakout sessions are set to address the election, gender and sexuality, social movements such as Black Lives Matter, and more. $100, various times
MUSEUMS Every five years, Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson makes a video in which his mother repeatedly spits on him—for art’s sake. It was his debut piece when he filmed it in 2000, and he’s since developed a new style of visual art he likens to “tableaux vivants.” Some are funny, others upsetting, all bizarre—in one performance, he paints 144 portraits of a friend in a Speedo; in another, a bloody soldier screams for an hour. His solo exhibition comes to the Hirshhorn through January 8. Free
COMEDY Between the fact that she was illiterate until age 16 and wore leg braces akin to Forrest Gump, New York native Robyn Schall had to develop a sense of humor long before getting into comedy. The standup comic, who you may know from her stint on WWE network’s The List, makes her DC headlining debut at Bier Baron tonight. $12 to $18, 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15
COMEDY Catch Story League in all its glory one last time at the Black Cat. Starting next year, they’ll have a new name and will be performing in some new places, though their mission to tell funny stories to the masses remains the same. The group is also working under a new format this time around, with one lineup featuring storytellers and another with standup comedians, both competing for the title of funniest story. $15, 8:30 PM
DANCE Discover the sights and sounds of Eastern Europe as Belgrade’s renown folklore group, Talija Art Company, makes a stop on their US tour at St Luke Serbian Orthodox Church. The group formed in 1998 and performs folk dances from all regions of the former Yugoslavia, as well as from Hungary, Romania, Russia and Bulgaria. $20 to $25, 6 PM
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16
THEATER It’s your last chance to check out Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre before it hits Broadway next year. This feel-good musical tells the true story of how the citizens of a small, Canadian town called Gander ended up offering shelter, food and more to 6,579 airline passengers whose planes got diverted there in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. 2 PM
FESTIVAL Spend the day celebrating the season on the stunning grounds of the Oatlands Historic House and Gardens at its annual Harvest Festival, with hayrides, live music, seasonal games and tons of food and drinks to enjoy. $10 to $20, 10 AM
MUSIC On the heels of a new album and a new name, Calgary post-punkers Preoccupations (formerly known as Viet Cong) make their “debut” at Rock and Roll Hotel. $18, 8 PM