THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3
FILM The annual Film Neu film festival, which begins today and runs until November 6, features nine movies from the German-speaking world playing at Landmark E Street Cinema and the Goethe-Institut. On this year’s slate are productions like Austria’s Chucks—a grungy meet-cute—and Switzerland’s Wonderland, an apocalyptic anthology film about an impending catastrophic hurricane. $11.50 to $26.50, various times
MUSEUMS With Election Day drawing ever-nearer, Thursday’s Phillips After 5 event is all about “Freedom To Vote,” focusing on artist Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series, a 60-panel masterpiece highlighting the hard-won fight for the ballot in the United States. The evening features staged readings of pieces written by area playwrights who were inspired by Lawrence’s work, plus Southern-inspired snacks by Macon Bistro & Larder, drinks to sip on, and jazz tunes from the Marshall Keys Quartet. $12, 5 PM
BOOKS Superstar singer/songwriter Carly Simon is also the author of a best-selling memoir, Boys in the Trees, which goes in-depth into her journey from a turbulent childhood to becoming the first artist in history to win a Grammy, Academy Award and a Golden Globe. She’ll discuss it with Hanna Rosin, writer and co-host of NPR podcast Invisibilia, for what promises to be an enlightening discussion at Sixth and I. $40, 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4
MUSIC This month’s Luce Unplugged showcases hometown heroes Hand Grenade Job—who recently provided the soundtrack for Taffety Punk Theatre Company’s rendition of The Iliad—and Katie Alice Greer, who can usually be found fronting buzzy DC punk outfit, Priests, but tonight will be performing “industrial, post-punk jams” as K A G. Virginia-based Bold Rock Hard Cider will be handing out drinking and free tastings, too. Free, 6 PM
PODCASTS DC PodFest teams up with podcast platform Spreaker to present Podcasts & Pancakes, a night of live performances at the Wonderbread Factory by some of the city’s best podcasters—The Ladycast, Tagg Nation and Boldly Going Nowhere—and, of course, all-you-can-eat pancakes to chow down on. $10, 7 PM.
DANCE Choreographer Elizabeth Streb’s performances are Cirque du Soleil meets Extreme Ninja Warrior: the 66-year-old MacArthur “genius grant” winner considers it her mission to beat gravity. Her latest piece, SEA (Singular Extreme Actions), sends the members of her Brooklyn company launching headfirst off trampolines, ducking swinging steel construction beams, and jumping on and off a windmilling multistory ladder. You can also catch the performance November 5. $25 to $79, 8 PM
FILM There’s Oscar talk surrounding Loving, in theaters Friday. It’s the story of a 1967 Supreme Court case and the interracial couple at the center of it, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, played by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga. The two Virginians married in 1958 in DC, where their union was legal, then returned to their home state, where it wasn’t. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, the film depicts the fight to overcome a system that forced them to leave Virginia to avoid prison.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
BEER Celebrate fall, food trucks, and craft brews at DC Beer Fest, which returns to Nationals Park’s concourse. Your ticket gets you unlimited beer tastings, live DJ sets and lawn games to play. $45, 12 PM noon to 3pm or 5pm to 8pm
MUSIC Thirty-year-old video-game series The Legend of Zelda still makes grown men weep tears of Nintendo nostalgia, with its epic heroes-and-villains tales, sweeping visuals, and stirring music. Those elements meld in the grand showcase The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses at the Warner Theatre, in which clips from the franchise’s history are projected on the big screen while an orchestra plays a four-movement symphony devoted to its swords-and-sorcery legacy. Tissues not included. $45 to $95, 8 PM
FESTIVAL You don’t have to trek to Coney Island to check out a worthwhile sideshow. Instead, come to The Yards for Side Yards, a gathering of the East Coast’s best sideshow performers who are on a mission to help DC embrace the odd. Contortionists, magicians, jugglers, escape artists, snake handlers, fire breathers and sword swallowers will all be on-hand for your amusement, plus music from Baltimore indie band Sun Club and a beer garden (in case things get a little too freaky). Free, 6 PM
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6
BIKE Calling all dandies and dames: throw on your best vintage wears for the Tweed Ride, arguably the city’s best-dressed bike ride. Participants will meet at a secret location shared only with those who sign up and spend the afternoon riding around the city. Afterwards, head over to Roofers Union for a “Jazz-Age Jam,” with food, drinks and live music to celebrate the day. Free to $42.50, 1 PM
BOOKS Crazy cat ladies and gentlemen should brace themselves for this talk with Peter P. Marra, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, at Politics and Prose. His book, Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer, co-written with Chris Santella, goes in-depth about how our furry friends have ravaged the world’s bird population and spread diseases to humans. Free, 5 PM
