THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
MUSIC The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra launches its 2017-2018 season at the Music Center at Strathmore on Thursday with a program featuring classics by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff alongside contemporary works by John Adams. One of the Adams compositions, Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance, is dedicated to BSO Music Director Marin Alsop and will have its East Coast premiere this weekend. Tickets $10-$99, 8 PM.
BENEFIT The Avenue Suites in Georgetown is hosting an event to benefit Best Friends Animal Society, including its programs to help animals affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. In addition to an open bar and hors d’oeuvres, there will be a live auction with DC dining and hospitality items. Suggested donation $25, 6 PM.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
MUSEUMS A Brightest Young Things-hosted party celebrates the National Geographic Museum’s Sharks exhibit, which closes October 1. The “Sharks & Recreation” event features a DJ set by Holy Ghost!, a mechanical shark, and talks by National Geographic explorers. Tickets $25, 8 PM.
BOOKS Journalist Deborah Campbell was in Damascus, Syria in 2007, reporting on the influx of refugees fleeing Iraq and working closely with a local woman named Ahlam, who helped connect refugee contacts with Western reporters. When Ahlam was kidnapped, Campbell shifted her work to try to help her friend; her book A Disappearance in Damascus: Friendship and Survival in the Shadow of War details the resulting search as well as the plight of refugees and the risks that journalists and their sources face every day. She will discuss the book and her story at Politics & Prose. Free, 7 PM.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
FESTIVAL As it does every fall, the H Street Festival takes over H Street NE between 4th Street and 14th Street, with more than 250 businesses, restaurants, community organizations, and vendors. There will also be 14 staging areas featuring music, dance, children’s programming, fashion, and more. Special events include a marching band parade at 2 PM, pie- and burrito-eating contests, and lots and lots of outdoor drinking. Free, noon to 7 PM.
BARRE Barre classes and studios have been popping up a lot recently; to check out this growing fitness trend, join barre3 in Meridian Hill Park for its annual B3 in the Park class. The class is tailored to all skill levels, and local establishments Ice Cream Jubilee, Gouter, and Sunniva will provide samples after the class. Free registration, 10 AM.
GASTROPODS Hidden Pond Nature Center in Springfield is celebrating slugs with its annual SlugFest—allegedly the only celebration of slugs on the East Coast. Children ages 3 and up can enjoy slug racing, crafts, and slime tossing. Tickets $10, 2 PM.
BASKETBALL Red Bull’s Red Bull Reign three-on-three basketball tournament holds its inaugural world championship tournament at the Goodman League courts in Southeast DC. Teams that score the most cumulative points throughout their games in each round will advance to the next round; the tournament starts with 14 teams from countries including Australia, Bahrain, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United States. Free, noon.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
FESTIVAL The 46th Fiesta DC Latino Festival takes place on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between Third and Seventh streets, featuring dance and music performances as well as local civic organizations and food. This year’s featured country is Panama, so the festival will have a special focus on Panamanian art, literature, food, and tourism. Free, 11 AM to 7 PM.
MUSIC In conjunction with its Yoko Ono exhibit, the Hirshhorn will present Concert for Yoko Ono, Washington, and the World, a celebration of the artist’s sound and performance art outdoors on the museum’s plaza. The concert will feature a lineup of female musicians—Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Gang Gang Dance’s Lizzi Bougatsos, and Moor Mother—who will present their own Ono-inspired works alongside Ono’s own work. Tickets $25, 7 PM.
