THURSDAY, MAY 16
FOOD Support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo at ZooFari: Bite Night. Enjoy food from dozens of DC restaurants—from Lebanese Taverna and Rocklands Barbecue to Georgetown Cupcake and Dolci Gelati—plus wine from local vintners. Not only will proceeds help support the zoo’s work to save endangered animals, but Smithsonian scientists will also be on hand to discuss their efforts. The event also includes a silent auction for behind-the-scenes tours at the zoo and animal paintings. $225, 6:30 PM.
BEER This year’s Savor craft beer festival is Friday, and it’s been sold out for weeks. If you didn’t get tickets—or if you did, and you just want to pre-game on Thursday—there are several opportunities to get your hands on some impressive out-of-market beers. Head to Smoke & Barrel for a round-up of barrel-aged beers from Seattle’s Fremont Brewing, including their epic Dark Star; down the street, Jack Rose hosts five breweries (Cigar City, Country Boy, Maui, Three Weavers, and Lost Abbey/Port), each presenting four beers with whiskey and cigar pairings. The Sovereign will showcase 35 different Belgian-style beers from Allagash Brewing, Lost Abbey, Perennial Artisan Ales, Rare Barrel, Upland Brewing, and Wooden Robot. Smoke & Barrel: 5 PM – 10 PM. Jack Rose: 5 PM – 10 PM. The Sovereign: 5 PM – 11:30 PM. Beer prices vary.
FRIDAY, MAY 17
BIKE Friday is the area’s annual Bike To Work Day, sponsored by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Don’t let the recent rainy days stop you—thankfully Friday looks like it’ll be rain-free. Register and check out one of the 115 pit stops in DC, MD, and VA for T-shirts, refreshments, and a raffle for a new bicycle. If your biking skills are a little rusty (or you’re just nervous about sharing the road during rush hour), join one of the many convoys or find a buddy on the Washington Area Bike Forum. Free, convoy and pit stop times vary by location.
MUSEUMS The Hirshhorn presents its first-ever exhibition of works by Argentinian-born Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, “Rirkrit Tiravanija: (who’s afraid of red, yellow, and green).” The installation brings together Tiravanija’s food-based work with his interest in protest imagery by turning the Hirshhorn galleries into a communal dining space (visitors can share a curry meal from Beau Thai together every Thursday through Sunday, 11:45 AM to 1:30 PM, while supplies last). A large-scale mural will surround the space with images of protests against the Thai government. Through July 24.
MUSIC The National Gallery of Art’s annual Sculpture Garden concert series, Jazz in the Garden, kicks off this week and runs every Friday through August 23. Don’t be fooled by the name—it’s more than jazz. Reggae act Adwela & the Uprising is scheduled to perform on June 14, and funk/hip hop group Funky Dawgz Brass Band will close out the season on August 23. Bring your own picnic, but outside alcoholic beverages are not allowed. Guests can purchase food and beverages from the Pavilion Cafe and the carts located around the garden. Through August 23. Free, 5 PM.
FILM In honor of the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will screen APOLLO 11: First Steps Edition, a special edition created for IMAX Theaters. The documentary shows the preparation, liftoff, landing, and return of this mission to land people on the moon. Through June 13. $9.
SATURDAY, MAY 18
MUSEUMS During his life, Freer|Sackler founder Charles Lang Freer put together the world’s largest collection of watercolors by American artist James McNeill Whistler. The collection, which has never left the museum and has rarely been displayed due to the paintings’ fragility, will be on display as the first major exhibition of his watercolors since the 1930s. “Whistler in Watercolor” includes more than 50 different works, including seascapes, street scenes, and interior views. Through October 6.
YOGA Goat yoga will be in the District for the first time at the Congressional Cemetery. Bring your own mat (and wear clothes that you’re OK with getting dirty) for a 45-minute yoga class surrounded by adorable and jumping baby goats. (Separate baby goat feeding sessions are now sold out.) Through May 19. $40.
SUNDAY, MAY 19
CARS Check out dozens of rare and exotic cars at the inaugural Old Town Festival of Speed & Style near Alexandria’s waterfront. See cars from Lamborghini, Aston-Martin, and Cobra up close; at noon, the Old Town Boutique District will run a fashion exhibition that pairs spring looks with high-performance and racing cars from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Free, 10 AM to 3 PM.
BOOKS Journalist and author Sarah Rose pulled together diaries and oral histories in her new book, D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II. In 1940, Winston Churchill created the espionage unit Special Operations Executive and staffed it with 39 French women. They were the first women deployed in close combat and the first female paratroopers to infiltrate enemy lines. Rose will speak about her research and these war heroes at Politics & Prose. Free, 3 PM.
LAST CALL: Here’s what’s closing this weekend
“Zilia Sánchez, Soy Isla (I Am an Island)” closes 5/19 at the Phillips Collection.
“Evicted” closes 5/19 at the National Building Museum.
“One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey” closes 5/19 at the National Portrait Gallery.
