THURSDAY, JUNE 6
PRIDE After last weekend’s kick-off party, the 2019 Capital Pride Celebration officially begins on Thursday night with a poolside Rooftop Rally with DJs at VIDA Penthouse Pool and Lounge at the Yards. The Pride Opening Party “RIOT!” takes place on Friday at Echostage and will feature drag performer Vanessa Vanjie Mateo. Saturday brings the Pride Parade through Dupont and Logan Circles, and Sunday is the Pride Concert at Pennsylvania Ave and 3rd Street NW featuring Marshmello, Zara Larsson, Todrick Hall, Calum Scott, and more. Rooftop Rally: 6/6, $30, 7 PM. RIOT!: 6/7, $30-$35, 9 PM. Pride Parade: 6/8, Free, 4:30 PM – 8 PM. Pride Concert: 6/9, Free, 1 PM – 8 PM.
FILM AFI Silver is celebrating Caribbean Heritage Month with its DC Caribbean FilmFest. The festival has a particularly music-oriented lineup this year, with films such as Bruk Out! A Dancehall Queen Documentary (6/7), Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records (6/8 & 6/11), and a biopic about reggae producer Blacker Dread, Being Blacker (6/10). Through June 12. $13 per film.
CELEBRATION WAMU’s The Kojo Nnamdi Show is celebrating its 20th anniversary honoring its host Kojo Nnamdi at the Howard Theatre. In addition to performances—Trouble Funk, the Ballou Marching Band and Culture Shock DC—the event will feature Nnamdi in conversation with Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the new Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. There will also be guest appearances by journalist Diane Rehm, comedian Elahe Izadi, poet Ethelbert Miller, and more. $75 (or $125 for a VIP cocktail hour), 6:30 PM.
MUSEUMS June 6th is the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center is commemorating this historic event with a day-long series of activities including curator talks, D-Day themed docent tours, WWII aviation photos and other archival materials, and a Rosie the Riveter selfie station. Free to attend (parking is $15 per vehicle), 10 AM to 3 PM.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7
MUSEUMS Contemporary American photographer David Levinthal embraces pop culture subjects in his work with toys and Barbie dolls portraying war scenes and political moments with a view that’s both playful and dark. A new exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, “American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs,” shows more than 70 of his photographs grouped into six different bodies of work: Modern Romance, American Beauties, Wild West, Barbie, Baseball, and History. Levinthal himself will be at the SAAM on Friday night to discuss his photography process with exhibit curator Joanna Marsh. Lecture: 6/7, free (registration encouraged), 7 PM. Exhibit: through October 14.
THEATER Playwright Evan Linder’s Byhalia, Mississippi, in which a young white couple gives birth to a mysteriously biracial baby, tackles racism and small-town life with charm and a sense of humor. Jack Falahee of ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder plays the father/husband in this production at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. Recommended for ages 14 and up. Through July 7. $49-$89.
FESTIVAL Go big at the annual Celebrate Fairfax with carnival rides, fireworks (9:30 PM on Friday and Saturday), a pop-up beer festival (Sunday, noon to 6 PM), and a whole slew of competitions including karaoke, trivia, and donut eating. This year’s music schedule includes ’90s favorites Better Than Ezra (Friday) and Smash Mouth (Saturday) alongside more than 100 other bands at seven different stages. It runs June 7-9 at the Fairfax County Government Center. General Admission: $10-20 (single day) or $32 (weekend pass); carnival rides and Sunday beer festival require a separate ticket.
SATURDAY, JUNE 8
MUSEUMS Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is opening its new “David H. Koch Hall of Fossils—Deep Time,” this weekend. Its old hall closed in 2014 for renovations; now the 31,000 square-foot space will feature the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex on display in its entirety for the first time. Travel through billions of years of life on Earth through 700+ fossilized specimens on display, including plants, animals, insects, and—of course—dinosaurs.
WRITING The Writer’s Center is hosting the first “Autism through a Literary Lens Symposium,” which will offer creative writing workshops followed by a panel discussion featuring autistic and neurotypical writers. The three workshops are aimed at autistic writers, neurotypical parents, and anyone who wants to write an autistic character; the panel will feature New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Parkhurst and moderator Amy Freeman. Free (registration required for both workshops and panel discussion), 1:30 PM – 5 PM.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9
BOOKS To learn more about the medicinal value of cannabis, hear from Aliza Sherman, the co-author of Cannabis and CBD for Health and Wellness: An Essential Guide for Using Nature’s Medicine to Relieve Stress, Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Inflammation, and More, at the Breastfeeding Center For Greater Washington. Learn about the therapeutic benefits of consuming cannabis and CBD, how to determine the proper dosing, and the pros and cons of different forms of cannabis. $10 (admission only) or $25 (admission plus a copy of the book), 3 PM.
CARS Check out classic cars at the American Horticultural Society (AHS)’s Spring 2019 Classic Car Show at River Farm in Alexandria. In addition to viewing old school whips, guests can take guided tours of the gardens while kids can take advantage of a scavenger hunt and other activities. $10 per viewer vehicle or $5 per person (walk-ins and bicyclists), 9 AM to 2 PM.
LAST CALL: Here’s what’s closing this weekend
“Drawing in Tintoretto’s Venice” and “Venetian Prints in the Time of Tintoretto” close 6/9 at the National Gallery of Art.
“Moments Noticed” closes 6/9 at Lost Origins Gallery.
