Happy April!
Hello Neighbor,
Ramadan Mubarak to all those celebrating.
For those with children, you may be interested in signing up for the White House Easter Egg Roll lottery. The lottery closes on March 31; the event will be on April 18. For those interested in volunteering, you can sign up here.
Additionally, the White House Spring Garden Tours are returning April 9 and 10. More information can be found here.
So, What Should You Do March 28-April 3?
For your convenience, this newsletter includes emojis to help you during these unprecedented times:
- The 🛋 indicates an event is happening in-person inside.
- The 🌲 indicates an event is happening in-person outside.
- The 💻 indicates an event is happening virtually.
- The 💉 indicates an event requires proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test.
- And lastly, the 🆓 indicates an event is free.
Top 6 Picks of the Week
1. The Queen of Polka Dots. 🔴🟠🔵 The most anticipated exhibit, “One With Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection” opens to the public starting Friday; free same-day timed passes will be available. There will be extended museum hours on April 1 and 2 until 8pm (starts Fri, free, 🛋, National Mall).
2. US Botanic Garden. 🌱 The US Botanic Garden is reopening the conservatory, for the first time since the pandemic began, starting April 1. My favorite rooms include the orchid room and the tropics.
3. Parties, parties, everywhere. 🍷 Head to Franklin Park for Blossoms After Dark (Sat, free, 🌲, Downtown) or to the Wharf’s Bloomaroo (Sat, free, 🌲, The Wharf). Or, head to a wine party set up “cocktail style” at Cranes–the Show Some Skin Wine Fling (Tues, $79, 🛋, Chinatown). Indulge in natural wines at Sonny’s Abbondanza! party (Sat, $55, 🌲, Park View).
4. Alexandria dog walk. 🦮 Old Town is hosting a two-mile dog walk to raise money to protect the city’s environment. Participants will get T-shirts and goody bags. The walk will be followed with prizes, treats, and music. There will also be a contest for Funniest Personality, Best Groomed, Fluffiest Tail, Biggest Ears, and Coolest Costume (Sat, $35, 🌲, Alexandria).
5. Unique concerts. 🇨🇿🇯🇵🎷 The Czech Embassy is hosting the Permoník Youth Choir (Wed, free, 🛋, Van Ness). Enjoy legendary Afro-futurist jazz group Sun Ra Arkestra (Sun, $40, 🛋, Downtown) at Wild Days. Join a special outdoor concert of Japanese music (Sat, free, 🌲, National Mall) in the Smithsonian gardens.
6. Art openings. 🖼 Head to the opening reception of Down to Earth (opening reception Fri, donation, 🛋, Anacostia), hosted by Friends of the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Honfleur Gallery; the exhibit comments on the climate emergency and systematic racism. For more conversations regarding how art can influence climate-policy change (Sat, free, 🛋/💻, Dupont Circle), head to a panel hosted by COAL+ICE. There’s also an opening reception and artist talk of Marta Pérez García (Thurs, free, 🛋, Dupont Circle) at the Phillips Collection; that exhibit explores domestic violence during the 2020 stay-at-home orders.
Everything Else This Week
- Film showings. 🎞 Enjoy a documentary about photographer Alberto Garcia-Alix (Wed, free, 🛋, Columbia Heights) at the former residence of the Ambassador of Spain. Or a film screening of “Vita Activa” (Tues, free, 🛋, 14th St.) at the Goethe-Institut of Washington. There’s also the YouFilmFest (Sat, $15, 🛋, Kennedy Center).
- Qing Ming. 🤍 In celebration of the tomb-sweeping festival, Congressional Cemetery and the 1882 Foundation will celebrate the presence of Chinese Americans in DC and America at the unveiling of a refurbished memorial (Sun, free, 🌲, Capitol Hill).
- “Black Side of the River.” 🏠 Join a book talk on “The Black Side of the River: Race, Language, and Belonging in DC,” which encapsulates over ten years of interviews from dozens of residents of Anacostia (Thurs, free, 💻).
- Nicaragua. 🇳🇮 Spend an evening at the Embassy of Nicaragua indulging in Nicaraguan food such as achiote-marinated grilled chicken and fried sweet plantains and drinks such as run and macua. There will be a diplomatic greeting, open bar, and Nicaraguan art and film (Thurs, $59, 🛋, Dupont Circle).
- A literary magazine launch. 📙 The Struggle Magazine will be hosting its Spring Issue Launch at the Big Bear Cafe with live jazz, a 10-minute play, and refreshments (Thurs, $20, 🛋, Bloomingdale).
- Exploring space. 🛰 Although the National Air and Space Museum is closed, the “exploring space series” returns with a talk on NASA’s Earth Information System. The talk will discuss how pilot studies have been able to use NASA technologies to study the impacts of Greenland ice sheet melt on sea level change (Tues, free, 🛋, National Mall).
- Record lovers. 💽 Enjoy the DC Record Fair (Sun, $5, 🛋, Penn Quarter).
- Baseball lovers. ⚾️ Ivy and Coney is hosting a baseball book swap (Wed, free, 🛋, Shaw).
- For the home chefs. 🍓 Cultivate the City is hosting a foraging seasonal berries workshop (Sat, donation, 🌲, TBD). Tieghan Gerard will be discussing her cookbook “Half Baked Harvest” (Wed, $22+, 🛋, Chinatown).
- Women’s History Month. 💫 Learn about the power of running on women’s health (Wed, free, 💻) . Join a book talk about gender bias in innovation (Thurs, free, 🛋, Georgetown) and the economy, at the House of Sweden.
- A dating game in-person. 💞 Watch singles try to match themselves with six contestants at The Dating Game at Wunder Garten (Tues, free, 🌲, Union Market).
- Opportunities to shop. 🛍 Capitol Cider is hosting a Cherry Blossom Artisan Market (Sun, free entry, 🌲, Georgia Ave.) and Serenata is hosting a Meet the Makers (Sun, free entry, 🌲, Union Market).
Your Neighbor,
Jade (@clockoutdc)
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Jade Womack is an energy economist by day, and an events blogger by night. She started her blog, Clockout DC, when she was moonlighting as a bartender in 2019. She grew up in Arlington, and currently lives in Adams Morgan with her dog.
