Best Things to Do in the DC Area 5/23-5/29: Black Pride, “The Princess Bride,” and Concerts

Stay Dry!

Hello, neighbor.

It’s going to rain most of this week–bring an umbrella! 

So What Should You Do May 23-29?

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. 
• And lastly, the 🆓 indicates an event is free.

Top 5 Picks of the Week

1. DC Black Pride. 🌈 May 27 to May 30, party and celebrate Black Pride (starts Fri, $, 🛋, various events)! Or watch the documentary Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart (Fri, 🆓, 🛋, Mount Pleasant). 
2. Wrapping up Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month. 💖 Shop from more than 17 artists and makers, as well as sample a variety of Asian-owned restaurants, at the Sari-Sari Pop-Up Market (Sun, 🆓, 🛋/🌲, Edgewood). Or check out a South Asian Pop-Up (Sat, $, 🛋, 14th St.). There are also a few film screenings, such as Flee (Thurs, 🆓, 🛋, Kennedy Center), After the Month (Wed, 🆓, 🛋 , Southwest), and Journey to the East (Thurs, 🆓, 🛋, Takoma). It’s your last week to check out “Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands, 1968-2020” at the National Portrait Gallery. 
3. Memorial Day events. 🇺🇸 Besides the parade, you may be interested in an “Honoring Memorial Day” (Thurs, 🆓, 🛋 , National Mall) concert. There are also events recognizing women in the military, including an Arlington National Cemetery tour that highlights women on the front (Sat, $35, 🌲, Arlington) plus a lecture about Black women during World War II (Sun, 🆓, 🛋, Benning). The National Museum of Army will host a variety of events all weekend, such as paper-poppy crafting as well as films. Attend a LGBTQ+ Veteran’s Social (Tues, 🆓, 🛋, Capitol Hill)! 
4. Outdoor movies. 🎞 Fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain too much this week! Some classic outdoor movies are being shown, such as The Princess Bride (Tues, 🆓, 🌲, Adams Morgan), The Lion King (Sun, 🆓, 🌲, National Harbor) and The Sandlot (Wed, 🆓, 🌲, NoMa). 
5. Other ways to get outside. 🎸 Try various climbing and fitness ground games (Sat, 🆓, 🛋, National Landing). Attend the last of the Spring Jazz concert series with the DMV Percussion Academy (Wed, 🆓, 🌲, Waterfront). Move your feet at the 7th Annual Dance and Music Festival (Sun, 🆓, 🌲, Silver Spring). 

 Everything Else This Week

• Embassy Events. 🇸🇪🇰🇷🇬🇹 The House of Sweden is hosting an outdoor screening about Sami artist Britta Marakatt-Labba (Wed, 🆓, 🌲, Georgetown). The Korean Cultural Center debuts an immersive art exhibit, “Korea: Cubically Imagine” (starts Fri, 🆓 but timed passes required, 🛋, Kalorama) Tip: If you like Artechouse or the Van Gough exhibit, you’ll like that! The Embassy of Guatemala (Wed, $59, 🛋, Kalorama) will be open after hours for an evening of food, film, and art. 
• Concerts for reflection. 🎶 Listen to Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem (Mon, $15+, 🛋, Kennedy Center), which incorporates traditional Latin requiem with declarations relating to racial violence against African Americans. Attend a benefit concert for Ukraine (Thurs, $35, 🛋 /🌲, Van Ness) at the Hillwood Museum—beforehand, you may want to check out its porcelain exhibit, closing soon. 
• Other events for reflection. 🤍 Attend a discussion with the mother of Trayvon Martin (Tues, 🆓, 🛋, National Mall). Discover the growing threat of voter suppression (Wed, 🆓, 🛋, Downtown). Uncover how language controls (Thurs, 🆓, ⚡️) women and other marginalized genders. Delve into the ways refugees and immigrants reinvent and revive their cultural identity (Thurs, 🆓, 🛋, 16th St.).
• Rediscover your neighborhood. 🍻 Join a walking tour with a transportation engineer to understand street design (Wed, 🆓, 🌲, Rosslyn). Meet your neighbors with a buds-and-suds tree walk (Thurs, 🆓, 🌲, Brookland).
• A film festival for all kinks. 🎞 Watch short erotic films curated by sex-advice columnist Dan Savage (Fri-Sat, $25, 🛋, 14th St.).
• Travel the world . . .🍷 through rosé (Fri, $45, 🛋, Capitol Hill). 
• Bring your dog to the bar. 🦮 There’s a yappy hour (Thurs, 🆓, 🌲, Edgewood) and a Dogs Day Out! (Sun, $5, 🛋, Park View). 

Your neighbor,

Jade (@clockoutdc)

Jade Womack

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.