Happy Monday, DC!
Actress and comedian Chelsea Handler arrives in DC for two nights of comedy, and pre-fixe dining deals are happening all week for Taste of Pride.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
October 2-October 8
- Chelsea Handler at Warner Theatre. Tickets for comedian Chelsea Handler’s standup at the Kennedy Center are sold out, but you can laugh at the actress’ hilarious jokes at her other show at the Warner Theatre (October 5, $55+, Warner Theatre).
- Shakespeare Everywhere Festival. In recognition of William Shakespeare and his timeless productions, the Shakespeare Everywhere Festival will host 12 shows over the span of 12 weeks. The celebrations will begin this weekend and run through the fall; there will also be special events such as The Bard & The Beat, a lecture series on Shakespeare at the Library of Congress, and a panel discussion with Shakespeare expert Michael Witmore (October 7 through December 31, prices vary, various participating locations).
- Taste of Pride. Chow around town on special menu bites this week for a good cause. DC-area LGBTQ+ owned and allied eateries are curating a variety of restaurant offerings in support of the Pride365 Fund for Taste of Pride. The opening party at Lost Generation Brewery hosted by Kareem “Mr. Bake” Queeman of Mr. Bake Sweets features tasting stations, beer samples, music, and a panel discussion (Mon-Sun, $25 for kickoff party, $30+ prix-fixed menu, various participating locations).
- “Park Chan-kyong: Gathering” exhibit. The solo works of Seoul artist Park Chan-kyong are being displayed at a major US museum for the first time, at the National Museum of Asian Art. Five photographic works examining the history of modern Korea will accompany a multichannel screening of Citizen’s Forest (opens Sat, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
- Fall Wine Festival & Sunset Tour. Drink unlimited sips from Virginia wineries at this popular after-hours seasonal gathering. The Fall Wine Festival and Sunset Tour will serve tastes from various vineyards on the grounds of George Washington’s estate. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket to lay out on the lawn and watch the sunset (Fri-Sun, $53+, Saturday tickets are sold out, Mount Vernon).
Want More Things to Do?
Budget-friendly:
- Win—or lose—True Crime Trivia at Hi-Lawn (Mon, free, NoMa).
- Relax at a gentle flow yoga class on the Magnolia Terrace (Tues, Thurs-Sat, $10, Alexandria).
- Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jorie Graham leads a virtual reading (Tues, $5+pay-what-you-can, virtual).
- Run a Foam Glow 5K at Rosecroft Raceway (Sat, free registration, Fort Washington).
Arts and culture:
- Award-winning French Vietnamese novelist Line Papin discusses her new coming-of-age book The Girl Before Her (Mon, free, Mount Vernon Triangle).
- Author Nathan Hill tells a story about modern love and technology in Wellness (Mon, free, Northwest DC).
- View the retrospective exhibition on DC murals “To The East” at Phillips at The ARC (opens Wed, free, Southeast DC).
- Northern Virginia photographer Bernis von zur Muehlen explores evolution in the new exhibit “Nature’s Tapestry” at American University Museum (Wed-Sun through December 10, free, Northwest DC).
- Visit Planet Word after hours for Wordplay Wednesday puzzles and games (Wed, free, Northwest DC).
- Shop jewelry from national designers at Smithsonian Craft Fashion and Home (October 5-8, $20, Penn Quarter).
- Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with Latin Jazz and an art workshop at Phillips after 5 (Thurs, $20, Dupont).
- Artist Laurie Anderson performs at Hirshhorn Plaza (Fri, free, Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden).
- Pick up a new novel for fall at Folger Book Fair happening at East City Bookshop (Fri, free, but registration encouraged, Capitol Hill).
- “African Modernism in America, 1947-67” features artworks from 50 African and African American artists (opens Sat., October 7, $20, Dupont).
- The DC Bushwick Book Club closes out Banned Books Week with songs by local singer Ari Voxx and short film screenings (Sat, $13, Northwest DC).
- Art on the Avenue takes over the Del Ray neighborhood with performances by local bands, easel and pumpkin painting for kids, and a ton of good food (Sat, free, Alexandria).
- Faces of Resilience” displays vivid portraits at George Mason University by artists both currently and formerly incarcerated (through November 3, free, Fairfax).
Community and talks:
- Death Comes to Congress is a spooky take on the usual Profs and Pints conversation (Mon, $14, Penn Quarter).
- Sit in on a conversation about cider with cider makers at ChurchKey (Wed, free, Northwest DC).
- Bravo TV stars Ashley Darby and Gabby Prescod are having a fireside chat at Westfield Montgomery mall (Sat, free, Bethesda).
- There’s a bike giveaway at Open Streets Georgia Avenue (Sat, free, Georgia Avenue).
Theater and shows:
- Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin performs a live score to a screening of Dario Argento’s Demons (Mon $35+, Howard Theatre).
- DJ D-Nice returns to the Kennedy Center for a three-day celebration of live music and comedy (Thurs-Sun, $49+, Kennedy Center).
- Instruments and techniques help create sound art at George Washington University (Fri, free, Northwest DC).
- Comedian Nurse Blake plans to shock audiences with laughter at DAR Constitution Hall (Sat, $39+, Northwest DC).
- It’s the last chance to see DC-inspired play Monumental Travesties (closes Sun, $53+, H Street Corridor).
- A family comes to grips with the past in ExPats Theatre’s Scorched (closes October 14, $45, H Street Corridor).
Music and concerts:
- Vocalist Ambar Lucid sings at Black Cat (Mon, $20+, Shaw).
- Neo-folk singer Mariee Siou performs at Songbyrd (Mon, $15+, Northeast DC).
- The Hay-Adams music salon is an intimate jazz experience (Mon, $60, Northwest DC).
- Adeem the Artist performs a blend of Appalachian music at DC9 Nightclub (Tues, $15, U Street).
- Anoushka Shankar and her quintet of musicians have a live concert at the Music Center at Strathmore (Fri, $28+, Bethesda).
Bites and beverages:
- Taste new vegan menu items at local restaurants, and vote on your favorite dish during The DC Vegan Chef Challenge (through October 31, prices vary, various participating locations).
- Take a watercolor painting class with food illustrator Marcella Kriebel at Hank’s Old Town; a cocktail and small bites are included in the event (Wed, $80, Alexandria).
- Taste of Bethesda returns for its 31st celebration highlighting the area’s food and music scene (Sat, free, Bethesda).
- Sample food and craft cocktails from DC’s top culinary talent, and play family-friendly games in support of No Kid Hungry at Taste of the Nation (Sun, $130+ for adults, $50 for ages 11 to 16, free for ages 10 and younger, Southeast DC).
Halloween:
- Take a ghost and graveyard tour through Alexandria (through October 31, $15 for adults, $10 for children, free for ages 6 and younger, Alexandria).
- Discover the mourning customs of Tudor Place on a deathly tour (Wed through November 5, $10, Northwest DC).
Things to do with kids:
- Music, storytelling, and skating are on the entertainment lineup for Disney On Ice (Thurs-October 15, $20+, Fairfax, Baltimore).
- Watch a movie screening of Coco, and participate in a salsa dance class (Fri, free, Columbia).
- All ages can make Korean traditional crafts, see live performances, and snap photos wearing traditional Korean clothing at Chuseok Family Festival (Sat, free, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art).
Get involved:
- Join the National Week Without Driving challenge to help bring awareness to transportation equity (Mon-Sun, free, virtual).
Plan ahead:
- Registration is open for Nightmare at the Museum (October 12, free, but registration opens October 2, National Gallery of Art).
If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
