published on July 31, 2024 in Celeb Gist

Festivals, outdoor movies, concerts and events in the D.C. area

Thursday, Aug. 25

DCBX Latin Dance Festival at the Renaissance Marriott Hotel: The 14th edition of this festival — equal parts dance university, party, and celebration of music and culture — is so big that the official events stretch over four days. Thousands of dancers descend on the city for an intensive weekend of movement: Days bring more than 100 workshops covering salsa, bachata, mambo, zouk, kizomba and lambada, among other styles, tailored for multiple experience levels and taught by instructors from around the world. By night, multiple ballrooms pulse with live music, DJs, and dance performances by champion couples and teams, with the dance floors open until 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday mornings. Tickets are available just for the parties or workshops, or combinations of both. Through Sunday, with optional Monday after-party. $69-$599.

‘The Empire Strikes Back’ outdoor screening at the Kennedy Center: Bring blankets and lawn chairs to the enjoy a showing of “The Empire Strikes Back” outdoors at the Kennedy Center’s Reach video wall, beginning at dusk. Registration is not required, and outside food is permitted, so feel free to bring a picnic as you watch Luke journey to faraway planets to train with Jedi master Yoda. In the event of rain, the showing will be moved to the (indoor) Family Theater. 8 p.m. Free.

‘In the Heights’ outdoor screening at Audi Field: What better way to watch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s larger-than-life musical than on a jumbotron screen? Enjoy almost 2 ½ hours of singing, dancing and pining for a $96,000 lottery ticket at Audi Field’s latest installment of Movies on the Pitch. Chairs, animals (besides service animals), and outside food or alcohol are prohibited, but the event is first-come, first-served, and concessions will be available for purchase. Doors at 5:30 p.m.; movie begins at 7 p.m. Free.

Friday, Aug. 26

Moe World Order at the Howard Theatre: Go-go is the official sound of the city. It’s the most endangered sound of the city, too. The latest attack on D.C.’s born-and-bred music happened in June at go-go event Moechella, when gunfire erupted afterward and resulted in the death of 15-year old Chase Poole. D.C. police criticized Moechella organizers for lacking a permit, even though city officials were aware of the festival beforehand and a deputy mayor had promoted the event in an interview. On top of that, Moechella lost the rights to its name two months later after a trademark dispute with the popular California festival Coachella. Not to be deterred by the string of bad news, Long Live GoGo is hosting a show at the Howard Theatre that’s meant to be entertaining and healing, featuring go-go locals TCB, TOB, Reaction Band and more. 8 p.m. $30-$75.

Hoodie Allen at Union Stage: Machine Gun Kelly shedding his rap persona for pop-punk sensibilities is one of the most successful transformations in recent music memory. Can Hoodie Allen follow suit? On the 10-year anniversary of his debut rap EP, “All American,” Steven Adam Markowitz is heading back on tour with a new sound that feels like his most earnest record to date. “All American” was an anticlimactic introduction for Markowitz that earned a lot of internet buzz but had little substance lyrically or musically. After a decade of fine-tuning his sound, the Plainview, N.Y., native released “Call Me Never,” a head-bobbing pop-punk song that takes a page straight from the playbook of New Found Glory and Simple Plan. It’s on this track that everything seems to click for Markowitz, as his melodic vocals shine more crystal-clear than ever. 8 p.m. $29.50.

‘The Lost Record’ at AFI Silver: The debut film from musician and writer Ian Svenonius — famous for his work fronting D.C. bands including the Nation of Ulysses and the Make-Up — posits a future world where only one song remains legal. A would-be artist discovers a talking vinyl record, voiced by Svenonius, and must decide whether to share it with the world. The promotional blurb describes the film’s influences as “everything from the French New Wave to Italian giallos”; AFI helpfully classifies “The Lost Record” as “avant-garde.” The film’s premiere is at AFI on Friday and Saturday nights; Svenonius and co-director Alexandra Cabral (his partner in the band Escape-Ism) are hosting Q&As after both screenings, alongside cinematographer Eric Cheevers. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $8-$13.

Saturday, Aug. 27

Megafest at the Parks at Walter Reed: D.C.’s newest beer festival celebrates the third anniversary of Soul Mega, whose flagship Worldwide pale ale is found across the city, from neighborhood beer-and-a-shot joints to Michelin-approved restaurants. But Megafest has a larger vision: It celebrates the region’s burgeoning scene of Black-owned beer brands. D.C.’s Sankofa and Urban Garden Brewing join Maryland’s Black Viking, Joyhound and Patuxent to pour unlimited samples of their beer at the Parks at Walter Reed, while a diverse lineup of DJs, including Mathias and Bri Mafia, provide the soundtrack. Food comes from JetSet BBQ, J&J Mex-Taqueria and Chefit. The goal, says Soul Mega co-founder Elliott Johnson, is to “merge the block party culture with the beer festival culture.” 1 to 6 p.m. $50.

Around the World Cultural Food Festival at Oronoco Bay Park: This free waterfront festival in Old Town Alexandria goes beyond international eats. In addition to restaurants selling dishes from across the globe, the Around the World Cultural Food Festival includes a stage for folk music, with singing and dancing from countries including Brazil, Scotland, Egypt and India; a fashion show with performers wearing traditional clothing; and merchants selling an array of goods. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free.

Grilled Cheese Social at Sandlot Anacostia: The Rock Creek Social Club is used to setting standards in D.C.: The crew’s Good Life Tuesday parties at Recess, a pretense-free space where DJs spun an unpredictable and mind-bogglingly brilliant mix of hip-hop, electro, go-go and moombahton, was one of the city’s most essential parties until it shut down in 2012. In 2014, Rock Creek launched the Grilled Cheese Social day party on Marvin’s rooftop deck, and the simple formula of clued-in DJs and a menu of gooey, delicious sandwiches made for amazing and memorable Saturday vibes. Marvin may no longer be with us, but the Grilled Cheese Social lives on. This time, the action moves to the new Sandlot Anacostia, the first east-of-the-river outdoor bar and music venue from the team behind Sandlots in Navy Yard, Tysons and Georgetown. Expect a variety of sounds from the Rock Creek Social Club DJs, a special menu of grilled cheese and a crowd that’s ready to party while the sun is still up. 4 to 10 p.m. $20-$30.

Open Streets in Brookland: Anacostia and Shaw have enjoyed days of car-free streets in recent months, thanks to the city’s Open Streets program, and now it’s Brookland’s turn. A half-mile stretch of 12th Street NE between Monroe and Franklin streets turns into a playground on Saturday morning. Look for rollerblading and e-scooter lessons, double Dutch and hula hooping zones, face painting, music, and family activities, while local restaurants and businesses extend their outdoor footprints onto the pavement. (Primrose and Brookland’s Finest are among the favorites on that stretch.) 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free.

Amulet at Pie Shop: Brooding and theatrical, Amulet earned a Washington Area Music Award nomination and a spot headlining H Street joint Pie Shop with its hard-driving rock ballads. The D.C. duo — bassist MJ Phoenix and vocalist Stephanie Stryker — creates cinematic, melodic and bass-heavy tunes that sound like a feverish dream. At its Pie Shop show, Amulet promises a night of “faerie dancers, tarot reading [and] group rituals,” with three other musical acts that cross the dark side: Talking to Shadows, the Neuro Farm and DJ Johnny Panic. 8 p.m. $15-$20.

Maryland Renaissance Festival: Witches and wenches, knights and jesters — Renn Fest is back and ready to entertain with live brawls, massive smoked turkey legs, old-timey ale and hand-smithed knickknacks. Dress in a princess’s gown or a rogue’s rags for this year’s theme: 1536. King Henry VIII is betrothed (for the third time), but waiting on the execution of his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Thomas Cromwell conducts the courtiers’ proceedings as the regime begins to slip. And a nearby village prepares to welcome the king and his court. Events vary each weekend through late October, but expect professional performances and lots of lutes and lyres. Huzzah! 10 a.m. $24 for adults through Sept. 11; $30 from Sept. 12 through Oct. 23.

Dupont Circle Back-to-School Pop-up: Kids aren’t the only ones who need new looks and accessories at this time of year. Dupont Circle Main Streets’ seasonal pop-up market brings more than 50 vendors selling jewelry, ceramics, art, soap and other goods to the sidewalks of Connecticut Avenue and P Street. An info booth at the north exit of the Dupont Circle Metro Station offers maps and directions. Noon to 5 p.m. Free.

Girls Pint Out Summer of Seltzers at DC Brau: Girls Pint Out is a national group for women who love craft beer and want to get together with other beer-loving women for a few pints without dealing with men who can’t fathom that some women enjoy piney, not fruity, IPAs, or feel the need to mansplain the science of brewing. The local chapter — D.C. Metro Girls Pint Out — regularly organizes happy hours and brewery tours, and this month’s featured tasting is … hard seltzer? An afternoon at DC Brau includes a tour of the seltzer-making process, a tasting of the full hard seltzer lineup and “a few other surprises.” The tour and tasting, available for pre-purchase on DC Brau’s website, are open to women only, but there will be a meetup in the brewery for everyone afterward. 4 to 6:30 p.m. $15.

The Caribbean Crawl on U Street NW: U Street is home to many of D.C.’s most-loved bars and clubs, and this crawl takes guests on a journey to hit six of them in just eight hours. Catch international DJs playing the latest Afrobeats, reggae, Latin and kompa music at themed stops in locations like Cloak & Dagger and Amsterdam Lounge. At the event, which kicks off at nightclub Elements, expect discounted drinks, which vary depending on the stop’s theme, and giveaways. 2 to 10 p.m. $10-$20.

Sunday, Aug. 28

Fairwood Music Festival at Fairwood Community Park: The culmination of Prince George’s County Parks’ annual Fairwood Community Park concert series, the Fairwood Music Festival has been a fixture in Bowie since 2013. It returns to the park’s amphitheater after a two-year hiatus with four performers: smooth jazz artist Kevin Jackson, R&B singer Elyscia, and cover bands D.C. Fusion and the Exclusives. 1 to 6 p.m. Free.

Makers Market and Plant Swap: Silver Spring’s nursery and plant rental location Plants Alive! is asking guests to trade in their houseplants — for someone else’s. At this plant swap, though, visitors can pick up more than a new potted plant or small seedling: A concurring outdoor Makers Market features art from local vendors, including jewelry, body care, vintage clothing and handmade candles, all available for purchase. Noon to 4 p.m. Free.

Hilarious Colombian Americans at the D.C. Comedy Loft: The five stand-up comics behind Hilarious Colombian Americans — three born in Colombia, two from the United States, all based in New York City — first joined forces at the 2019 New York Comedy Festival. It went so well that they’re now on a national tour and have roped in Antonio Sanint, a veteran Colombian actor seen on telenovelas such as “Alicia en el País de las Mercancías,” who has also been doing stand-up for more than a decade. The sextet takes over the Comedy Loft and advises that “this show is in English with a tiny bit of Spanish,” in case your Spanish is slightly rusty. There’s a two-item minimum (food or drink) per person. 7 p.m. $28.

Tuesday, Aug. 30

‘Art Pop: Visual Remembrance’ at the National Portrait Gallery: The After Five happy hours at the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery have an advantage over the usual after-work destinations: You might discover a new creative outlet. Illinois artist Donna Castellanos hosts this workshop in the Kogod Courtyard. Castellanos’s portrait of her grandmother, dubbed “Bertha, I’d Like to Know Where You Got the Notion” and constructed from zippers, buttons, needles and other notions attached to fabric, was selected to hang in the museum as part of the “Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today” exhibition. Over drinks, Castellanos will help participants shape their own portraits of loved ones, using similar materials. All supplies and two drink tickets are included in the ticket price. 5 to 7 p.m. $20.

Wednesday, Aug. 31

DC Jazz Festival Opening Night at the Howard Theatre: The headlining events of the annual DC Jazz Festival fill the Wharf over the weekend of Sept. 3 and 4, but the music actually begins Wednesday. The lauded vocalist Kurt Elling uses his four-octave range in surprising ways, dramatically twisting and extending familiar melodies or confidently peppering them with vocalese, never losing an innate sense of swing. He headlines the Howard Theatre with his funky new group, SuperBlue. D.C.’s own Christie Dashiell and her quartet open. 8 p.m., $39.

Tarot Night at Dew Drop Inn: As we begin to transition from summer to autumn, this might be the perfect time to re-center yourself with tarot and cocktails. “A chill and witchy night” at the Dew Drop Inn promises readings, a tarot deck swap for those who are looking for a new set, a raffle and a special menu of “witchy” drinks. 7 p.m. Free.

Sicilian Wine Tasting at DCanter: As the largest wine-producing region in Italy, with 240,000 acres of vineyards, Sicily yields wines marked by high elevation and exposure to volcanoes like Mount Etna. The island, known for its indigenous grape varieties, is quickly gaining attention as a leading wine producer in a changing climate. At this date-night-ready tasting, six wines will be served with artisanal cheeses. Space is limited, and proof of coronavirus vaccination is required. 7 to 8 p.m. $45.

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