It's fall, and that can only mean one thing for the District -- it's time for street festivals. more ›

Nearly four years have passed since we lost Ronnie Wells, and she is still sorely missed. The District's jazz matriarch was a world-class vocalist, educator, and along with her husband, Ron Elliston, a mentor to so many area musicians. Wells was also the driving force behind the East Coast Jazz Festival, an annual event held in Rockville, Maryland between 1992 and 2006, presenting top-notch local, regional and student talent. Unfortunately, the East Coast Jazz Festival ceased to exist after Wells' passing -- but in 2010, the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival (MAJF) arose in its place. more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. more ›

Dimmed luster, my ass! Regardless of the brewing Ted Loza/Jim Graham scandal, the folks who participated in this year's Fiesta DC did a great job putting on a colorful, fun, well-attended event that deserves to be judged apart from anything else. Here's just a few of the shots our Flickr contributors grabbed on Sunday in Mt. Pleasant. more ›

No, nothing's wrong with your hearing, so don't mind the static. It's just time for Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music, which is back for its ninth year and starts tonight at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. The festival will hit a diverse group of venues, from the Kennedy Center to tiny Pyramid Atlantic hidden in downtown Silver Spring. The group of performers this year is just as diverse, ranging from avant-garde icons and highly lauded musicians to artists that eschew musical instruments entirely to create their sound. more ›

Dish of the Week: Zapp's chips more ›

The date for the third annual Columbia Heights Day has been set -- this year's iteration will be August 29 on the field at Harriet Tubman Elementary School at 11th and Kenyon Streets NW (across the street from Wonderland). Organizers tell us this year's fest will feature live music, dance groups, eating contests, local businesses, kids' activities, and more, including a petting zoo. Last year's Columbia Heights Day was pretty fun, with the petting zoo featuring a camel, and a cupcake eating contest featured some local politicians -- council candidate Patrick Mara held his own eating the cakes, while Jim Graham and Carol Schwartz performed various hosting/hanging around duties. And FYI, Columbia Heights Day still accepting applications for local businesses and restaurants, community groups, and craftspeople who'd like to participate: go to their website or email columbiaheightsday[at]gmail[dot]com more ›

Think for a second about that scene in Willy Wonka when they first get inside the candy factory. But instead, substitute all of those amazing sweets with 68 small and independent brewers showing off their company’s best with food pairings selected for each. Oh no, you’re no Charlie - you’d be seconds behind Augustus Gloop, into the pool and up the tube. And damn would you be happy. more ›

>> Transformer opens a thought provoking exhibit that challenges traditional notions of gender. Domesticated: Men and the Domestic Interior opens Saturday, with a curator and artist talk at 4 p.m. followed by a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. more ›

Thousands of people braved the brutal heat this past weekend to check out two of our local annual festivals: Arts on Foot and the Adams Morgan Day Festival. As reward for sweating it out, they got treats galore (the $2-4 tasting plates at Arts on Foot were especially good, like tiramisu cups from Co Co Sala) and performances aplenty, like Brazilian and Salsa dancing at Adams Morgan Day. A friend and I took advantage of the free tours in Penn Quarter and walked through the new Museum of Crime and Punishment (which usually sets visitors back $17.95). Check out what our photographers Martin Locraft, Mary Cunningham, and Flickr contributors saw, and tell us your favorite part in the comments.
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For most, the arrival of autumn signifies an excuse to go see the falling leaves in rural Maryland, pick apples at an idyllic orchard in Virginia, or simply enjoy a respite from the humid heat of a D.C. summer. For beer lovers, the beginning of September is just a reminder that Oktoberfest is coming soon. Although many of the events in the area are styled after the original Oktoberfest in Munich, other beer events in the next several weeks are not even German-themed and just happen to be crowding an already crowded schedule. It's a busy, exciting time to be a beer geek in D.C. more ›

If there's a singular take-away point from Sunday's Rock the Bells show, it's that hip-hop has built up enough cache over the years to warrant a day-long concert attended by folks ranging from their teens to those with gray hairs in their goatees, at near capacity levels. That's impressive. more ›

If you’re planning on riding Metrobus this weekend, you’ll need to contend with some re-routing due to three festivals about town. The National Capital Barbecue Battle, the Peace in the Streets Parade & Festival, and the 13th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival will alter some 17 bus routes, including many on the 30 line. On the bright side, if you’re attending the Blues Festival, your ride on routes 16B, 16G and 16J between noon and 9 p.m. are on the house. Just to be safe, we recommend checking the TripPlanner before blindly hopping on a cross-town bus for the next couple of days. more ›

For many Washingtonians, the bloom of the cherry blossoms signals the changing of the seasons. But for outdoor food fans, nothing says spring quite like a weekend full of outdoor food festivals. The whiff of grilled pork, charcoal, and butane filling the air, styrofoam plates piled high with pad thai, pupusas, and eggplant parmesan; you can walk, eat, and drink your way clear into next week. more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Foreign: 2007 Washington Jewish Film Festival The Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center’s annual film festival has become one of the largest and longest running of the local festivals. This year’s program encompasses over 40 films, from 11 countries. Nearly half of the selections are films from Israel, in recognition of the nation’s 60th year. The event... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Romance & Cigarettes John Turturro's third film as a director is the sort that seems tailor made to become a cult classic. Not nearly polished or glamorous enough to be the sort of Broadway to big screen musical hit that Chicago or Hairspray was, it was too oddball to fit into the heads of most... more ›

We've already covered some of the great Halloween photos today, and, wouldn't you know it, there are all kinds of other interesting things going on in October besides creepy costume parties. There's the fall harvest at our local farmers markets, some fun times at our arts festivals before it gets too cold to play outside, and, well, whatever the hell is going on here. Of course, there was also the Marine Corps Marathon yesterday... more ›

To call pianist Tigran Hamasyan an “up-and-comer” is a misnomer, because even though he is still quite young, this talented artist, by any measure, has already arrived. In addition to winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2006, the 20-year-old has been a finalist in numerous international competitions and has performed at clubs and festivals all over the world. Hamasyan will bring his latest sounds to the Kennedy Center’s KC Jazz Club on Friday... more ›

>> The one and only Chaka Khan is at H2O tonight as a pre-party of sorts to the kick off of Howard Homecoming festivities, which officially start tomorrow. Doors at 5 p.m., show begins at 7. more ›

FRIDAY: >> Two shows for DAM! Fest tonight, with events at Rock and Roll Hotel and the Red and the Black. The former includes an appearance by recent Three Stars subject the Beanstalk Library, plus The Exit, Dragons of Zynth and The Teeth. Stick around for the free afterparty, We Fought the Hej, a combo of two of our favorite DJ nights, Hej Hej and We Fought the Big One. >> Don't forget to check... more ›

>> DAM! Fest kicks of with its first night of shows featuring a dozen different bands at three venues, including New York's A Place to Bury Strangers (don't miss our interview with the band) and Dirty on Purpose at the Rock and Roll Hotel, Vandaveer and Julie Ocean at the Red and The Black, and Foreign Islands at DC9, among many others. Check out our guide to the DAM! highlights. >> Two film festivals open... more ›

If you missed the Green Festival at the Convention Center this past weekend, you missed an incredible event. Luckily event organizers will be posting video and audio of the plethora of speeches to their website in about two weeks. You'll also be able to download speech audio from this year’s upcoming San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago festivals. The Green Festival is sponsored by Co-Op America and Global Exchange. The event is largely volunteer-run, with 1300... more ›

Here's another one from the festivals this weekend, this time from FiestaDC held in Mt. Pleasant. With the surreal, vibrant colors of his headdress and the uptilted mask, it took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on here. Flickr user yonas1 snuck his camera in just in time to capture this sweet "secret kiss." EXIF.
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This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and... more ›

>> There are so many festivals going on this weekend, we don't feel bad mentioning them a few times to make sure you get your butt off the couch to check out as many of them as you can. We'll have more on always anticipated Crafty Bastards later today, which is Sunday in Adams Morgan. The National Book Festival, where this writer is going to nerd it up, is Saturday on the Mall. Practice your... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Repertory: The Great Punch-Out: A Hard Hitting Week of Boxing at the Pickford Theater Those of you with an interest in the pugilistic arts may want to camp out at the Library of Congress next week. The library is doing a series of boxing features, shorts, and classic fights that lasts all week long. There's a... more ›

Virginia’s love for wine is no secret. It dates back centuries with Thomas Jefferson’s personal endorsement of wine as a suitable beverage. However, when you mention “Virginia Wines” to anyone, you are met with one of two reactions: an overwhelming expression of excitement and testament to how fabulous they are or an exasperated eye roll that says it all. Whichever one you fall under is fine with us, but as avid wine drinkers we feel... more ›

2001 was a good year for Radiohead clones. Muse released their second album, Origin of Symmetry, to the fanfare of British rock critics. Coldplay finally attained mainstream success in the United States. And Travis cemented their international popularity with the Nigel Godrich-produced The Invisible Band. Meanwhile, in Denton, Texas (about as far away from Oxford as you can get), five jazz students at the University of North Texas released an EP under the name Midlake.... more ›