What a weekend to be in Washington. No doubt we’ll be seeing a whole lot of you around the Mall for one event or another this weekend. DCist would like to take this opportunity to recommend sunscreen with a high SPF. We just can’t have all our readers looking like lobsters come Monday morning. Not a sexy look.
FRIDAY:
>> The D.C. music scene says farewell to Q and Not U tonight at Black Cat. The show is sold out. DCist would like to wish John, Harris and Chris the best of luck in their future endeavors. Thanks for the music.
>> Stay off the sidewalks this weekend as the annual SegwayFest kicks off at the Hotel Washington. The sight of 150 Segway owners silently rolling through the city in large packs will no doubt feel like the we’ve been invaded by some incredibly nerdy biker gang. Please send us photos.
SATURDAY:
>> First Lady Laura Bush and the Library of Congress are presenting the National Book Festival on the National Mall, between 7th and 14th streets, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Previously, DCist readers speculated on a possible grudge match between fellow Festival speakers and bitter rivals John Irving and Tom Wolfe, but frankly, we’re now more concerned about Andrea Mitchell and the rather serious plastic surgery problem she appears to have, based on her bio photo. Get well, Andrea!
>> Whatever your views on the war in Iraq, we would be remiss in not recommending the great line-up of free outdoor concerts at the day long Operation Ceasefire event near the Washington Monument. Our top three choices of acts not to miss: Steve Earle at 4:41 p.m., Thievery Corporation at 9:37 p.m., and Le Tigre at 12:12 a.m.
>> The Sylvan Amphitheatre on the National Mall (south of the Washington Monument) will be hosting a free event as part of the first ever Duke Ellington Jazz Festival that started on Wednesday, including performances by the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Chuck Brown, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. From noon to 8 p.m. PLEASE NOTE: We’re a little over excited about this weekend. The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival starts NEXT WEEK. This is not happening this weekend. Our apologies for any confusion.
SUNDAY:
>> The 12:30 p.m. screening of On the Way to Over the River at the National Gallery of Art is your last chance to catch this short documentary by German filmmakers Wolfram and Jörg Daniel Hissen. The film follows wrap-up artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they move on to their next project after the much-publicized The Gates installation in New York’s Central Park.
>> Politics & Prose celebrates 21 years in Washington this weekend with several special events, including “Poetry in Washington: Readings by Old Friends” at noon, featuring local poets like Myra Sklarew and Stanley Plumly. Check the schedule for a full listing.
