Photo by philliefan99

MARDI GRAS: Looking for a taste of New Orleans tonight? We’re recommending the Mardi Gras Dance Party with Creole Andre Thiery and Zydeco Magic at the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD. Dancing runs from 8 to 11 p.m., and we’re told there will be king cake. $15.

Also looking good is Bohemian Caverns‘s Mardi Gras party, which includes food from The Louisiana Network and music from New Orleans DJ WodieRock. $15, 6:30 p.m.

TALK: Head to National Geographic at 7:30 p.m. for a discussion on The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, with author and New Yorker writer David Grann. His book investigates the mystery of the lost city which British explorer Percy Fawcett searched for, including excerpts from his diary and other clues from the explorer and Grann’s own trek. $18.

MUSIC: Like free? Cincinnati’s the Pomegranates and locals Tereu Tereu are playing a free show at IOTA, including a free gumbo shot in celebration of Mardi Gras. 8:30 p.m.

DJ: Roddy Rod and 2-Tone Jones will pit two heroes of hip-hop’s golden era against one another during their “Rakim vs. Big Daddy Kane” DJ set at the Red Lounge. $5, 9 p.m.

CLASSICAL: Our classical music critic, Charles Downey, thinks Julia Fischer is “the best violinist of her generation,” high praise indeed. She will bring some of the Bach concertos from her new recording with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields to the Music Center at Strathmore tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets: $38 to $78.