Photo by alexandrajones14.FRIDAY
PARTY: Have your portrait drawn by Corcoran art students, move to the beats of DJ Yellow Fever, and eat and drink while you enjoy the atmosphere of Portraits After 5: Asian 2 American, a Mingle at the Museum event tonight at the National Portrait Gallery (750 9th Street NW). 7:30-10 p.m. $30.
DANCE: The Washington Ballet takes the classic story The Great Gatsby off the page and onto the stage, with gorgeous costumes (wing tip ballet shoes!), elaborate sets, and dancers who seem impervious to the effects of gravity. See a performance at the Kennedy Center (2700 F Street NW) tonight at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., or Sunday at 1:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. $20-$135.
PHOTOGRAPHY: The Corcoran (500 17th Street NW) hosts the FotoWeek Launch Party tonight, which begins at FotoWeek Central (1800 L Street NW), then moves to the Corcoran. FotoWeek will continue through the 12th. 5-11:30 p.m. $55.
>> Catch another FotoWeek event, the opening reception of the The U Street Portrait Project, a stunning collection of photographs by Tom Wolff displaying the diversity of U Street, at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery (1632 U Street NW) tonight. 7-9 p.m.
>> Check out the rest of our FotoWeek picks here.
COMEDY: If you’ve heard of the “everything is amazing and no one is happy” bit, then you’ve heard of Louis C.K. See him tonight in Baltimore at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (1212 Cathedral Street, Baltimore). Shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets: $25-$45.
MOVIES: The Alexandria Film Festival began yesterday and continues through Sunday with a wide selection of shorts, documentaries, and feature length films. See the full program for all the options. Screenings will take place at various locations, including the Old Town Theater, George Washington Masonic Memorial, and the Athenaeum. Tickets are $10 per film or $75 for the whole festival.
CONFERENCE: DCWeek, a festival for “designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and social innovators,” kicks off tonight with an Opening Party at the 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW) from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. ($20). Check out the full schedule for events through November 11. Some events are free, for the rest tickets range from $40 to $250.
FOOD & DRINK: The Tune Inn (331 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) reopened today, after being closed for repairs following a fire earlier this year. Swing by tonight to grab a brew from this Capitol Hill institution.
MUSIC: ’80s noise-punk band Scratch Acid performs tonight at the 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW). Richmond’s Kepone opens. 7 p.m. $25.
>> Bonjour, Ganesh!, Darlingside, Bearshark, and Blue Coin hit the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H Street NE) tonight. 9 p.m. $10.
SATURDAY
FOOD & DRINK: Unfortunately, this Saturday’s Vices of Virginia — a bourbon, oysters, and cigar fest at Woodlawn National Historic Site (9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria) — has sold out. But don’t despair: create your own bourbon, oyster, and cigar celebration! Start off by grabbing at bourbon at Jack Rose (perhaps pairing it with cheddar bay biscuits), then take a walk down to Hank’s Oyster Bar, and finish off your night by lighting up a stogie at Shelly’s Back Room. On the upside, this probably won’t add up to the $125 that Vices tickets cost.
>> Food stars Paula Deen, Guy Fieri, Giada De Laurentiis and Jacques Pépin converge to sign books, shake hands and deliver cooking deomstrations at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Place NW). Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $65 and up.
ART: The Phillips Collection (1600 21st Street NW) is throwing a 90th Anniversary Birthday Bash this Saturday, celebrating with free admission, free cupcakes until noon, hands-on art, talks, ballet performances, a cash bar at 4:15 p.m., and more. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Free.
>> Super Art Fight, a mashup of pro-wrestling and Pictionary, comes to the Red Palace (1212 H Street NE) Saturday. It may be the “Greatest Live Art Competition” you’ve ever seen. Doors 9 p.m., show 10 p.m. $15.
ARTS: The South Asian Literary and Theater Arts Festival at the Natural History Museum (10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW) this Saturday will showcase South Asian authors, artists, performers, and filmmakers through talks, performances, and film screenings. DCist’s own Sriram Gopal will be moderating an author panel featuring Nina Godiwalla and Mitali Perkins (2-3 p.m.). Check out the full schedule online. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Free.
MUSIC: U.K. band Peggy Sue launches their North American tour at the Monserrat House (2016 9th Street NW). 8 p.m. Open to the public.
>> Portland Taiko, an Asian-American drumming ensemble, hauls in their giant drums to perform at The Alden in McLean (1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, VA) on Saturday. 8 p.m. $20 for the general public, $15 for McLean residents.
>> The Congressional Chorus and American Youth Chorus perform American Tapestry: Our Story in Song, with songs that feature the words of Thomas Jefferson, Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Langston Hughes and others, at the National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Cirle NW). 8 p.m. $25.
PARTY: Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington) is throwing a Big Hair Ball in advance of their upcoming production of Hairspray. The event will celebrate its Baltimore roots with crab cakes and Natty Boh. There will also be a beehive competition, dancing, and the crowning of Miss Signature Hon. 8 p.m. Tickets start at $75 and include admission, two drink tickets, and hors d’oeuvres.
SUNDAY
FITNESS: Bend time this Sunday at the Anything is Possible 5k Race (10400 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda), which through the magic of Daylight Savings, begins at 1:50 a.m. and technically ends before you start. Registration: $35.
NERDS: Chris Hardwick (host of MTV’s Singled Out back in the day) is holding a live taping of his Nerdist podcast at the 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW). 6 p.m. $25. [It looks like Hardwick’s appearance in D.C. has been cancelled.]
TOUR: Garrett Peck, author of Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren’t, will be leading a Tour of Prohibition Washington on Sunday, as a part of the D.C. Historical Studies Conference. Check out the route here. 3:15-5:00 p.m. Free.
MUSIC: England’s WU LYF (World Unite! Lucifer Youth Foundation) play the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H Street NE) with Crystal Antlers. 8:30 p.m. $14.
>> Anthrax hits the stage at The Fillmore Silver Spring (8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring) with Testament. 7 p.m. $30.
