Photo by christaki

NERD ALERT: thirst DC and six Smithsonian experts team up Thursday for the thirst Smithsonian Spooktacular at the Equitable Co-operative Building Association (915 F Street NW). The nerdtastic event will feature talks on guns in space, Chinese food (American style), indigenous tattooing, the colors of Mars, Indian Spiderman, and dinosaurs. Come out and learn something, and if you wear a costume you get free drinks. 7:00 p.m.-1:30 a.m. $15 early bird, $20 regular, and $25 at the door (cash only).

MUSIC: Aimee Mann and Ted Leo perform a second night at the Birchmere (7:30 p.m., $49.50), Sharon Van Etten brings her “vocal gifts and evocative songcraft” to the 9:30 Club (6:00 p.m., $18), Dinosaur Jr. plays the Black Cat with Shearwater (8:00 p.m., $30), and there are lots of other options in the Weekly Music Agenda.

PUMPKIN CARVING: Sip on a Pumpkin Martini or a Starr Hill Pumpkin Porter while you carve a pumpkin masterpiece at Helix Lounge’s (1430 Rhode Island Avenue NW) 8th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest and Happy Hour tonight. Thirty pumpkins will be pre-scooped for participants and all carving tools will be supplied. 6:00-9:00 p.m.

FOOD & DRINK: Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca (1100 New York Avenue NW) serves up a four-course Fall Game Dinner tonight, featuring smoked wild green winged teal breast, Tennessee wild boar ragu, roasted wild pheasant, and roasted saddle of Shaffer venison. 7:00 p.m. Tickets are a bit steep at $135 a person, but it includes wine pairings. Call (202) 216-9550 for reservations.