Photo by Dan Lawrence
FRIDAY
FANCY BIKE PARTY: The Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s annual BikeFest fundraiser takes over Eastern Market at 8 p.m. The Casablanca-themed party features casino table games, a silent auction, and local bike shops competing in a bicycle-building contest. Tickets $55, credit card only.
BUFFY AND BURLESQUE Hold on to your pasties and shimmy over to the Black Cat (1811 14th Street NW) this Friday for Whedonism II, the second annual Joss Whedon Tribute Burlesque Show. First show 8:45 p.m., second show 11 p.m. $15.
COMEDY: John Hodgman is back in town at the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria) tonight. Read our interview with him from last year (where he revealed the Washington Monument might launch into outer space at any moment), then go check him out. 7:30 p.m. $25.
MARKET: Washington National Cathedral’s annual Flower Mart runs today and Saturday, offering visitors arts, crafts, jewelry, plants, music, dance, and more. The market is sponsored by All Hallows Guild, which is now in its 74th year of raising funds for the care of the 59 acres surrounding the cathedral.
SATURDAY:
SCAVENGE: Make your love of books competitive in a literary bike race. Mashing is FUNdamental: A Literary Alleycat is a books scavenger hunt (via bicycle) that will start on the east steps of the American Art Museum (604 Seventh Street NW) and take you to libraries throughout the city, where you will pick up books from different genres. Make sure you have your D.C. library card handy, and if you don’t have one, pick one up in advance (to be eligible for a D.C. library card you need to live in D.C., Arlington, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Falls Church, or Frederick County). Proceeds from the event will be donated to 826DC. Registration 1 p.m., race starts 2 p.m. $5.
DERBY DAY: Not making the trip to Churchill Downs? No problem. Plenty of places around town to settle in with a mint julep, phone in your parimutuel bets, and watch the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby. See The Weekly Feed for bars offering Derby specials.
MORE HORSY STUFF: If watching the first leg of the Triple Crown in a crowded bar isn’t your style, you can always haul out to The Plains, Va. in your fanciest linen pastels and get bombed in the parking fields ahead of the annual Gold Cup steeplechase race. In previewing the year’s best highbrow events, we wrote that Gold Cup is an excellent place to see people dressed like extras in a Whit Stillman movie and more bros, fashion bloggers, and society photographers than you can shake a Hermès clutch at. Yeah, there’s a horse race in there, but the real competition is to see how many times you appear in next Monday’s Guest of a Guest slideshow. $85 per carload.
EMBASSIES: The annual Around the World Embassy Tour features more than 40 embassies, representing countries spread across six continents. The embassies are showing off their national delights inside their stately mansions and exclusive compounds. And yeah, the Swedish embassy totally looks like IKEA.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free, no reservations required.
SUNDAY
DRINKO DE MAYO: It’s Cinco de Mayo, which means margarita specials all day. Check The Weekly Feed for a walkthrough of a boozy American celebration of Mexico’s defeat of France.
FIELD DAY: Do you ever miss elementary school? Particularly P.E. and recess? Then come out to Yachad’s Grown Up Field Day at Mary Reed Elementary School (2200 Champlain Street NW) this Sunday for obstacles, relays, games, and more. Participants can sign up as teams or individually (and you’ll be assigned to a team). Prizes will be given out to the best team, worst team, and team with the best costume. The event is a fundraiser for Yachad, “a nonprofit that brings communities together by preserving affordable homes and revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the DC area.” 11:45 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Registration: $25 per person.
BEER: Finally, a deal that makes us forget that this company hasn’t turn a profit and might not meet the requirements of its tax deal with the D.C. government. LivingSocial’s Beerfest takes over Half Street Fairgrounds (25 M Street SE) with 90 craft beers, a horde of food trucks, and live music. Just don’t let anyone sell you any stock options. Tickets $35.
