Photo by Marc Benton
FRIDAY
OPEN MIC: Laughter is a universal language. It transcends cultures, languages, and even different types of communication. Tonight, the K Street Busboys and Poets will host an ASL (American Sign Language) open mic night, in celebration of International Week of the Deaf, an annual week-long worldwide celebration of deaf culture founded by the World Federation of the Deaf. Busboys and Poets welcomes “American sign language users and viewers from all corners of life” to recite a poem, a song, perform a short skit, or tell jokes. 5th and K Streets NW. $5. 11 p.m.
JAZZ: Jeremy Pelt was instantly a rising sensation on the trumpet when he first arrived in New York, fresh out of music school. Now, fifteen years later, he is an established performer who continues to put out high quality music. Pelt will lead a group on Friday and Saturday at Bohemian Caverns. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. sets. Tickets $20 in advance/$25 at the door. — Sriram Gopal
COMEDY: Wonderland Ballroom’s monthly comedy showcase, Don’t Block the Box Comedy Show, returns with another stellar lineup of local talent. Headlining this month’s edition is Mike Finazzo, who just released the new album Stupid Genius. Also on the bill: Brandon Fisher, Dana Fleitman, and Kat Timpf. Hosted by Reggie Melbrough. Wonderland Ballroom is located at 1101 Kenyon Street NW. Starts at 7:30 p.m. $3.
SATURDAY
CRAFTS: Crafty Bastards is back! Saturday and Sunday, the quirky craft festival presented by Washington City Paper takes over Union Market. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., meet local vendors and shop around for cool, crafty art, clothing, and other things. Also, there will be food vendors and a beer garden, so that’s cool. Union Market is located at 1309 5th Street NE. Tickets for each day are $5.
OKTOBERFEST: Bar Dupont host its 3rd annual Oktoberfest celebration! Embracing classic German traditions, the Dupont Circle bar will turn its outdoor patio into a Biergarten, and will have German brews like Paulaner, Hefeweizen, Oktoberfest, Pilsner, and Spaten on tap from September 28 to October 6. There will also be German munchies available and live polka music on select days. Wunderbar! Bar Dupont is located at 1500 New Hampshire Avenue NW. Begins daily at noon, with
various drink specials.
VEGFEST: Head out to Yards Park for D.C.’s annual VegFest—a celebration of all things vegetarian. This year’s festival will feature free food samples, nationally recognized speakers, cooking demonstrations, a beer and wine garden, kids’ activities, more than 100 exhibitors, and a veggie obstacle course. Repeat: A VEGGIE OBSTACLE COURSE. It’s all free and it starts at 11 a.m. and goes till 6 p.m. Yards Park is located at 10 Water St., SE.
FALL FEST: Barracks Row Fall Festival is also happening today and will feature plenty of family-friendly activities: Petting zoo, acrobatic performances, and a barrage of contests including the Funkiest-Looking Vegetable Grown in DC, Best Home Brew, Best Bike Accessory, Best Pie, etc. The whole thing starts at 11 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m., and is free.
LOCAL ROCK: It’s a night of excellent local indie rock at the Rock & Roll Hotel as garage rockers Pet Parade headline with noisy prog-rockes Tereu, More Humans, and Bella Russia. Warning: It might get loud. Doors at 8 p.m., show at 8:30. $10.
SUNDAY
ARTS FEST: FIGMENT, Anacostia’s interactive arts festival, transforms Anacostia Park into a family-friendly artists’ wonderland, with different installations, performance art, and other activities that bring an artists’ imagination to life. As always, FIGMENT is free and takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It takes place in Section E of Anacostia Park.
BREAKING BAD: Too afraid to watch the series finale of Breaking Bad alone? Are you going to need a drink before, during and after? As the Going Out Guide reports, at least three D.C. bars – Duffy’s Irish Pub (2106 Vermont Avenue NW), Nanny O’Brien’s (3319 Connecticut Avenue NW) and Jack Rose (2007 18th Street NW) – will be showing what happens to Walter White on Sunday. — Sarah Anne Hughes
BREAKING SAD: Break out your secret diaries and reactivate that MySpace account, emo-punk legends Saves the Day is playing the Black Cat. The late ’90s/early aughts emo band headlines Saturday night with emo revivalists Into It. Over It. and Hostage Calm. If you need any more reason to go, let me remind you how awesome this song still is. Black Cat is located at 1811 14th St. NW. $16 advance, $19 at the door. Starts at 8 p.m.
SLACK MOTHERFUCKER: An equally tempting show tonight is Superchunk at the 9:30 Club. The Asheville, NC alt-indie kings are touring their excellent new record I Hate Music and are dropping by the 9:30 Club with Spiderbags. After reuniting in 2010 after a nine-year hiatus, Superchunk have been putting out some of their best music to date. 2010’s Majesty Shredding was a ripping reminder just how much the trio still rocks. Of couse, Sunday night is also the Breaking Bad finale, so you’ve got a lot of decisions to make. 9:30 Club is at 815 V St., NW. Doors at 7 p.m., $20.
