Cheer on the Nats as they play the San Francisco Giants Friday night. (Photo by Elizabeth Murphy)
This weekend, catch a baseball game, explore cultures from around the world, and dance to the music.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 11
NATS VS. GIANTS: Call it a baseball battle of the high rents. The San Francisco Giants are coming to D.C. to take on our beloved Nats. Pull on that red ball cap, grab a beer, and wind up your weekend. The weather report is looking pretty bleak the next few days, and Friday may be your best chance to do something even remotely outdoors. (Nationals Park, 7:05 p.m. $20-375)
ART OPENING: The Best of the Best opens this weekend with a free opening reception on Friday night. There will be 100 pieces on display by 42 local artists, and more than 200 additional works will be viewable online. This juried exhibition presents visual depictions of modern culture, drawn and painted by skilled hands. The Charles Rahmat Woods Trio will set the mood, and refreshments will be served. (Pepco Edison Place Gallery, 5:30-8:30 p.m. FREE)
STAR OF SENEGAL: Youssou N’Dour is a big deal in his native Senegal, and through Africa. The pop singer and his band are bringing their energetic performance style to Lisner Auditorium this weekend. Hear Dour perform the mbalax fusion style that he helped to create. (Lisner Auditorium, 8 p.m. $55-75)
OPERA: Wolf Trap is closing out its summer season with The Juniper Tree and Bastianello. Both works are inspired by fairy and folk tales. With music by John Musto and a libretto by Mark Campbell, Bastianello is a funny and heart-warming take on an Italian folk tale. Based on a Grimm fairy tale about an evil stepmother with some seriously messed up recipes, The Juniper Tree features music by Philip Glass & Robert Moran and a libretto by Arthur Yorinks. The English-language opera will include projected text, because—emotional language aside—opera singing is nearly impossible to decipher, no matter what the words are. (The Barns at Wolf Trap, 7:30 p.m. $32-88)
MUSIC: Local musician Justin Trawick and award-winning recording engineer Sean Russell are celebrating the 4th anniversary of their weekly podcast, The Circus Life, with a live concert featuring some of the bands that have come on their show. You’ll hear performances by Party Like It’s, Justin Trawick and The Common Good, Oh He Dead, Two Ton Twig, and Soldiers of Suburbia. (9:30 Club, 7 p.m. $18)
K-POP PARTY: Grab some friends, wear matching outfits, and get your super cute, coordinated dance on at U Hall. Bae Bae K-Pop Dance Party will feature high-energy music and higher energy fans, who will face off in dance competitions. (U Street Music Hall, 10:30 p.m. $10)
FREE JAZZ: When something happens twice, it’s a coincidence. Three times is a pattern. So Sharel Cassity being featured on Downbeat’s Rising Star alto saxophone list seven times in a row has to mean something. You can figure out what that is when she performs on The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. The musician has performed with Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Cyrus Chestnut, the Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban Experience, and others. This Friday, she’ll take the stage with her latest project, Elektra. (The Kennedy Center, 6 p.m. FREE)
THE DOORS: If you never got the chance to see The Doors perform live, you can come to Silver Spring for a tribute show that should hit close to the mark. Big100 Throwback Bash: Jim Morrison Celebration features cover band Wild Child, with frontman and Jim Morrison impersonator Dave Brock. (The Fillmore, 8 p.m. $12-17)
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DREADLOCKS: Come enjoy some drums, bass, and Beatles hits—reggae style. Cover band Yellow Dubmarine performs the songs you know and love, but with a ska-inspired horn section. Hear “Something,” “Come Together,” and other hits in a whole new light. (AMP by Strathmore, 8 p.m. $23-28)
More: Silver Spring’s FREE Outdoor Summer Screening Series: Back to the Future: Part II
Vietnamese culture takes the stage in Tyson’s Corner this weekend. (Photo by LaTur)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12
FIVE YEARS FOR THREE STARS: Has it really been just five years since 3 Stars Brewing Company opened its doors? The local makers of beer and, by extension, good times, is celebrating its anniversary with a 5 Year Anniversary Bash featuring beer, oysters, ice cream, and an entire roast pig. (3 Stars Brewing Company, 1-7 p.m. $20-50)
PHO-N TIMES: This weekend, explore Vietnamese heritage at Vietfest. There will be traditional music and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations, the annual Miss VietFest United States Pageant and Mr. VietFest Competition, plus competitive eating contests. Think you can eat a lot of noodle soup? Come see what the pho-fessionals can do. (The Plaza at Tyson’s Corner Center, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. FREE)
WRITER’S AESTHETIC: The weekend is usually a time to step away from your desk. But you might want to check out someone else’s. From the Desk of Simone de Beauvoir closes today, so if you want to see what a creative mind’s workspace looks like, come check it out. The installation is an interpretation of the feminist writer’s Paris studio. Sit down and see what comes to you. (National Museum of Women in the Arts, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. $10)
DANCE YOUR FACE OFF: This Saturday and Sunday, music and the moon will rise over Baltimore. The Moonrise Festival is a two-day electronic dance event featuring performances by Afrojack, Migos, Kaskade, Run The Jewels, and more. Break out the neon festival-wear, paint your face with colorful makeup, and spend your weekend dancing to electro, dubstep, house, and electronica. (Pimlico Race Course, 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. $174.50-$274.50)
CONCERT CUBANO: Juan De Marcos and the Afro Cuban All Stars are coming to D.C. this weekend. The orchestra gives audience members an aural introduction to Cuban musical history by performing songs that hit all of its genres. DC Highlife Stars will also perform, bringing their West and Central African sound to the stage. (The Hamilton DC, 8 p.m. $25-35)
STORYTELLING: What are some of the best stories to tell and hear? Dating stories: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Just ask Lisette Pylant. Singleling is a live podcast featuring funny dating stories, and tales of heartwarming romance. Take a break from swiping and come hear stories told by Sandi Marx, Deepa Ambekar, Phill Branch, Gastor Almonte, and Erika Ettin. (Black Cat DC, 9:30 p.m. $15-18)
More: Supa Dupa Fly: A Missy Elliott Celebration, H Street Comedy Night, Practico-Inert Opening Reception
SUNDAY, AUGUST 13
ALL ABOUT AFRICA: The 15th Annual Free African Cultural Festival FestAfrica! is this Saturday and Sunday in Silver Spring. Rain or shine, come eat your way through a continent of culture, dance and drum at free workshops, see a fashion show, and listen to a full line-up of music from Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and beyond. (Silver Spring Veterans Plaza, 1-8 p.m. FREE)
INDONESIAN INDEPENDENCE: Like toddlers, many of us experience the world by putting things in our mouths. Come get a taste of Indonesian food and culture at the Annual Bazaar & Panggung Gembira. Celebrate Indonesia’s 72nd Independence Day with delicacies from the Southeast Asian nation, plus traditional performances and live music. (Embassy of Indonesia, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE)
COUNTRY: Lady Antebellum is back from a two-year hiatus with a new album, Heart Break. Grab an umbrella and come hear “Look Good” and other songs that aren’t just for country music lovers when the Grammy Award-winning trio comes to Columbia this weekend. (Merriweather Post Pavilion, 7:30 p.m. $56.75-119)
COMEDY: It’s your last chance to see The Second City’s Almost Accurate Guide to America: Divided We Stand before the comedy troupe packs it up. As DCist reported earlier this summer, the show uses comedy to unite a politically polarized nation. (The Kennedy Center, 3 & 7 p.m. $49 – $69)
BIKE LESSONS: Cycling in city traffic can be daunting for first-timers. Pick up the basics, plan your route, get some safety tips, and figure out how to ditch the car with this free class from REI. If it all gets to be too much, it’s located at a brewery. (New District Brewery, 3-5 p.m., FREE)
More: War of the Roses Episode I: Henry VI Part Brunch, Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga
