(Photo by Kevin Harber)
It’s the first weekend of August, which means summer is slipping through your fingers faster than a balloon escapes a sleepy toddler’s chubby paw. Hold on tight, and pack some fun into your weekend—quick! Before it’s all costumed bar crawls and pumpkin patches.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3
FRESHLY ROASTED: One week after his annual roasting of fellow comics (including himself) and critics at Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival, comedian Andy Kindler is coming to D.C. If you’re not familiar with his stand-up, you might recognize the actor or his voice from Everybody Loves Raymond or Bob’s Burgers. He’ll deliver a set, likely skewering the comedy industry, in the Terrace Theater. However, this show is a Millennium Stage performance, so it won’t cost you a penny—just your time. Line up in the States Gallery to grab a free pair of tickets. They’ll start doling them out at 5, so plan accordingly, or prepare to make new plans. (The Kennedy Center, 6 p.m., FREE)
TINY CAT: Life is all about balance. Sink into all your moody emotions at a dark music concert that raises money for a good cause. The Tiny Cat Dark Music Festival is a two day event presented by Working Order Records that features five acts each night. Friday’s lineup features one-woman Parisian outfit Hante, Canadian electronic musician Kontravoid, D.C. EBM band Technophobia, Philly post-punk trio Remote/Control, and D.C.’s Radiator Greys. While you dance to the vaguely eerie music, you can feel good knowing that 100 percent of the proceeds from this charity concert are going to the Greater DC Diaper Bank. Look at you, spreading light and baby supplies in the world! (Black Cat, 8 p.m., $20)
KUNG FU-NK: It looks like Friday night is going to be a wet one, which is no problem if your big plan for the evening involves an indoor movie. Watch the Shaw Brothers film Legendary Weapons of China, with a live score mixed by Shaolin Jazz cofounder DJ 2-Tone Jones. The music will blend hip-hop, soul, and funk, while the movie blends historical fiction and whole cans of highly-stylized whoop-ass. The event is part of the Made in Hong Kong Film Festival (Freer Gallery of Art, 7 p.m., FREE)
MORE: #FrayLife Open Bar Rooftop Pool Party (Rooftop of VIDA Fitness – Penthouse Pool and Lounge on U Street, 8 p.m.-1 a.m., $65); Friday Night Laughs (Town Tavern, 8 p.m., $20-30)
Photo courtesy of Touchstone Gallery
SATURDAY, AUGUST 4
K-POP ‘TIL YA DROP: Celebrate and explore Korean pop culture this weekend at All About That Hallyu. The event will feature workshops, live performances, discussions, and more. If you’re not trying to sit in on a lecture on a Saturday afternoon, swing by at 4:15 when the performances will be getting started. Cheer on the competition at our regional finals for the 2018 Changwon K-POP World Festival. The top two could wind up heading to South Korea for the world finals. Stick around after for a K-Pop dance party from 6:30 until 9. (Korean Cultural Center, 1 p.m.-9 p.m., FREE)
DOUGH’T YOU WANT SOME?: Life is too short to be afraid of salmonella. But just to be safe, better drop that mixing spoon in the sink and get your cookie dough fix at The Dough Jar. The edible “raw” recipe doesn’t include eggs or unpasteurized flour, so unlike your mom’s chocolate chip batter, this stuff is okay to eat. Currently operating as a pop-up (and shipping operation), the unbakery is hosting the grand opening of its first brick and mortar shop this Saturday in Georgetown. Start brainstorming Instagram captions now. (1332 Wisconsin Ave., NW, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., free entry)
COMMUNICATING IN COLOR: A brain injury sustained at birth left Yuki Hiyama unable to verbally communicate. Now an adult, the Japanese artist expresses herself through art. She makes her D.C. debut this weekend with an opening reception for Journey to Yuki’s
World. The Governor’s School for the Arts’ Orchestra Department will play music while visitors mingle and take in Hiyama’s stunning artwork. Come see if the colorful, abstract paintings speak to you. (Touchstone Gallery, 3-4:30 p.m., FREE)
CAKE & CULTURE: Yeah, bottomless brunch is cool. But have you tried bottomless art? Taste of Studio is an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink showcase of D.C. food, arts, and culture. Your ticket will get you bites and bebidas from 30 local restaurants, hours of entertainment, plus a behind-the-scenes look at Studio Theatre’s upcoming 40th anniversary season. You can check out a photography exhibit, hear musical performances, do a little paintin’ and sippin’, grab a slice of the venue’s 40th anniversary “birthday” cake, and more. (Studio Theatre, 11 a.m.-3p.m., $50-1000)
RAP LOVERS, REJOICE: Sure, it might rain Saturday. But it also might not! If you’re a fan of Erykah Badu, Nas, Method Man & Redman, Lion Babe, Rapsody, Bilal, Phony PPL, or Bryan J, you may want to put on your “what happens, happens” shoes and head to Columbia for the 2018 Summer Spirit Festival. Saturday is just part one. Sunday’s line-up is looking good too, with The Roots, Daniel Caesar, Lizzo, and others performing. You can buy a pass for both shows and make a weekend of it. (Merriweather Post Pavilion, 2 p.m., $60-250)
MORE: CivicFest (Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, 12-8 p.m., FREE)
(Photo by Mr.TinDC)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5
PODCAST JUDGMENT: Do you love the Real Housewives? Of course you do. How can you resist juicy gossip and the intriguing social dynamics of wealthy women with too much time on their perfectly manicured hands? On the podcast Bitch Sesh, hosts Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider talk it all out: the drama, the twists, and the made-for-TV bullshit that only Bravo can supply. Sunday’s evening show sold out, so 9:30 Club added an earlier one. One idea? Go to brunch, then bitch with the best of them. (9:30 Club, 4 p.m., $39.50-75)
COMEDIENNE: Sheryl Underwood is a co-host of the daytime chat show The Talk, but she got her start in show biz as a comedian. She’s still pretty funny, and will be taking the stage at DC Improv this weekend, with Mike Washington opening. Sunday is your last chance to see her, and not just because it’s her last day of the trip. The first two nights are already sold out! (DC Improv, 7 or 9:30 p.m., $32)
CALLING ALL DRAMA NERDS: Signature Theatre’s annual open house is this Sunday. There will be games and free performances throughout the day, including Broadway hits through the decades, concerts highlighting the 2018-2019 season, dance, and more. If you’ve been waiting to buy tickets to an upcoming show, you can get them for a steal by taking advantage of in-person-only discounts at the box office, offered exclusively during the open house. (Signature Theatre, 12-8:30 p.m., FREE)
HISTORIC ROCKS: People travel all over the world to visit the ruins of once mighty structures. But history is lying in plain sight, right here in D.C. Join architecture historian and photographer Bill Lebovich as he shares the stories, history, and legend behind the Capitol Stones, a group of original stone blocks from the U.S. Capitol. In the second half of Protecting the Capitol, Atlas Obscura CEO David Plotz will lead the group to one of two surviving Civil War-era forts in the area. (Rock Creek Nature Center Parking Lot, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., $25)
CLASSIC COCKTAILS: If you’ve ever accidentally called a mixologist a “bartender,” you know that there is an art to making cocktails. And. Don’t. You. Forget. It. Any yahoo can throw some Jack and Coke together, but even a simple recipe is best mixed by expert hands. DC Craft Bartenders’ Guild presents the 10th Annual Rickey Competition Finals, where contestants will each put together their own take on D.C.‘s native cocktail, the rickey. The ticket price isn’t bad, as it will get you samples of the 10 finalists’ concoctions, plus classic rickeys, and snacks. (Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 12:30 p.m.-4 p.m., $33.67)
DON’T GET SUNTURNT: D.C. weather is about as predictable as a jumpy house cat, but this weekend’s forecast is making Sunday look like your best bet for some Vitamin D. In this case, the “D” stands for “drunkenness in outdoor environments.” Admittedly, that one letter is doing a lot of work here … Anyway! If poolside Bottomless Mimosas on The Rooftop sound good, grab your ticket now. Heads up: The pours stop before the pool closes, but that’ll leave you plenty of time to tipsily leaf through that book you keep pretending to read. (The Embassy Row Hotel, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $45)
MORE: Summer Escape (Source, 7 p.m., $15-30); Free Community Day (National Museum of Women in the Arts, 12 p.m.-5 p.m., FREE); Citi Open (Rock Creek Tennis Center, $25-160)
