Happy Pride month! Start June with a kick-off party, a Walt Whitman hike, or brunch at the ballpark.
FRIDAY, MAY 31
FROM PAGE TO STAGE: Pop-Up Magazine, the live event magazine presentation, returns to D.C. for its spring installment. Contributors for this season include former Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway, Children of the Amazon filmmaker Denise Zmekhol and writer Mallika Rao. (Lincoln Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $29-$39)
INSPIRATIONAL SONG: It’s the last weekend to see Jubilee, the story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, at Arena Stage. Written and directed by Tazewell Thompson, the production features a cappella performances of more than 30 hymns and spirituals. Our review claimed these performers’ voices are not to be missed. (Arena Stage Kreeger Theater, 8 p.m., $71-$102)
PRIDE TIME: Hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Brightest Young Things and the Capital Pride Alliance, Countdown! is a massive Pride Month kick-off party featuring a DJ set from Aquaria and an open bar. Before the party begins, celebrate at a more formal affair, the Capital Pride Honors, also at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m., $50+)
MORE:Whitman 200: Walt Birthday Concert and Poetry Reading (Arts Club of Washington, 12 p.m., FREE) Pizza & A Movie (Big Bear Cafe, 5 p.m., free entry), Jailbreak Brewing Company Americana Fest & Tap Takeover (Union Stage, 5 p.m. doors, 6 p.m. show, FREE), Mini Mansions with James Supercave (DC9, 7 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m. show, $15 advance/$18 day of show), Focus on the Story Click DC Kick-Off Party (Dupont Underground, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., $25), The Messenger Legacy (The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $30-$40), National Symphony Orchestra Community Concert (Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 7 p.m., FREE)
SATURDAY, JUNE 1
MUSIC MOMENT: On his recently-released double LP, Oh My God, Kevin Morby speaks the language of religion, using religious themes and imagery to assess and analyze the everyday, drawing from rock influences. Multi-instrumentalist and producer Sam Cohen opens. (9:30 Club, 8 p.m. doors, $20)
WALKING TOUR: Held rain or shine, the 36th annual Dupont Kalorama Museum Walk is your chance to explore Anderson House, Dumbarton House, National Museum of American Jewish Military History, the Phillips Collection, and the President Woodrow Wilson House free of charge. The event continues on Sunday, and there are free events at the various museums throughout the weekend. (Various locations, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., FREE)
JURASSIC PARK: Spend your summer with some extinct creatures. The National Zoo’s Dino Summer includes DinoRoars, an outdoor exhibit with six moving “dinosaurs” and Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live, an interactive experience. The zoo is also unveiling new food truck dining options. (Smithsonian National Zoo, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., FREE)
DRINK AND DANCE: Sample Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam and Basil Hayden while you hear sounds from the Fly Bird, Moose Jaw and By & By at Bourbon & Bluegrass 2019. The event helps fund preservation efforts at President Lincoln’s Cottage. (President Lincoln’s Cottage, 1 p.m., $35+/FREE for children 6 and under)
DEEP BREATHS: Ditch Spotify’s “Meditation Mood” playlist and relax to some live musical accompaniment this weekend. Harpist Kara Welch will play at M Street Yoga’s Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra workshop. Meditation guide Paige Lichens will lead you through an hourlong practice (done lying down or sitting up—there’s no yoga experience required) meant to inspire inner peace. (M Street Yoga, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., $15)
MORE:Whitman 200: Poetry Hike (Rock Creek Park Mt. Pleasant entrance, 10 a.m., FREE), Jazz n’ Families Fun Days (The Phillips Collection, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., FREE), Vinyl and Vinyasa (Songbyrd, 11 a.m. doors, 11:30 a.m. flow, $10), Washington Folk Festival (Glen Echo Park, 12 p.m.-7 p.m., FREE), Rosé All Day (The Wharf, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., $10-$50) The Oresteia(Sidney Harman Hall, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., $59-$108), Mystery Friends with Den-Mate and Del Florida (Black Cat, 8 p.m. doors, $15), The Mystery Lights with Future Punx (DC9, 8:30 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show, $12 advance/$14 day of show)
SUNDAY, JUNE 2
STORY TIME: Celebrate all things reading at Books in Bloom, a daylong book festival that also features a rosé and beer garden and a pop-up bookstore by Busboys and Poets. Chef José Andrés headlines the day, which also includes lectures from Kwame Onwuachi, Laura Wides-Muñoz, Nicole Chung and Feminista Jones. (Merriweather Post Pavilion, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., FREE)
MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT: According to the National Gallery of Art, The Life of Animals in Japanese Art is the first exhibition on the topic of animal artwork from the country. Hear a lecture from Robert T. Singer, curator and head of the Japanese art department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, to open the exhibition at 2 p.m. in the East Building auditorium. (National Gallery of Art East Building, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., FREE)
BRUNCHING LEAD-OFF: Have breakfast at the ballpark at Brunch on the Baselines. Dine on a feast of bacon and eggs, fried chicken and Old Bay seasoned potato wedges with Bloody Marys or mimosa—your table is right in the infield. (Nationals Park, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., $20-$75)
MORE:Yoga and Museum Tour (National Building Museum, 10 a.m., $20), Story Time (Kramerbooks, 11 a.m., FREE), LGBTQ+ Pride Flag Postcard Workshop (Smithsonian National Postal Museum, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., FREE), Ballet Across America with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Miami City Ballet (The Kennedy Center Opera House, 1:30 p.m., $29-$119), The Kennedy Center Chamber Players: Works of Poulenc, Penderecki & Beethoven (The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, 2 p.m., $36), Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington Presents Stonewall 50 (Lincoln Theatre, 2 p.m., $25-$65), Choir Boy and Fearing (DC9, 7:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $10 advance/$12 day of show), Queer Girl Movie Night: Dyke March Edition (Black Cat, 7:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, FREE)
