FRIDAY APRIL 8
REALLY BAD MOVIES: The So Bad, They’re Good film screening will show a double feature of Robot Monster (in black-and-white 3D) and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter. The event organizers are promoting it as a great date night idea and qualify the features as “some of the worst films ever made.” (Arts on the Green; 7:30 p.m.; $10)
DANCEWORKS 2022: The American University Dance Company performs Filipino-American Bennyroyce Royon’s contemporary ballet. The show will also include performances by university faculty choreographers Ronya-Lee Anderson, Erin Foreman-Murray, and Britta Joy Peterson. [Disclosure: AU holds the license for DCist’s parent company, WAMU.] (Greenberg Theatre; 8 p.m.; $10+)
MORE: Fridays@FUTURES: Full Circle Tour (Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building; 5:30 p.m.; FREE); Impressions of War – exhibition of Ukrainian illustrators (Ukraine House; 6 p.m.; $10 suggested donation); Sonny Landerth (The Hamilton Live; 6:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show; $20+); Fridays at the Saloon (Saloon on U; 7:30 p.m.; FREE with donation encouraged); Masqueraders Musical Revue (Georgetown Visitation; 7 p.m.; $10+)
SATURDAY APRIL 9
THAI RESTAURANT WEEK: Saturday is the first day of Thai Restaurant Week in celebration of Songkran, the Thai New Year. If you eat (or order in) from a participating restaurant, you can enter the Royal Thai Embassy’s contest — and be included in a chance to win a free trip to Thailand. Participating restaurants can be found across the District, Maryland, and Virginia region. (Locations and prices vary)
BLACK BUSINESS EXPO: The Anacostia Arts Center hosts Anacostia Black Business Expo. The event will celebrate small businesses in the historic Anacostia neighborhood — and is supported by the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs (MOAAA). The expo will include food, art and demonstrations. (Anacostia Arts Center; noon-5 p.m.; FREE)
WASHINGTON BALLET: The Washington Ballet hosts a performance of Rising Sun choreographed by Stephen Nakagawa. The performance was created during the recent rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and aims “to show the world that the AAPI community is strong and beautiful.” (Capital Stage; 1:00 p.m.; FREE)
PERCUSSION: EducArte hosts a percussion workshop and jam in College Park. The course will be led by Brazilian samba master percussionist André Coelho and will cover basic rhythms and instruments. Some instruments will be provided, but participants are invited to bring their own. All levels are welcomed. (St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church; 3 p.m.; FREE)
ART, WINE, CHOCOLATE: Head to La Cosecha on Saturday for Awaken Your Senses – Art, Wine & Chocolate. The event is hosted by Arte Original and serves as the opening event for a new exhibition at the Latin American marketplace near Union Market. Attendees are invited to explore the new exhibition while enjoying chocolate from Arcay Chocolates and wines from Grand Cata. (La Cosecha; 5 p.m.; $10+)
SAKURA MATSURI: The Sakura Matsuri Japanese street festival is returning to the District for its 60th anniversary. Located on Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Seventh streets NW, the event will include everything from performances and food to handmade crafts. The festival, hosted by the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., continues on Sunday. (Downtown D.C.; 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.; FREE)
NAVY BAND: This weekend, the United States Navy Band will perform with Grammy-award-winning sextet Eighth Blackbird at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall. The performance will feature the premiere of Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong’s Vital Sines. (Alexandria; 7:30 p.m.; FREE)
IMPROV: DC Improv hosts Bad Medicine’s Sketch Night at its Lounge Showroom and will feature the District’s own Brick Penguin and Philadelphia’s High Dramma. Please note that proof of full vaccination is required for entry. (DC Improv; 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.; $18)
PARK CLEAN UP: Help Rock Creek Conservancy keep green spaces green with at the Extreme Cleanup at Piney Branch Pavilion. Volunteers should wear long sleeves and sturdy shoes — and to bring a water bottle and mask. The event is hosted in partnership with Alice Ferguson Foundation, the National Park Service, and Stream Team Leader Paul Garbarino. (Piney Branch Pavilion; 11 a.m.; FREE)
MORE: Railsplitter, Tired Radio, Celebration Summer at Quarry House Tavern (Quarry House Tavern; 9:30 p.m.; $12); Underground Comedy Presents: DC’s Best (Hotbed Comedy Club and Bar; 8 p.m.; $20); Cabinet (The Hamilton Live; 6:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show; $20); DC Strings Orchestra: Concerto Audition Performance (St Columba’s Church; 5 p.m.; $25+); Enchanted Rhapsody (Arlington; 4 p.m.; FREE)
SUNDAY APRIL 10
AFRO-ATLANTIC ART EXHIBITION: The National Gallery of Art unveils its newest exhibit, Afro-Atlantic Histories, which explores the history of the African diaspora through art. Th exhibit, on the main floor of the gallery’s West Building, features 130 works of art that take “an in-depth look at the historical experiences and cultural formations of Black and African people since the 17th century.” The exhibit is on view through July 17. (National Gallery; Daily starting Sunday; FREE)
STAND UP & DRAG SHOW: End your weekend with MIC CHECK with Gray West: Stand-Up Comedy & Drag Show. The event hosts leading LGBTQ+ comics and drag queens from across the region — and promises to be a sixty minute nonstop show. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. (DC Comedy Loft and Bier Baron Tavern; 6:30 doors, 7 p.m. show; $15)
ART WALK: Sunday is the first day of the Adams Morgan Art Walk. Take a self-guided tour through to explore local artists’ work on display in businesses across the neighborhood, including BUL Korean Bar & Restaurant, The Potter’s House, and Yerevan Cafe and Market. (Adams Morgan; Self-guided; FREE)
MORE: Share a Seed at Euclid St. Community Garden ( Euclid Street Community Garden; 11 a.m.; FREE); The Greyboy Allstars (The Hamilton Live; 6:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show; $25+); High Socie -Tea (Catholic University; 3 p.m.; $60)
