FRIDAY, AUG. 12
INDIGENIZING HIP-HOP: Hip-hop has long been an instrument for dismantling stereotypes and enacting social change. In this virtual chat, hosted by the National Museum of the American Indian, Afro-Indigenous scholar Kyle T. Mays spotlights the ways Indigenous youth are taking up the genre to assert their sovereignty and shatter biases about their communities. (Virtual; 1 p.m.; FREE)
MADONNA GAGA BRITNEY: Didn’t make it to Lady Gaga’s visit to Nats Park earlier this week? Don’t fret — you have another chance to dance your heart out to “Bad Romance” this weekend at the 9:30 Club’s Madonna Gaga Britney Dance Party. Between all the hits from these three queens of pop, it’ll be hard to ever leave the dance floor. (9:30 Club; 9 p.m.; $15)
MORE: Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Showcase (Kennedy Center; 5 p.m.; FREE) Goose (Merriweather Post Pavilion; 5:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday; $45); Encanto in the Park (Virginia Highlands Park; 6 p.m.; FREE); COIN (The Anthem; 6:30 p.m.; $35+); DUMMY (Songbyrd Music House; 7 p.m.; $15+); Friday Night Salsa Dancing (The Wharf; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; FREE); Ryburn Dobbs discusses the Sebastien Grey novels (Lost City Books; 7:30 p.m.; FREE); Comedy is Calling (Capitol Cider House; 8 p.m.; FREE); College Night Open Mic (Busboys and Poets Brookland; 9 p.m.; $5)
SATURDAY, AUG. 13
GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY: Dig in — into soil, that is — this weekend at Anacostia’s Union Temple Baptist Church. TheARCFarm invites you (every second and fourth Saturday of the month) to volunteer at the church’s garden. Help farmers seed, transplant and dig as they prepare for their upcoming produce season. (Union Temple Baptist Church; 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; FREE)
ALEXANDRIA SUMMER SIDEWALK SALE: Alexandria’s stores are spilling out of their brick and mortars and onto their sidewalks this Saturday at the 13th annual Alexandria Sidewalk Sale. Find over 40 participating boutiques — from bookstores to jewlers to vintage purveyors — around Old Town, and enjoy live music as you stroll. (Alexandria; all day; FREE)
LET’S SKATE: For one last time this summer, the Wharf is transforming into a skate park this weekend. Break out the roller skates, be wowed by professional performances, and circle around to great music all weekend long. If you’re an adult, bring your own skates, but kids can rent skates for $10. (The Wharf; Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; FREE)
SLAVERY AND EMANCIPATION WALKING TOUR: Georgetown is often lauded for its walkable streets and decadent, historic architecture. But the neighborhood also has a darker history of racism, dating back to slavery. Washington DC History and Culture’s Georgetown Slavery & Emancipation Guided Walking Tour breaks down that Georgetown’s role in the slave trade in this free program that was originally offered for Juneteenth. (Georgetown; 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; FREE)
HIP-HOP BLOCK PARTY: The streets outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be packed this weekend, but you can still join in on the fun from home. The museum is hosting a Hip-Hop Block Party to celebrate one year of the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. Radio personality Vic Jagger of Majic 102.3 FM will host O-Slice, Nia Dinero, and more in this sold-out all-day event, which you can stream from your couch. (Virtual; 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.; FREE)
NERD NITE: Nerd out in good company this weekend at DC9. Nerd Nite is back, and the agenda this Saturday are talks titled “The Adaptive Traits of Muppets in the Henson Ecosystem” and “How Nerds and Queer Folk Revolutionized the Synthesizer,” as well as a talk on coordinated aerial balloon bombing campaign. (DC9 Nightclub; 6 p.m.; $10)
PAINT YOUR PET: Turn your pup’s adorable face into a prized possession at Woodlawn Press Winery’s Paint Your Pet & Sip event this Saturday. Not the most visually talented? This paint and sip offers an assist. You provide a picture of your pet, and Woodlawn will transform it into a pop art style picture for you to paint over. (Alexandria; 7:30 p.m.; $45)
MORE: DC Wave Festival (K to Eye Streets NW, between 13th and 14th Streets NW; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; FREE); Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up Truck (Pentagon Row; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; FREE); Naked Yoga (The Madison House; 11 a.m.; $33); DC Food Challenge and Race (Rosslyn Metro Station; 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; $30); Sausagefest (Wunder Garten; Saturday and Sunday; 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.; FREE); DC 90s Crawl (Dupont Circle; 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; $20+); Summer of Studs (SHELTER; 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; $65+); Banksy and the Rise of Outlaw Art (Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library; 4 p.m.; FREE); D.C. United Game Watch Party (The Wharf; 6:30 p.m.; FREE); Minari (Arlington; 8 p.m.; FREE)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14
KOMBUCHA 101: Skip the Synergy at the grocery store and opt for making your own kombucha with Shop Made In DC. At Kombucha 101, the founder of Craft Kombucha will guide you through the basics of kombucha brewing. You’ll get to put your own personal touch on your kombucha’s flavor profile, and leave the class with everything you need to make your first batch at home. (Shop Made In DC NoMa; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; $55)
PRETTY BOI DRAG: The bois are back: award-winning local drag king show Pretty Boi Drag returns for its pandemic-era debut. They’re promising their “biggest show yet”, with music by DJ Tezrah. (Union Stage; 3 p.m.; $25)
URBAN NATURALITE FEST: Eat For Beauty DC is here to remind you that actually, it’s not too hard being green. They’re back at New Brooklyn Farms for their second annual Urban Naturalite Fest, which celebrates plant-based lifestyles and community healing. A ticket buys you access to food and wellness vendors, community organizations, educational activities, collective meditations and movements, and musical performances — all of which put an emphasis on BIPOC creators and communities. (Mount Rainier; 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; $15+)
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE: Join a young Harry, Ron and Hermione as they find themselves in the halls of Hogwarts for the first time. You’ve seen it before, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will be taken to the next level this weekend by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, who will bring John Williams’ film score to life at Merriweather Post Pavilion. (Merriweather Post Pavilion; 6:30 p.m.; $40+)
KEVIN KAARL: Kevin Kaarl is only 21, but his emotive voice sounds like it belongs to a much older soul. The Mexican singer-songwriter uses little more than that voice and his guitar to construct honest, yearning songs that have caught the attention of Leon Bridges, who invited Kaarl to feature on his 2022 release “Summer Moon.” Enter Kaarl’s musical world this weekend at Howard Theatre. (Howard Theatre; 7 p.m.; $20+)
MORE: Food, Photos, and Fun (Uptown Market; 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.; $89); BBQ Boot Camp (Hill Center at Old Naval Hospital; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; $100); Out of Our Shells (Rhizome DC; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; $10+); William Wilson and Mr. Klein (National Gallery of Art; 2 p.m.; FREE); Sunday Love (Flash; 3 p.m.; $10); Ukrainian Art Benefit Show (L’Enfant Gallery; 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; FREE); Marcus Anderson (City Winery; 7:30 p.m.; $30+)
