FRIDAY, JAN. 27
ALEXANDRIA RESTAURANT WEEK: Can’t get enough of Restaurant Week deals? Right on the heels of the District’s winter Restaurant Week comes Alexandria Restaurant Week 2023, which runs through Sunday. Nearly 80 restaurants in the city are offering prix fixe meals between $25 and $45, so make your weekend reservations now. (Alexandria; through Sunday; $25+)
ABORIGINAL ART: Australia’s Aboriginal heritage dates back over 50,000 years. Over those centuries, Aboriginal peoples have told stories through illustrations, using everything from rock formations to sand as their canvases. Today, contemporary Aboriginal artists are carrying those artistic practices forward. See some of their work this weekend at “Dreamings: Aboriginal Art From Australia’s Central Desert.” (Amy Kaslow Gallery; through February; FREE)
SPY FEST: Got a kid who’s really good at hide-and-seek? They might be a burgeoning spy. Find out if they — or you — have got what it takes to be a real spy at the International Spy Museum’s Spy Fest, which brings together a diverse array of espionage experts for an evening of Q&As, activities and other events. (International Spy Museum; 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.; $30)
AN INTIMATE NIGHT: Spend An Intimate Night with dancer Robert “Bambi” Woofter and drag performer King Molasses. Haus of Bambi presents this “cabaret extravaganza” which explores queerness, identity, and the relationships we have with ourselves and our communities. Spend your Friday or Saturday night in this “dizzying kaleidoscope of gender, trust, sex and support.” (Dance Place; Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m.; $25)
MORE: Washington Auto Show (Washington Convention Center; through Sunday; $12+), Art Bites Gallery Talk (Smithsonian American Art Museum; 12:15 p.m.; FREE), Cacao Ceremony and Breathwork (Eaton DC; 6 p.m.; $50), Girls Night In: Vision 2023 (District Irish Dance Academy; 6:30 p.m.; $40), Greensky Bluegrass (The Anthem; Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m.; $45), VisArts Opening Receptions and Artist Talks (VisArts; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; FREE), Off The Cuff: Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 (Music Center at Strathmore; 8 p.m.; $35+)
SATURDAY, JAN. 28
INDIGENOUS GAMES: Bring a bit of playfulness into your weekend with A Weekend of Indigenous Games, presented by the National Museum of the American Indian. Join Jeremy Red Eagle from the International Traditional Games Society, Julia Garcia and members of the Native Hawaiian school Hālau O‘Aulani for two days of Indigenous games from all over the world. (National Museum of the American Indian; Saturday and Sunday; 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; FREE)
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS: Another weekend, another slate of Lunar New Year celebrations to attend. Enjoy lion dances, calligraphy workshops, dance performances and more at three Lunar New Year festivals, hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. (Various locations; 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; FREE)
CRAFTIVIST CIRCLE: Grab your knitting needles: It’s time for Craftivist Circle, the Anacostia Community Museum’s monthly gathering that brings together crafting and activism. Come out to crochet, knit or engage in another small craft while chatting about this month’s topic: goal setting and New Year’s resolutions. (Anacostia Community Museum; 2 p.m.-4 p.m.; FREE)
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE: It’s been nine decades since the beginning of the Holocaust, the event ultimately responsible for the murder of around six million Jews. This Friday is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Honor it by tuning into Washington DC & Culture’s Livestream History Tour of the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. (Virtual; 3 p.m.; donation based)
THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT: First there was an essay: “What Happens There,” John D’Agata’s reflection on Las Vegas’ suicide culture. Then there was a long, mildly heated period of fact checking. That fact-checking process was turned into a book, which reflects on the usefulness and morality of taking creative liberties in nonfiction writing. That book was turned into a play, The Lifespan of a Fact, which you can catch this weekend. (Keegan Theatre; through Feb. 25; $55)
MORE: Kingman Island Invasive Species Removal (Kingman And Heritage Islands Park; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; FREE) ,Charles Richard-Hamelin (Kennedy Center; 3 p.m.; $75+), Armenian Wine Tasting (Yerevan Café; 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.; FREE), Sharón Clark (National United Methodist Church Wesley Campus; 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; $10+), Cole Larravide w/ Howling at the Earth + Coexist Music Group (The Pocket; 7 p.m.; $12+), Stand Up Silver Spring (Denizens Brewing Co.; 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; $20), An Evening with Ne-Yo (Kennedy Center; 8 p.m.; $44+)
SUNDAY, JAN. 29
THIS IS BRITAIN: You don’t have to hop on a plane to immerse yourself in Great Britain this weekend. “This Is Britain: Photographs from the 1970s and 1980s,” opening at the National Gallery of Art this weekend, brings into focus a place and era marked by deindustrialization, urban uprisings, the controversial policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the troubles in Northern Ireland. (National Gallery of Art; through June 11; FREE)
GO-GO BRUNCH: Have your eggs with a side of go-go this weekend at Go-Go Brunch, part of the National Building Museum’s annual Architecture & Design Film Festival, which comes to the museum this weekend. Follow a morning of food and music, watch Barry Farm: Community, Land and Justice in Washington DC — just one of many movies that make up the festival. (National Building Museum; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; $50)
KOLAM PAINTING: Geometrical lines, shapes and geometric patterns make up kolam, a Tamil Indian art form traditionally drawn with rice flour. Kolam is found around the world, including in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand. This weekend, you can also find it in Maryland at the Sandy Spring Museum’s Kolam Painting Workshop. (Sandy Spring Museum; 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.; $10)
SILKROAD ENSEMBLE: Take a trip around the world this Sunday with the Silkroad Ensemble. Founded by Yo-Yo Ma, the award-winning ensemble weaves together sounds from Japan, China, Armenia, Ireland, the Hebrides and native populations in North America. This weekend’s Uplifted Voices performance puts the spotlight on the ensemble’s women and non-binary members, and is their first engagement in a three-year residency at George Mason University. (George Mason University’s Center for the Arts; 4 p.m.; $38+)
ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS: “Animation is a medium, not a genre — nor an interest for kids & families only.” That’s been Guillermo del Toro’s rallying cry as he’s campaigned for his stop-motion take on Pinocchio. Celebrate the medium this weekend at AFI Silver’s annual Animation Show of Shows, which is back following a two-year COVID hiatus. And yes, it’s for adults. (AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; Saturday 2:30 p.m.; Sunday 6:45 p.m.; $13)
MORE: “I Dream a World: Selections from Brian Lanker’s Portraits of Remarkable Black Women” (National Portrait Gallery; through Sunday; FREE), Profs & Pints DC: The Science of “Spiritual” Experiences (metrobar; 6 p.m; $14.31), Fahim Anwar (DC Improv; Friday 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., Saturday 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Sunday 7 p.m.; $25), Sunday Night Trivia (Lost Generation Brewing Company; 7 p.m.; FREE), Roscoe Tripp (Jammin Java; 8 p.m.; $15)
