FRIDAY, FEB. 23
INTERSECTIONS FESTIVAL: Ballets, cabarets, dances, plays and a whole lot more will be taking the stage this season at the Atlas Performing Arts Center for the annual Intersections Festival. The celebration, which lasts over two months, kicks off this weekend with performances from A.F.R.O.B.A.M., Capital City Symphony, Silk Road DC and more. (Atlas Performing Arts Center; through April 27; $32)
MOTHER TONGUE FILM FESTIVAL: This week, the Mother Tongue Film Festival returns to the National Museum of the American Indian, the Natural History Museum, and other Smithsonian institutions across the city, showcasing films that uplift multilingual storytelling and endangered languages. (Smithsonian; Wednesday-Saturday; FREE)
MORE: GAMEmason (George Mason University; Friday and Saturday; $24), REACH to Forest (Kennedy Center; through March 3; FREE), Tony Neville Watercolor Demonstration (McLean Community Center; 11 a.m.; FREE), Art Bites Gallery Talk: Humanscape 62 (Smithsonian American Art Museum; 12:15 p.m.; FREE), James A. Lafayette, Revolutionary War Spy (Southwest Neighborhood Library; 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; FREE), Nate Scheible Tape Release (Rhizome DC; 7 p.m.; $10+), Seven Black Minutes: Black History Month (Busboys and Poets Anacostia; 7 p.m.-9 p.m.; $20), Shimmy Time! Belly Dance Technique & Drills with Sacred Hips in Motion (Joe’s Movement Emporium; 7 p.m.; $20), Vincent Lauzer plays Bach and Telemann (Live! at 10th & G and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; Friday and Saturday 7 p.m.; $40), Young Playwright Theater’s Ovation Showcase (Prince George’s Community College; Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; $15+), Live Comedy Showcase Starring Brendan Gay (Crystal City Sports Pub; 8 p.m.-10 p.m.; $15+), Yonder Mountain String Band (The Hamilton; 8 p.m.; $30)
SATURDAY, FEB. 24
ICE YARDS: Dust off your ski suit and head to Navy Yard for Ice Yards, a wintry party featuring iceless curling, penguin bowling, an outfit contest, and an impressively long shot-ski. Local outposts like District Winery and Ice Cream Jubilee will be offering pop-up bars and to-go meals. (The Yards; 1 p.m.-4 p.m.; $15)
BLACK BREWERS TASTING PARTY: Raise a glass to D.C.’s Black-owned breweries this Saturday at metrobar’s Cheers and Beers: Black Brewers Tasting Party. Your ticket buys you about a dozen tasting pours from local purveyors including Black Beauty Brewery and Strange Fruit Brewing. (metrobar DC; 2 p.m.-5 p.m.; $25)
CUMBIA PARTY: Takoma is getting a healthy dose of cumbia this weekend at Rhizome’s Day Cumbia Party, an afternoon concert featuring performances by experimental cumbia band Victor Arce and DJ Kristy La rAt, as well as Mexican tacos and refreshers. (Rhizome; 2 p.m.-6 p.m.; $5+)
UNCAGED FILM FESTIVAL: Black, queer stories are taking the big screen this Saturday at Uncaged Film Festival, presented by Cagedbirds Productions at Anacostia Arts Center. The evening will feature seven short films about the lived experiences of queer Black people, followed by panel discussions. (Anacostia Arts Center; 6 p.m.-10 p.m.; $10+)
COLOR ME (CURLY): Fashion and cosmetology collide with music and dance in Color Me (Curly), a multidisciplinary hair show that takes the Dance Place stage this Saturday. Featuring local hair stylists, fashion designers, models and dancers, Color Me (Curly) is a celebration of Black hair’s cultural and political significance. (Dance Place; 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; $30)
MORE: Invasive Plant Removal at Carter Barron Mini-Oasis (Carter Barron Amphitheater; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; FREE), Sticky Fingers Grand Opening (Sticky Fingers Takoma; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; FREE), Tree Walk at Kingman Island (Kingman Island; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; FREE), Hill Family Biking: Community Clean-up Ride (Maury Elementary Parking Lot; 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.; FREE), Mexican Radio Day (Bluejacket; 12 p.m.; FREE), Claudia Jones School’s 4th Anniversary Party (Embassy of Nicaragua; 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; FREE), Since I Been Down screening (Mason Exhibitions Arlington; 1 p.m.-3 p.m.; FREE), Monet Paint and Sip (Bryant Street Market; 1:30 p.m.; $45), Omnium: A Bold New Circus (Capital One Hall; 2 p.m.-4 p.m.; $39), The BLKR the Berry (Joe’s Movement Emporium; 4 p.m.-6 p.m.; $25), Jazz@Wesley Presents Nom (National United Methodist Church; 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; $12), Capital City Symphony: Battles Within (Atlas Performing Arts Center; 7 p.m.; $32), An Enemy of the People: A Public Health Project (National Academy of Sciences; 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; FREE), F*ck The Past: A Comedy Show about How the World Got So Dumb (City-State Brewing Co.; 7:30 p.m.; $15), Portugal. The Man (The Anthem; 8 p.m.; $45), White Ford Bronco (9:30 Club; 8 p.m.; $25), Cryfest: The Cure vs. The Smiths Dance Party (Black Cat; 9 p.m.; $20), Don’t Miss: Flee + B Jack$ (Culture; 10 p.m.-3 a.m.; $25+)
SUNDAY, FEB. 25
CARLOTTA WALLS LANIER: Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine, is coming to the McLean Community Center this Sunday to discuss her experience as the first Black girl to graduate from Little Rock Central High School, and sign copies of her 2009 memoir. (McLean Community Center; 12:15 p.m.; $75)
ENTER THE DRAGON: Martial arts legends Bruce Lee and Jim Kelly star in Enter the Dragon (1973), marking Lee’s final film appearance before his sudden death. Catch the film this weekend at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where it screens as part of both Black History Month and Lunar New Year programming. (National Museum of African American History and Culture; 2 p.m.-4 p.m.; FREE)
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF UKRAINE: The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is returning to the U.S. for the first time since the Russo-Ukrainian conflict escalated in 2022. See Grammy Award winning conductor Volodymyr Sirenko lead the orchestra, which features renowned cellist Natalia Khoma, this weekend at George Mason. (George Mason University; 2 p.m.; $41+)
HAUSCHKA: If you watched All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), you know that Hauschka’s music is unforgettable. The German composer, who nabbed an Academy Award for his work on that film, is bringing his experimental classical music repertoire to the Hamilton this Sunday. (The Hamilton; 8 p.m.; $20+)
MORE: Walking Tour: Lost History of Frederick Douglass in Capitol Hill (Library of Congress; 9 a.m.-10:45 a.m.; $20), Struggle and Triumph: Black History on Pennsylvania Avenue (Old City Hall; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; $35), Championing Black Art: A Conversation with Myrtis Bedolla (Smithsonian American Art Museum; 2 p.m.-4 p.m.; FREE), Profs & Pints DC: Race and Fast Food (Hill Center at Old Naval Hospital; 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; FREE), Seven Deadly Sins (National Gallery of Art; 3 p.m.-4:15 p.m.; FREE), Queer Black Broadway Walking Tour (U Street Corridor; 3 p.m.-5 p.m.; $30), Environmental Justice Book Club (People’s Book; 4 p.m.-5 p.m.; FREE), Love J.A.M. 14: A Musical Revue (BalletNova Center for Dance; Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday 5 p.m.; $25), Pa’Lante Serie Cultural Latinoamericana: A DMV Showcase (Joe’s Movement Emporium; 6 p.m.-8 p.m.; $15), u up? 😉 A Natural Wine + Pizza Date with Softshell (No Kisses; 6 p.m.-9 p.m.; $10)