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Calendar for Aug. 6

Friday, Aug. 6, to Thursday, Aug. 12

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Friday, Aug. 6

Open Mic Night tonight at the DC Center, 1318 U St., N.W., at 8 p.m. hosted by Mike Brazell. Everyone is welcome to a night of queer poetry and spoken word and is encouraged to come prepared to share.

Gloss presents First Fridays Ladies Night tonight at Apex, 1415 22nd St., N.W., featuring the DC Kings and the DC Gurly Show. DJ Rosie will be in the main hall. There is a $10 cover charge. Must be 18 to enter and 21 to drink.

Annie Oakley Wild West Festival starts tonight with an opening dance at the Governor’s Hall at Sailwinds Park, 200 Byrn St., Cambridge, Md., from 7 to 11 p.m. There is a $20 cover charge. The festival is a new event to celebrate famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. The festival continues through the weekend. There will be music, pony rides, arts and crafts, re-enactments, food and beverages.

Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, created and conducted by George Daugherty, will be at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va., tonight at 8:30 p.m. The NSO provides live accompaniment as everyone’s favorite bunny brings new cartoons and music to life on large screens in-house and on the lawn, including classics “The Rabbit of Seville,” “What’s Opera, Doc?” and more.

The GLBT Arts Consortium and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop will offer Gilbert & Sullivan’s most popular opera “The Mikado” at CHAW, 545 7th St., S.E., at 7 p.m. Return to a time when merely flirting was punishable by death, and a poor tailor must compete with a second trombone for the favors of a beauty named Yum-Yum, and a formidable lady can be won with a pack of flattering lies and a sad, lovelorn song. And that’s only the beginning.

Saturday, Aug. 7

Ever wanted to dance like the crews on ABDC such as Poreotixs or Soreal Cru? Join the Joy of Motion Dance Center, 5207 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., at 11 a.m. for an Autobots vs. Decepticons workshop that will show all the latest street moves fused with illusions, tutting, popping and turfing and video choreography based on today’s hottest dance moves and concepts. Visit Joyofmotion.org for more information.

The DC Center and Tongues Afire DC invite queer women of color to a poetry workshop taking place at the DC Center, 1318 U St., N.W., at 1:30 p.m. Come explore your creative spirit in a workshop facilitated by local poet Jade Foster. For more information, contact Jade at: [email protected]

No Scrubs ‘90s Dance Party with DJs Will Eastman and Brian Billion at 9:30 club at 9 p.m. No Scrubs began in 2004 as a one-off concept party by Eastman and Billion. The idea was simple: play both guilty pleasures and underground classics you listened to growing up in the 90s. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at 930.com.

Drag Days of Summer by Scena at the H Street Playhouse, 1365 H. St., N.E., is a party following a performance of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde. There will be complimentary wine, beer and German food by Biergarten Haus. Drag attire is welcomed. Tickets can be purchased at scenatheater.org.

Sunday, Aug. 8

Hippiefest at Wolftrap’s Filene Center, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va., at 8 p.m. This “groovy” tradition continues with the best of the ‘70s featuring Jack Bruce of Cream, War, Mitch Ryder and Rare Earth.

Monday, Aug. 9

“Women to Watch 2010 Body of Work: New Perspectives on Figure Painting” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave., N.W. NMWA’s newest installment in the Women to Watch exhibition series centers on contemporary figurative painting. The 16 works in the exhibition reflect myriad styles and approaches, but all highlight figure painters’ embrace of the slow, subtle and singular processes involved in painting people.

Tuesday, Aug. 10

Join the Dance Institute of Washington for an innovative, family-friendly adaptation of a celebrated classic, West Side Story, at the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Va., at 10 a.m. When the Hip Hops challenge the Techni-Ques to a lively dance-off, it seems like everyone’s choosing sides. This fun, age-appropriate competition is the backdrop for a love story that makes two rivals reevaluate their differences and honor the importance of acceptance through their love of dance. Visit wolftrap.org to purchase tickets.

Wednesday, Aug. 11

Tribute to the British Invasion at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, at 7:30 p.m. Sixty of the D.C. area’s best performers, including Tommy Lepson, Eric Brace & Last Train Home, 4 Out of 5 Doctors, Margot MacDonald, Julia Nixon and more honor singers and bands that forever changed America’s musical landscape. Highlighting the years of 1964-1966, this show features hits originally performed by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Dusty Springfield and more.

Play Loteria, the Mexican version of bingo, but played with icons instead of letters and numbers, at The Palace of Wonders, 1210 H St., N.E., at 6:30 p.m. The icons were done by 54 of DC/MD’s top artists including David Amoroso, Kevin Sherry, Cameron Wolf and former Blade staffer Alan Defibaugh. The evening is hosted by burlesque waitress, Shortstaxx and alt drag performer, Lucrezia Blozia.

Thursday, Aug. 12

DCBiWomen, the area’s social group for bisexual and bi-curious women, will meet at Cafe Luna, 1633 P St., N.W., at 7 p.m. The group’s goal is to create an accepting, encouraging environment for bisexual women regardless of the gender of their partner or what they are looking for, meet other cool bi women, and affirm the existence of the bi-identity.

Jason Wu’s fashion collection meets its fine art inspiration at a special Phillips After 5 at The Phillips Collecton, 1600 21st St., N.W., from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Wu cites Robert Ryman’s painting as the muse for his fall 2010 TSE cashmere collection. For one evening, models act as living works of art in the Ryman exhibition, bringing Wu’s designs face-to-face with their fine art inspiration. A video of Wu’s fall 2010 ready-to-wear runway show is on view in the café, and a scavenger hunt leads visitors through the museum, collecting fashion and fine art facts for a chance to win prizes. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and visitors 62 and over, and free for members and visitors 18 and under and they can be purchased at phllipscollection.org/calendar.

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Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

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Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.

Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.

Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.

The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar.  We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”  

“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”

“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”

The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.

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Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

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'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

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The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026 

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

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