Arts & Entertainment
Events for World AIDS Day (Dec. 1)
Tuesday, Nov. 30
Roby Chavez hosts “Persistent Voices: A World AIDS Event” tonight at the Thurgood Marshall Building (1816 12th St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Presented by Us Helping Us, the D.C. Center, Ganymede Arts and the Vaccine Research Center, “Persistent Voices” is an anthology of poems by writers who died of AIDS. The event will feature readings by local actors, poets and community members. The editor of “Voices,” Philip Clark, will attend.
Wednesday, Dec. 1
Urbana (2121 P St., N.W.) will host Kimpton’s Red Hot Night in the Nation’s Capital, a cocktail party benefiting the Whitman-Walker Clinic featuring TV personality Paul Wharton as co-host and emcee tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. There will be a live and silent auction for items such as a weekend getaway to any Kimpton hotel and two roundtrip jetBlue tickets. A $10 admission covers one drink ticket and all the proceeds go to Whitman-Walker.
Thursday, Dec. 2
Kimpton’s Palomar Arlington will host “A Taste of Virginia’s Own,” a wine tasting to benefit Nothern Virginia AIDS Ministry, tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Guests will be given appetizers while sampling wines from places like Chateau O’Brien, Horton Cellars and Boxwood Estate Winery. Admission is $30 per person and all proceeds go to the Ministry.
Friday, Dec. 3
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) will host an open mic night tonight at 8 p.m., with poems focusing on HIV/AIDS issues in conjunction with World AIDS Day. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
PHOTOS: The Audacity Brunch
D.C. Council approves expanded grant funding for Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Baltimore Pride is here
Calendar: June 12-18
Hundreds of thousands expected to attend D.C. Pride events
PHOTOS: Pride Run
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
David Archuleta, Monroe Alise named D.C. Pride parade marshals
