Arts & Entertainment
D.C. is home to rich array of spring events, farmers markets
In addition to the exhibits, films, books and other cultural happenings profiled in this issue, there are many more events coming this spring to D.C. Below are some of the highlights, including a guide to area farmers markets.
MARCH 25-APRIL 4: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to the Patriot Center, 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, VA, 703-993-3000, patriotcenter.com.
MARCH 27: The 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival will be held between March 27 and April 11. This year’s festival marks the 98th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees by the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, D.C., in 1912. Saturday, March 27: Family day & opening ceremony presented with the National Building Museum, 401 F St., N.W.
APRIL 3: Legendary comedian Carol Burnett performs “Laughter and Reflection” at Baltimore’s Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave., 410-685-5086.
APRIL 8-11: CAMP Rehoboth Women’s Fest, multiple locations in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Visit camprehoboth.com for details.
APRIL 22: Sixth & I Historic Synagogue presents “An Evening with Kevin Smith,” director of popular films “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy.” 600 I St., N.W., 202-408-3100, sixthandi.org.
APRIL 25: Gospel Across America, a weeklong tribute to gospel, comes to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St., N.W., kennedy-center.org, 202-467-460.
MAY 15: Yoga on the National Mall, led by teachers from the DC Yoga Week studios, SW corner of 15th Street and Constitution, 1-5 p.m.
MAY 21-23: It’s the cellar-dweller rivalry as the Baltimore Orioles come to town to face the Washington Nationals.
MAY 22-23: WalkingTown D.C. offers free walking tours in neighborhoods across the city. Visit culturaltourismdc.org or call 202-661-7581 for information.
MAY 23: Mid-City Artists’ Spring Open Studios, Dupont & Logan Circles. Nearly 40 local artists open their homes and studios to showcase their work to the public. Visit midcityartists.com for details.
MAY 28-29: “A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor” at Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Rd., Vienna, VA, 703-255-1900, wolf-trap.org.
JUNE 12-13: Third annual Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor, National Harbor Marina, Pier and Awakening Plaza.
JUNE 17: Sheryl Crow and Colbie Caillat perform at Wolf Trap, wolftrap.org, 877-WOLFTRAP. Tickets $35-50.
JUNE 17-20: Buddhafest, a film festival featuring eight films and related talks by meditation experts, is held at American University. Visit american.edu/cas/katzen for details.
Farmers Markets:
14th and U Farmers Market
14th & U streets, N.W.
May-November
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Adams Morgan Farmers Market
18th St. & Columbia Road, N.W.
301-587-2248
May-December
Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Chevy Chase Farmers Market
Lafayette Elementary School
Broad Branch and Northampton streets, N.W.
304-229-7222
May-November
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Columbia Heights Community Marketplace
14th & Irving streets, N.W.
202-232-7503
May-October
Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market
1500 block of 20th St., NW
between Q Street & Massachusetts Avenue
(in the Riggs Bank parking lot)
202-362-8889
January-March: Sundays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
March-January: Sundays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Eastern Market
7th Street between C Street
& North Carolina Ave., S.E.
202-544-0083
Year round
Saturdays and Sundays 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
Foggy Bottom Market
I Street between New Hampshire
and 24th Street, N.W.
May-October
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Georgetown Market in Rose Park
26th & O Street, N.W.
202-333-4946
April-October
Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m.
H Street Market
625 H St., N.E.
May-November
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon
Historic Brookland Farmers Market
10th & Otis streets, N.E.
202-526-4848
May-October: Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
June-October: Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m.
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
3200 Mount Pleasant St., N.W.
202-234-0559
May-December
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
New Morning Farm Markets
Sheridan School, 36th Street & Alton Place, N.W.
814-448-3904
June-March: Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
June-September: Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
Open Air Farmers Markets
Oklahoma Avenue and Benning Road, N.E.
(RFK Parking Lot No.6)
202-388-5388
May-December: Tuesdays, Thursdasy, & Saturdays, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
January-April: Thursdays & Saturdays only
Penn Quarter Freshfarm Market
North end of Eighth Street, N.W.
(between D & E streets)
202-362-8889
May-October
Thursdays, 3-7 p.m.
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Farmers Market
Whitten Building Parking Lot
12th Street & Independence Ave., S.W.
800-384-8704
June-October
Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
U.S. Dept. of Transportation Farmers Market
1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E.
(Navy Yard Metro)
202-366-8932
May-November
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Ward 8 Farmers Market
Old Congress Heights School
Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Alabama Avenues, S.E.
202-561-8204
June-November
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
The 2025 Silver Pride Resource Fair and Tea Dance was held at the Eaton Hotel on Wednesday, May 21.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Out & About
Queer film festival comes to D.C.
DC/DOX to showcase LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers
DC/DOX will host a film festival beginning on Thursday, June 12, at the Regal Gallery Place, Eaton Cinema, and the U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theatre.
This festival will premier LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers. Each screening will be followed by in-person Q&As with the filmmakers.
For more details, visit dcdoxfest.com
Movies
Gay director on revealing the authentic Pee-wee Herman
New HBO doc positions Reubens as ‘groundbreaking’ performance artist
In the new HBO two-part documentary, “Pee-wee as Himself,” director Matt Wolf gives viewers a never-before-seen look into the personal life of Paul Reubens, the comedic actor behind the much loved television persona, Pee-wee Herman.
Filmed before Reubens passed away in 2023 from cancer, Wolf and his creative team created the riveting documentary, interspersing several interviews, more than 1,000 hours of archival footage, and tens of thousands of personal photos.
Determined to set the record straight about what really happened, Reubens discussed his diverse influences, growing up in the circus town of Sarasota, Fla., and his avant-garde theater training at the California Institute of the Arts.
Ruebens joined the Groundlings improv group, where he created the charismatic Pee-wee Herman. He played the quirky character during the Saturday morning show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and in numerous movies, like “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big Top Pee-wee.” He also brought Pee-wee to Broadway, with “The Pee-wee Herman Show.”
To get an enigma such as Reubens to open up was no easy task for Wolf.
“I felt determined to get Paul to open up and to be his authentic self,” acknowledged Wolf at a recent press conference. “And I was being tested and I wanted to meet my match in a way so I didn’t feel frustrated or exhausted, I felt determined but I also, it was thrilling to go this deep. I’ve never been able, or I don’t know if I ever will, go this deep with another human being to interview them in an intimate way for over 40 hours.”
Wolf described the collaborative interview experience as a dream, “like we were in a bubble where time didn’t matter.” he also felt a deep connection to the material, having come of age watching “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to put words to it at the time, but I think it was my first encounter with art that I felt emotionally involved in,” noted Wolf.
“He continued: “I recognize that that show created a space for a certain kind of radical acceptance where creativity thrives. And as a gay filmmaker, I also recognize things like Pee-wee Herman marrying a bowl of fruit salad at a slumber party or dancing in high heels to the song, ‘Fever.’ That stuff spoke to me. So that was my connection to it.”
During the documentary, Reubens comes out as a gay man.
“Paul went into this process wanting to come out,” said Wolf. “That was a decision he had made. He was aware that I was a gay filmmaker and had made portraits of other gay artists. That was the work of mine he was attracted to, as I understood. And I wanted, as a younger person, to support him in that process, but he also was intensely sensitive that the film would overly emphasize that; or, focused entirely from the lens of sexuality when looking at his story.”
Their complicated dynamic had an aspect of “push and pull” between them.
“I think that generational difference was both a source of connection and affinity and tension. And I do think that the level to which Paul discusses his relationships and intimacy and vulnerability and the poignant decision he made to go back into the closet. I do have to believe to some extent he shared that because of our connection.”
Wolf hopes that the “Pee-wee as Himself” positions Reubens as one of the most “groundbreaking” performance artists of his generation who in a singular way broke through into mainstream pop culture.
“I know he transformed me. He transformed how I see the world and where I went as a creative person. And it’s so clear that I am not alone in that feeling. For me, it was fairly abstract. I couldn’t necessarily put words to it. I think people who grew up on Pee-wee or were big fans of Pee-wee, seeing the film, I hope, will help them tap into intangible and specific ways how transformative his work was for them. It really is a gift to revisit early seminal experiences you had and to see how they reverberate in you.”
He added: “So, to me, this isn’t so much about saying Paul Reubens is a genius. I mean, that’s overly idealizing and I don’t like hero worship. It’s more about understanding why many of us have connected to his work and understanding where he lives within a legacy of performance art, television, and also, broader pop culture.”
PHOTOS: Silver Pride
Queer film festival comes to D.C.
Pride, patriotism, and prosperity
Gay director on revealing the authentic Pee-wee Herman
Sinners and Saints bar vandalized in suspected anti-LGBTQ hate crime
Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
Wes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
D.C. Black Pride 2025: Events, parties, and empowerment
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill to criminalize gender affirming care advances
Frank Kameny’s legacy lives on
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a&e features3 days agoLooking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C
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Maryland4 days agoWes Moore signs HIV decriminalization bill
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District of Columbia4 days agoD.C. Black Pride 2025: Events, parties, and empowerment
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Congress5 days agoMarjorie Taylor Greene’s bill to criminalize gender affirming care advances