Connect with us

Arts & Entertainment

Calendar for May 28

Friday, May 28, to Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Published

on

Friday, May 28

Premiere of the newest LGBT Latin dance party: S-Kandalo at Remington’s, 639 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E., from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Music by DJ Fantasy, visit latinsouldc.com for more information.

Girl Party every Friday night at the Black Squirrel, 2427 18th St., N.W., 21+/no cover, starts at 9:30 p.m.

Gay District, from 8:30-10:30 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, a weekly, non-church affiliated discussion and social group for GBTQ men between 18 and 35. The group meets at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave., N.W. For more information, e-mail [email protected].

Friday Night Erev Shabbat Services 8:30-10 p.m., Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. Friday Night Services are followed by an Oneg Social. Please use the Q Street entrance.

Sunset Celebration at Mount Vernon, 6-9 p.m. Enjoy evening tours of the mansion, 18th century music, dancing, games and wagon rides. Stroll the lantern-lit grounds and visit with Lady Washington and her granddaughter Nelly. Adults, $18; children 6-11, $12; and children under 5 are admitted free.

Saturday, May 29

SHIFT takes over Cobalt, 1639 R St., N.W., from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. with music by guest DJs Zack Rosen and Wesley D.

DJ Billy Steele at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St. N.W. A former Elite fashion model, Steele began his DJ career two months after purchasing his first set of turntables with a Saturday night residency at Manhattan’s Limelight at age 22. $2 drinks from 10-11 p.m. Drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. Music and videos downstairs by Wess. $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $12 after 11 p.m. 21 and over.

Delaplane Strawberry Festival, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Sky Meadows State Park, Delaplane, Va. The annual festival includes live entertainment, children’s games, pony rides, hayrides, a petting zoo, a 5K fun run, a raptor exhibit, antique cars, food, crafts and strawberries.

MANdance at Rehoboth’s Double L Bar, 622 Rehoboth Ave., with DJ Stephen Durkin, drink specials, go-go dancers. And if you’re not danced out, come back for COCKdance on Sunday.

Sunday, May 30

Drag Brunch at Nellie’s Sports Bar, 900 U St., N.W., hosted by Shi-Queeta Lee. Every Sunday from 11-4 p.m. $20 brunch buffet and your first mimosa is free.

X: Blackout at Cobalt, 1639 R St. N.W., with music by DJ Pete Glow. Cobalt will blanket the dance floor with low lighting, black lights — and at times complete darkness. Doors open at 10 p.m., 21+, $5 before 11 p.m., $7 after.

African-American Collective Theater debuts new play “Something Borrowed, Something Blue” at Warehouse Theater, 645 New York Ave., N.W., one block away from the D.C. Convention Center where D.C. Black Pride’s “Legacy Festival and Wellness Expo” is being held earlier that afternoon. A limited number of tickets are available at $15. For additional ticket, performance time and venue information, e-mail [email protected] or call 202-745-3662.

A very special WTF at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St. N.W. WTF presents: Prom Night. 18+, $5.

PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert starts at 8 p.m.; gates open at 5 p.m. PBS sponsors a free concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The concert features actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise and other guest artists along with the National Symphony Orchestra.

Wolf Trap Farm Park’s Summer Blast Off, “The President’s Own,” at 8 p.m. The park for performing arts kicks off the summer season with a free performance by the U.S. Marine Band followed by fireworks. The Filene Center gates open at 6:30 p.m. Arrive early because the park closes once capacity is reached.

Monday, May 31

National Memorial Day Parade, beginning at 2 p.m. The parade of marching bands and veterans units from all 50 states steps off at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, N.W., and proceeds along Constitution Avenue, past the White House, ending at 17th Street.

The National Park Service and the Friends of the National World War II Memorial will sponsor a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of U.S. veterans at the World War II Memorial at 9 a.m. Guest speakers will give remarks. The theme for the commemoration is “Honoring our Fallen Warriors.” Many surviving WWII veterans will be in attendance.

Country Western dance lessons at Remington’s, 639 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. (½ block West of Eastern Market Metro) from 8:30-9:30 p.m., $5 per person, per lesson (dance class participants should wear boots or shoes with leather soles).

Tuesday, June 1

Drag Bingo at Nellie’s Sports Bar, 900 U St., N.W., hosted by Shi-Queeta Lee, every Tuesday starting at 8 p.m. Free to play.

Wednesday, June 2

The Tom Davaron Social Bridge Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Dignity Center, 721 8th St., S.E. (across from Marine Barracks) for Social Bridge. No partner needed. Visit lambdabridge.com.

Each Wednesday at the Green Lantern is POZ Wednesday. Starting at 8 p.m., POZ mixers provide a supportive atmosphere for those who are HIV positive and those who want to help eradicate the stigma surrounding HIV. The Green Lantern is located at 1335 Green Ct., N.W.

General Program Wednesdays, 7-8:30 p.m., $12, at the Vajroyogini Buddhist Center, 1803 Connecticut Ave., N.W., 2nd floor. Learn to enjoy our relationships and benefit others via study of the Lamrim meditations in The New Meditation Handbook. Topics include: The Prison of the Ego; All You Need is Love; Building Empathy; Developing Authentic Compassion. Each class includes a teaching, guided meditations and time for Q&A. For more information visit meditation-dc.org or call 202-986-2257 or [email protected]

Line dance lessons at Remington’s, 639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. (½ block West of Eastern Market Metro) from 8:30-9:30 p.m., $5 per person, per lesson.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

on

'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)

Continue Reading

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.

Published

on

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

Continue Reading

Popular