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Calendar: events through Jan. 20

Events through Thursday include exhibits, concerts, plays and more

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'Where Now' is part of the exhibit 'Off-Kilter' by artist Leslie Nolan on display through Jan. 30 at the newly reopened Touchstone Gallery. (Image courtesy of Touchstone)

Friday, Jan. 14

DJ Joshua and TheNewGay present “Balls!” tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Velvet Lounge (915 U St., N.W.) featuring the debut DJ set of Steve Scarlata. There is no cover for this event. Drink specials include $3 Natty Boh and $4 kamikazes.

Gross National Product returns with “The Sound of Palin” at Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $20 and can be purchased at atlas arts.org.

Exposed Tattoo and Baller Inc., present the D.C. Tattoo Arts Expo starting today at the Crystal City Doubletree Hotel (300 Army Navy Drive) in Arlington with a VIP welcome party in the Sky Dome from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The expo will continue through the weekend.

The Mid Atlantic Leather Weekend starts today at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.). Registration will be in the ballroom level foyer from 4 to 10:30 p.m. There will be an exhibit hall from 5 to 11 p.m. The opening reception will be in the Yorktown Ballroom from 9 to 11 p.m. with a cash bar and the MAL Bar Crawl will be from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Events will continue through Sunday.

Women in their Twenties will be meeting tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

DJ Matheus, 5ive, Keep It Terror and Forever the Win will be at Jammin’ Java tonight at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at jamminjava.com.

Metropolitan Community Church of Washington’s fundraising team is hosting a bingo night tonight at 7 p.m. at the church (474 Ridge St., N.W.). The evening begins with four early bird games which costs $2 for four cards or $3 for eight cards. This is followed by 17 regular and special games which are packaged for as low as $25. There will be homemade refreshments available.

Saturday, Jan. 15

Jonathan Katz, co-curator of the “Hide/Seek” exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, will be giving a lecture today at the Foundry Gallery (1314 18th St., N.W.) titled “Artistic Representation of Gay Life.” This event is free and admittance is on a first-come, first-serve basis. One of Foundry’s current exhibits is a juried show titled “Celebrate Gay Marriage.”

Blowoff, a dance party featuring gay DJs Bob Mould and Richard Morel, will be at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight. Doors opens at 11:30 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at 930.com.

Bellflur, Mobius Strip, Archivists and Southern Problems will be performing at St. Stephen’s Church (1525 Newton St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. as part of “100 Shows for Haiti.” Tickets are $8 and the money raised will be split between two organizations, One Hundred for Haiti and Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees.

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro, Md., hosts Rewind with DJ Jerrbear and special host, the Mirror Ball Lady tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Best decade costume will win a cash prize. There will be a $5 cover before 11 p.m. and an $8 cover after.

Bare celebrates its second anniversary tonight at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Admission is $25 for VIP and $10 for general.

Ziegfeld’s celebrates Ella Fitzgerald’s birthday with Leather and Lace tonight with the Ladies of Illusion performing at 11:15 p.m. There’s a $5 cover before 10:30 p.m. and $10 after.

Today starts the Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) “90 Years of New” free weekend today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The kick-off event will feature special art installations, art-inspired cake designs by some of D.C.’s top pastry chefs and complimentary champagne by FoodArts. The weekend continues Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Bach Sinfonia presents its annual chamber concert featuring Cut, Wind and Wire tonight at 8 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center (7995 Georgia Ave.) in Silver Spring. The program will include works by Francis Cuttinge, William McGibbon and others. Tickets range from $15 to $30 and can be purchased online at bachsinfonia.org or by calling 301.362.6525. There will be a free pre-concert discussion at 7:15 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 16

Family band In Layman Terms and singer Holly Montgomery will be performing at Jammin’ Java today at 1:30 p.m. as Montgomery releases her new CD. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 same day and can be purchased at jamminjava.com.

Lace Lounge (2214 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) presents “The Dream,” a MLK Pride celebration tonight from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cover is $5 before 10 p.m. and $10 after.

Today is the last day to see the exhibit “Side by Side: Oberlin’s Masterworks” at the Phillips collection (1600 21st St., N.W.)

This month for its Sunday School event, Pocket Gays is teaming up with WTF for the “Straightest.Sunday.Ever” at Local 16 (1602 U St., N.W.) today from 3 to 9 p.m. Aaron Riggins will be DJing from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be prizes including entrance to WTF at Town later tonight.

Monday, Jan. 17

The Starry Mountain Trio (Suzannah Park, Gideon Crevoshay and Avery Book) presents an eclectic mix of sacred and secular folk songs from the U.S., British Isles, Corsica, Republic of Georgia and honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. in song tonight at Church of the Holy City (1611 16th St., N.W.).

Tuesday, Jan. 18

Partners in Recovery will be having a facilitated discussion about addiction, recovery and relationships at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The GLBT Arts Consortium will be hosting a remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr., tonight at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church. This is a free event.

Wednesday, Jan. 19

Bookmen D.C., an informal group of men interested in gay literature, meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School and Archives (1201 17th St., N.W.) to discuss “Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS,” edited by David Groff and Philip Clark.” All are welcome.

The Tom Davaron Social Bridge Club will meet at 7:30 tonight at the Dignity Center, 721 8th St., S.E., (across from Marine Barracks) for social bridge. No partner is needed. Visit lambdabridge.com and click on “Social Bridge in Washington” for more information.

Thursday, Jan. 20

DJ Chris Nitti will be a special guest at this month’s Maison at Napoleon Bistro and Lounge (1847 Columbus Rd., N.W.) tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cosi Restaurant (1350 Connecticut Ave.) is hosting “Let’s get cozy …” for single women tonight from 5 to 8 p.m.

Washington Project for the Arts 2011 Experimental Media Series will be at the Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with an appearance by Paul D. Miller, also known as DJ Spooky.

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Arts & Entertainment

2026 Most Eligible LGBTQ Singles nominations

We are looking for the most eligible LGBTQ singles in the Washington, D.C. region.

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We are looking for the most eligible LGBTQ singles in the Washington, D.C. region.

Are you or a friend looking to find a little love in 2026? We are looking for the most eligible LGBTQ singles in the Washington, D.C. region. Nominate you or your friends until January 23rd using the form below or by clicking HERE.

Our most eligible singles will be announced online in February. View our 2025 singles HERE.

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PHOTOS: Freddie’s Follies

Queens perform at weekly Arlington show

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The Freddie's Follies drag show was held at Freddie's Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more

Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’

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From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.

Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”

The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.

“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”

Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.

Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.

As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.

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