Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Feb. 25
Concerts, exhibits, parties and more through next week
Friday, Feb. 25
Beat City, a rock and roll lounge party for queer folks and their friends, is tonight from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. upstairs at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room (1725 Columbia Rd., N.W.). There is no cover for this event and all attendees must be 21 or older.
Caliente Grande is tonight at Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) starting at 9 p.m. DJ Michael Brandon will be spinning the Latin dance party in the main hall. There is a $10 cover charge. Attendees must be 18 to enter, 21 to drink.
The D.C. Cowboys host Brodeo tonight at Remingtons (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. The party will feature country/western and disco/club music, live performances, giveaways, Jell-o shots and an auction.
DJ Chord Bezzera will be at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight at 10 p.m. as part of Club London. There will be free vodka drinks from 11 p.m. to midnight and attendees could win a roundtrip ticket to London.
Women in Their Twenties, a social discussion and dinner group, will be meeting tonight from 8 to 9 pm. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).
Lace Lounge (2214 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) presents Social Climax tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There is a $10 cover all night and free drinks before 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers will be helping Food and Friends with food preparation and packing groceries today from 8 to 10 a.m. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
Lincoln Congregational Temple UCC presents “From Slavery to Freedom: An Historical Musical Perspective” performed by the Community Chorus of Washington today at 3:30 p.m. at Lincoln Congregational Temple (1701 11th St., N.W.).
Every fourth Saturday of the month, Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) is hosting Jocks vs. Jocks from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Cover is $5 if wearing sports attire, $7 if not. There’s a trophy and cash prizes for the winning team.
Shift presents “Surrender. Your. Booty.” a celebration of its two year anniversary tonight at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The party will feature resident DJ MAJR and guest DJs Matt Bailer of Mixtape, Junebullet of She-Rex and Zack Rosen of Homo/Sonic. Brightest Young Things will be there judging pirate costumes and the best dressed will win two tickets to Kylie Minogue at the Patriot Center on April 30.
DJ Escape will be at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.)tonight. Music and videos downstairs will be by Wess. Drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. Doors open at 10 pm. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after. All attendees must be 21 or older.
Sunday, Feb. 27
Flip-Out, D.C.’s LGBT flip cup league, has its weekly games today at 5 p.m. at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.). For more information, visit flipoutdc.com.
Lace Lounge presents “Lyrics and Lace,” an open mic, live entertainment exhibition. Appetizers will be half off and there will be drink specials. The Coolats band will be performing an the show starts at 8 p.m. E-mail [email protected] to perform. Visit lacedc.com for more information.
The Catholic University of America presents “She Said/She Said” by Rebecca Gingrich-Jones. Tickets range from $3 to $15. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit drama.cua.edu/hartke-season.cfm.
Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) is hosting an Oscars watch party today starting at 5 p.m.
The D.C. Center presents “Glamour, Glitter and Gold,” its sixth annual Oscar celebration from 7 to 11:30 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). Tickets range from $20 for general admission to $50 for V.I.P.
Monday, Feb. 28
Bears do Yoga at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. Class lasts for an hour and serves as an introduction to yoga for people of all different body types and physical abilities. It’s taught by Michael Brazell. For more information, visit dccenter.org.
SAGE Metro D.C. is having its monthly meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).
Tuesday, March 1
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s new packing location Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.
Mautner Project presents SHE Circle, a wellness community by and for African-American lesbian and bisexual women, today from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Unity Fellowship Church (502 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). For more information and to RSVP, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
“A Room of Our Own,” an exhibit at Pepco Edison Place Gallery (702 8th St., N.W.) by the f11 Women’s Photography Collective opens today. The gallery is open from noon to 4 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through April 1.
Wednesday, March 2
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.
Bill Briggs and David Mariner invite executive directors of local LGBT organizations to join them for a local LGBT leader lunch today. The group will meet at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) at noon and go to a local restaurant from there.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) has two exhibits opening today: “Inspiration” with paintings by Betsy Forster and “Surfaces” with paintings by Michelee Cormier. Forster paints landscapes, particularly uninhabited areas. Cormier “captures the deterioration of urban surfaces over time.” The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the exhibits will be on display through March 27.
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) presents a speech by Opening Horizons founders Tony and Christina Vanderveldt on polyamory, open relationships and swinging from 7 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 3
“Shear Madness,” a comedy whodunit, will be performed at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab (2700 F St., N.W.) at 5 and 8 p.m. “Madness” takes place in present-day Georgetown, in the Shear Madness Hair Styling Salon. Visit kennedy-center.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
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.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















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.
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


