Arts & Entertainment
Dancing for dollars
Cherry proceeds benefit local HIV/AIDS non-profits; events kick off Thursday
Dancers at the 2007 Cherry event. (Blade file photo by Henry Linser)
Cherry 2011, the annual charity dance event hosted by the Cherry Fund, begins Thursday and continues through next weekend with parties and other events every day.
The Cherry Fund is a non-profit organization with the sole purpose to raise funds for the HIV/AIDS service community with beneficiaries such as Whitman-Walker Clinic, Mautner Project, Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League and more.
The party kicks off with an event at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. with DJ Nick Centrik Purcell, where passes will be for sale. Afterwards, there’s Ignition at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. with DJs Randy Betties and Jason Horswill.
Friday’s events begin at 2 p.m. with another pass pick-up and an evening of fashion with local designer Andrew Nowell at Caramel Boutique (1603 U St., N.W.). There will be an auction during Bear Happy Hour at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) with DJ Bandit and D.C. Bear Crue from 7 to 9 p.m.
The Momentum party at Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) with Ms. Foozie as the hostess and DJs Alyson Calagna and Steve Henderson starts at 10 p.m. There is a $15 cover for this party.
Saturday brings the main event at Town from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. with DJs Oscar G, BennyK and Wess and performances by Macaviti and the Ladies of Town. Tickets for this event are $20.
The main event is followed by an after-hours party at Fur (33 Patterson St., N.E.) with DJ Peter Rauhofer and opening DJ Timothy Mykael. Tickets for this party are $45.
Sunday continues with a tea dance at Cobalt from noon to 4 p.m. with DJ Mike Reimer and Level One is hosting the Cherry Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. by reservation only at opentable.com. There is a $5 cover for the tea dance and the brunch is $20.11.
Cherry ends with Ovation at Ultrabar (911 F St., N.W.) with DJs Stephan Grondin and Sin Morera from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets for this party are $20.
There are also some sanctioned events that will be happening the same time as Cherry events.
Lace (2214 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) is hosting a party for the ladies, Blossom, with DJ Ron on Friday at 7 p.m. There is a $10 cover.
The second annual Big Cherry Block Party is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Silver Spring (916 Ellsworth Drive).
Moody Ga Ga with DJ Joe Gauthreaux is on Saturday at Town from 2 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 for this event.
Code D.C. presented by David Merrill and Jacob Pring is also on Saturday at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. There is a $10 cover for this event.
All tickets must be purchased in advance online at boxofficetickets.com/cherry. A VIP Host Pass is available for $100 and includes admission to five events. Sanctioned events are not included in the Host Pass. For more information, visit cherryfund.org
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.”
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
Blade Foundation awards 9th journalism fellowship to AU student
Jason Collins dies at 47
Polish government to recognize same-sex marriages from EU countries
America’s broken pipeline of mental healthcare for trans youth
GLAA releases ratings for 18 candidates running for D.C. mayor, Council, AG
Comings & Goings
New Hungarian prime minister takes office
DJ Chanel Santini is bringing the heat and some gender-fluid diversity to XBIZ Miami
Senate Democrats press DOJ over anti-trans prison directives
