Arts & Entertainment

Halloween fun!

Our guide to the best parties, screenings and theme nights in town this weekend

Published

14 years ago

October 27, 2011

Joey DiGuglielmo

Halloween mayhem last year at Cobalt. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

TODAY:

Secrets (1824 Half Street) is having a Halloween Black Light Party tonight hosted by La Troya Nichole with music by DJ Steve Henderson. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Strathmore presents “Friday night Eclectic: Rock, Paper, Zombies” tonight at the Mansion (10701 Rockville Pike) in Bethesda at 8:30 p.m. with music by Mittenfields, Devin Ocampo and Bellflur. There will be a showing of art including gig posters by Rich Bernett, Itty Bitty Press, John Foster and Fire Studio. Tickets are $10 in advance at strathmore.org and $12 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Beat City at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room (1725 Columbia Rd., N.W.) is Halloween themed this time around with the “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” featuring a costume contest at midnight with winners received a $50 bar tab. Beat City is a queer lounge night featuring real rock ‘n’ roll from Alice in Chains to ZZ Top.

AFI Silver (8633 Colesville Rd.) in Silver Spring presents two silent horror classics tonight accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra. First up is “The Phantom of the Opera” starring Lon Chaney as the Phantom and Mary Philbin at Christine at 7 p.m. Then at 9:30 p.m.,“Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror” starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok. Tickets for either screening are $20, $18 for AFI Members.

D.C.’s Rocky Horror Shadowcast, the Sonic Transducers, will be giving three special performances of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” starting tonight and going through Sunday. Tonight and Saturday the performances begins at midnight and Sunday they start at 7 p.m. sharp. All performances will be at the E Street Cinema (555 11th St., N.W.) and tickets are $11 for general admission, $9 for students and military and $8 for seniors. For more information, visit dcrockyhorror.com.

Saturday, Oct. 29

RAW’s Halloween Party is tonight at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) with DJs Shea Van Horn and Bil plus guest DJ Keenan Orr from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There’s a costume contest with $1,000 in prizes available. There will also be an open vodka bar from 10 to 11 p.m. There is a $10 cover. Attendees must be 21 or older.

“Thriller: Women’s Hallow Party” is tonight at Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) with a costume contest and DJ LS spinning. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the contest begins at midnight. There’s a $10 cover and all attendees must be 21 or older.

Remington’s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) is having a Halloween party and costume contest tonight. Prizes include $250 case and a $100 bar tab. The contest begins at midnight and all participants should be signed up by 11:45 p.m.

Lace Lounge (2214 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) presents “If Only for a Night: A Mature Costume Party” tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. featuring a sexy, mature mini show. Cover is $10 with costume, $12 without one.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) presents GhostTown tonight featuring a costume contest at midnight with a grand prize of $1,000. The drag show begins at 10:30 p.m. Cover is $15 and all attendees must be 21 or older.

S.H.E. Productions presents Homoween 2011, the annual Saints and Sinners Masqueradde at Grand Central and Sapphos (1001 North Charles St.) in Baltimore. Doors open at 9 p.m. There is a $5 cover before 11 p.m. which doubles afterward. All attendees must be 21 or older.

Artomatic’s SurrealD.C. Halloween Masquerade is back for a third year at the Washington Harbour (3050 K St., N.W.) tonight from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. There will be a costume contest, including scariest, craziest, funniest, sexiest, most original and most creative, performances and art installations. Tickets are $25 and attendees must be 21 or older. For more information, visit artomatic.org.

Sunday, Oct. 30

Fairfax Pride is having a Halloween party tonight at Alto Plaza (5800 Old Centreville Rd.) in Centreville, featuring a Latin Zumba group, Brandonna Dupri, the Virginia chapter of the D.C. Gurly Show and more. Doors open at 7 p.m. and performances will happen every 30 minutes from 9 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the group page on Facebook.

Monday, Oct. 31

Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) is having its Halloween costume contest tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight. The first place winner will received $250 cash, second place winner will get a $100 Nellie’s tab and third place will win a $50 Cubano’s dinner.

Photos

PHOTOS: Cupid’s Undie Run

Annual fundraiser for NF research held at The Wharf DC

Published

12 hours ago

February 21, 2026

Michael Key

A dance party was held at Union Stage before Cupid's Undie Run on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Cupid’s Undie Run, an annual fundraiser for neurofibromatosis (NF) research, was held at Union Stage and at The Wharf DC on Saturday, Feb. 21.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Out & About

Sweat DC expands to Shaw

Community workout and social planned for March 14

Published

14 hours ago

February 21, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Sweat DC is officially expanding to Shaw, opening a new location at 1818 7th St., N.W., on Saturday, March 28 — and they’re kicking things off with a high-energy, community-first launch event.

To celebrate, Sweat DC is hosting Sweat Fest, a free community workout and social on Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. at the historic Howard Theatre. The event features a group fitness class, live DJ, local food and wellness partners, and a mission-driven partnership with the Open Goal Project, which works to expand access to youth soccer for players from marginalized communities.

For more details, visit Sweat DC’s website and reserve a spot on Eventbrite.

Calendar

Calendar: February 20-26

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

2 days ago

February 20, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, Feb. 20

Center Aging Monthly Luncheon with Yoga will be at noon at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.

Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the D.C. Center. This will be a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome! We’ll have card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the Center’s website.

Go Gay DC will host “First Friday LGBTQ+ Community Social” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, Feb. 21

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

Sunday, Feb. 22

Queer Talk DC will host “The Black Gay Flea Market” at 1 p.m. at Doubles in Petworth. There will be more than 15 Black queer vendors from all over the DMV in one spot. The event’s organizers have reserved the large back patio for all vendors, and the speak easy for bar service, which will be serving curated cocktails made just for the event (cash bar.) DJ Fay and DJ Jam 2x will be spinning the entire event. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Monday, Feb. 23

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam at [email protected].

Tuesday, Feb. 24

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so — by sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100 percent cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Asexual and Aromantic Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].

Thursday, Feb. 26

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center. To be more fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.