Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Jan. 6
Parties, club meetings, concerts and more through Jan. 12
The D.C. Kings are at Phase 1 Sunday night. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
TODAY (Friday)
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents “The Workers’ Party,” a night featuring Black Cat staff bands, Mean Season, Booze Riot, The Red Moon Preachers and Raindeer. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at blackcatdc.com. Doors open at 9 p.m.
Gilded Lily Burlesque presents “Anything Goes” tonight at Red Palace (1212 H St., N.E.) at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available day of show. Doors open at 9 p.m. and attendees must be 21 or older. For more information, visit redpalacedc.com.
Busboys & Poets presents First Fridays: A Local Arts Exploration today at 5:30 p.m. in the Zinn room at its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104). This event combines a reception, artist talk and the opportunity to meet local artists and see their work. This month’s presenters are Hermione Rhones, Joe’s Movement Emporium, Justin Fair, Ilana Silverstein and Lisa K. Rosenstein.
Comedian Tony Woods plays Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) tonight at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for each performance and available online atriotactcomedy.com. Woods will also have two performances Saturday.
Carbon Leaf, whose live performances have been compared to Dave Matthews Band and R.E.M., play Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available online at wolftrap.org. The band also plays Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 7
DJ Randy White spins at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight with music and video downstairs by DJ Wess. There’s an $8 cover before 11 p.m. and $12 afterward. Doors open at 10 p.m.
Code has its monthly installment tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.). Gear, rubber, skin, uniform or leather dress code will be strictly enforced. Music provided by DJ Frank Wild. Admission is $10. All attendees must be 18 or older. There will be an open bar from 9 to 10 p.m.
Black Cat’s (1811 14th St., N.W.) weekly Hellmouth Happy Hour will feature a special holiday screening of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie starring Luke Perry and Kristen Swanson. This is a free event and doors open at 7 p.m.
Glen Echo Park (7300 MacArthur Blvd.) is having its annual holiday art show and sale today featuring glass, ceramics, jewelry and more in the Popcorn Gallery from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The show ends Sunday. For more information, visit glenechopark.org.
The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) presents its production of “Billy Elliot: The Musical” directed by Stephen Daldry and featuring music by Elton John, today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $150 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
MORE IN THE BLADE: M.A.L. WEEKEND COMING TO WASHINGTON
Sunday, Jan. 8
The D.C. Kings perform at Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) tonight at 10 p.m. This show will be ASL interpreted. There is a $10 cover. Doors open at 7 p.m. and all attendees must be 21 or older. For more information, visit dckings.com.
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers will be helping fight hunger in the D.C. area today from 9 a.m. to noon, with D.C. Central Kitchen. Volunteers will help cook, working along chefs who have graduated from the Kitchen’s job training program. No experience is required, just an interest of cooking. The Kitchen provides job skills by using rescued and donated ingredients to teach unemployed and homeless individuals how to cook, then turns this food into free meal services. E-mail [email protected] for more information.
LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror group Lambda Sci-Fi is having its monthly meeting today, including election of officers and social with annual blind book exchange at 1425 S St., N.W., at 1:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a snack or a non-alcoholic drink to share. For more information contact James at 202-232-3141 or Peter and Rob at 202-483-6369, e-mail: [email protected], or visit the group’s website at lambdascifi.org.
Monday, Jan. 9
WEAVE, a support group for LGBT survivors of intimate partner violence/abuse, meets from 7 to 8 p.m. tonight at the Lighthouse Center for Healing (5321 First Place, N.E.). For more information and to register, call 202-280-6391.
Professionals in the City and the D.C. Center are hosting a speed dating event for lesbian and bisexual women at Chi-Cha Lounge (1624 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight. Attendees will date for about an hour and then be able to mingle with everyone. After the event, matches can be made online. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Tuesday, Jan. 10
D.C. Bi Women will have its monthly dinner at Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 9 p.m.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents Drink and a Movie tonight featuring the films “Can’t Hardly Wait” starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and “Clueless” starring Alicia Silverstone. This is a free event. Doors open at 8 p.m.
MORE IN THE BLADE: A TASTE OF TOKLAS
Wednesday, Jan. 11
Rainbow Response is holding its monthly meeting tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 8 p.m.
Kicking off a series of special shows featuring comedians from one state or city, Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) presents Maryland Night with Todd Rexx tonight at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available online at riotactcomedy.com.
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., SE — across from Marine Barracks) for duplicate bridge. No reservations needed; newcomers welcome. Visit lambdabridge.com if you need a partner.
MORE IN THE BLADE: TASTE OF NEW YORK
Thursday, Jan. 12
Christopher Cross plays Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna tonight at 8 p.m. Cross is the only artist to win Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist Grammys on the same night. Tickets are $45 and available online at wolftrap.org.
Emmy Award-winning actress Holland Taylor comes to the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) with her one-woman play “Ann” today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. The show tells the story of Ann Richards, the second female governor of Texas. Tickets range from $54 to $95 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.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
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
Blade finalist for D.C. Society of Professional Journalists awards
Maren Morris to headline Capital Pride Concert
Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan
Celebrate Pride in Lost River, a slice of rural heaven
Learn more about queer love
