Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: April 6
Parties, concerts, support groups and more through April 12

Video Games Live returns to the Music Center at Strathmore with ‘Bonus Round’ on Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.
TODAY (Friday)
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 presenters are Aaron Sinift, MIchael Singletary, Song Byeok and Human Landscape Dance. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served. This is a free event.
Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance, Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association, GoGayDC, GayDigerati, NoVA GL Professionals and D.C. Ice Breakers are some of the groups that will be at a meet-up event at Kora Restaurant (2250 Crystal Drive, #B, Arlington) tonight from 6 to 8 p.m.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) presents “Madonnarama” featuring DJ Ed Bailey with performances by the Dance Camp and the Ladies of Town tonight at 10 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older. There is an $8 cover before 11 p.m. and $12 after.
DJs Joey O and Chord Bezerra will be spinning at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight at 10 p.m. Free vodka drinks from 11 p.m. to midnight. There’s a $10 cover until midnight, then its $8.
Saturday, April 7
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 open at 11:30 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at 930.com.
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.
Strathmore presents “Video Games Live: Bonus Round” at the Music Center (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda) with two concerts today at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $76 and can be purchased online at strathmore.org.
Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E St., N.W.) presents the graduates of Brad Trackman Comedy School at Riot Act in a show today at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online atriotactcomedy.com.
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers will be working with the Lost Dog & Cat Foundation at Petsmart (6100 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church) from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. as dog handlers for adoption events. All volunteers get paired with a dog to walk around inside and outside the store and be given basic information if someone shows interest in adopting the dog. To volunteer, email[email protected].
Sunday, April 8
Focus-In! Films presents “Howl” as its April Film of the Month and in celebration of National Poetry Month with a screening at Busboys & Poets’s 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The film stars James Franco as a young Allen Ginsberg. This is a free screening.
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, email to [email protected], or visit the group’s website at lambdascifi.org.
The D.C. Kings are performing their New King show tonight at Phase 1 (525 8th St. S.E.) at 10 p.m. hosted by Rocky and Vintage Swag. Performers for the night include Avery Austin, Jamie Son, Sabastian Katz and more. Doors open at 7 p.m. and there’s a $10 cover. In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this show will be a fundraiser for the D.C. Rape Crisis Center. ASL interpretation will be available.
Monday, April 9
Rude Boi Entertainment and Tomboyz Quarterly present a LGBT Reggae and Latin dance partytonight at Patty Boom Boom (1359 U St., N.W.) starting at 7 p.m. There is a $10 donation at the door. Proceeds will support Youth Pride Alliance.
D.C.’s Different Drummers Marching Band is kicking off its new season tonight with an open house at L2 Lounge (3315 Cady’s Alley, N.W.) at 7 p.m. For more information, email band director at[email protected].
Tuesday, April 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.
Cobalt’s (1639 R St., N.W.) weekly “Flashback: ‘70s/’80s/’90s Retro Dance Party” is tonight with special guest, ‘80s pop star Tiffany performing live. There is no cover for this event and doors open at 9 p.m.
Kaiser Chiefs play Rams Head Live (20 Market Place, Baltimore) tonight with Spacecamp. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at tickets.ramsheadlive.com. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 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.
Busboys & Poets presents Wednesday night Open Mic Poetry hosted by “2Deep” the Poetess in the Cullen room of its 5th and K location (1025 5th St., N.W.) at 9 p.m. Wristbands are $4 and will be sold in the Global Exchange store beginning at 11 a.m.
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.
The Big Gay Book Group will meet tonight at 7 p.m. at 1155 F Street, N.W., Suite 200. The book discussed will be “The Boys in the Band” by Mart Crowley. For more information, visit biggaybookgroup.com or e-mail biggaybookgroup@
Thursday, April 12
D.C. Lambda Squares, a local gay square dancing group, is having its annual meeting tonight as well as its weekly club night with advanced and challenge at National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Stonewall Bocce meets tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit stonewallsports.org/bocce.html
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) presents two new exhibits “Spirit and Enigma” featuring ceramic sculptures by Bill Mould and “String theory” featuring works by Elena Tchernomazova. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.
The 2026 World Pride March was held on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of participants marched from Martin Luther Kingpark to the grounds of the Pride Village at Museumplein.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)








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The weekly drag show “Daddy Issues” was held at Kiki on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Performers included Evry Pleasure, Indiana Bones and Tiara Missou-Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)









Books
Something’s off about Dad. When is it time to step in?
‘When Memory Fades’ can help when families face dementia
‘When Memory Fades’
By Nathaniel Chin, MD
c.2026, St. Martin’s Essentials
$30/422 pages
Mom called you in a panic the other day.
She’d lost her keys and by the time you arrived to help, she’d found them. In the refrigerator.
These kinds of things keep happening, not often but often enough, and you don’t know quite what to worry about. But in the new book “When Memory Fades” by Nathaniel Chin, MD, you’ll learn about the journey ahead, for both of you.
You can’t remember why you walked into a room. You got lost last week, going to the bank. Popular wisdom says that things like that are normal as we age, but Chin says that’s not true – although the answer may not be a worst-case scenario, either. Yes, memory problems could just be signs of stress, dehydration, or lack of sleep – or is it time to see a doctor?
Chin says maybe, yes.
He was working his way through medical residency when his father, a geriatrician in Madison, Wisc., was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Chin, now a geriatrician, was blindsided, but that diagnosis also changed his life.
Here, he writes about the brain, and how Alzheimer’s and dementia are diagnosed, explaining that dementia has many faces and, depending on a doctor’s evaluation, memory problems might be slowed or improved. He shares his father’s illness with readers, but he also writes about his mother, a steadfast, steady caretaker.
Her story reminds reader-guardians to care for themselves, too.
Know how to talk the talk, so that you can have “a more productive” conversation with your doctor. Understand that there’s nothing “normal” about dementia or Alzheimer’s. Know the statistics – African Americans are affected with dementia twice as much as whites – and know how to lower your risks. Learn here what questions to ask, how to break the news to everyone, and any legal matters that will be important soon. And know how to tend to you.
Says Chin, “The best action you can take is to educate yourself… The more you understand, the better equipped you are to make sound judgments.”
Something’s off about Dad, just a lot of little things that don’t add up. When is it time to step in? “When Memory Fades” can help you decide.
Wise, wide-spread, comprehensive, and compassionately helpful, this is a book you can read and then take it to the doctor with your loved one. It’s a book that makes sense when nothing else does, and its biggest feature is that it smoothly transitions from easy-to-grasp science and charts, to gentle coaching for caregivers. Author Nathaniel Chin, MD writes with storytelling, humility, grace, and experience from both sides of the Alzheimer’s/dementia issue, and his words are reassuring but also urgent. Learn, but don’t wait, he says. Know how to safeguard yourself. See your doctor, and don’t fear testing. Watch for signs of depression. And never, ever stop asking for help.
Read those last seven words, and find “When Memory Fades” now. It’s a book to have on your shelf, whether you’re 45 or 95 because, as you’ll see, dementia happens and knowledge is key.
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