Arts & Entertainment
Holy week services
LGBT-welcoming houses of worship list Easter celebrations
TODAY (Good Friday)
Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) is having a three-hour service and meditation today. The service begins at noon with meditation at 6:30 p.m.
The 6th and I Historic Synagogue (600 I St., N.W.) is having its community Seder tonight at 7 p.m. This event is sold out but to be added to the waitlist, email Beth Semel at [email protected] with name and contact information.
Foundry United Methodist Church (1500 16th St., N.W.) has two Good Friday services today at noon and 7 p.m.
National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.) will have Communion on the street at 8 a.m. and Good Friday Service at 7:30 p.m.
St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church (1830 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) will have Stations of the Cross, Good Friday Liturgy and Veneration of the Cross at noon.
Metropolitan Community Church of D.C. (474 Ridge St., N.W.) will have its Good Friday Service at 7 p.m.
The United Church (1920 G St., N.W.) will have its Good Friday worships at noon in German and 12:30 p.m. in English.
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring) is screening the film “Easter Parade” starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in their only screen pairing today at 4:45 p.m. Tickets are $8.50 for general admission and $7 for children. The film will also be screened on Saturday at noon and 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 12:45 p.m. and Monday at 4:45 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit afi.com.
Saturday, April 7
Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) is having its Great Vigil of Easter tonight at 8 p.m.
Foundry United Methodist Church (1500 16th St., N.W.) is having a children’s Easter egg hunt today at 10:30 a.m.
St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church (1830 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) will have Easter vigil at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 8
Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) will have its Easter Sunday Festival Holy Eucharist today at 8 and 11 a.m. Passes are required to attend both services and are available through nationalcathedral.org.
Foundry United Methodist Church (1500 16th St., N.W.) has its Sunday worship services today at 9:30 and 11 a.m. and its Easter community meal tonight at 6:30 p.m.
Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ (3845 South Capitol St., S.W.) has its sunrise service at 6 a.m. followed by Easter breakfast. The Sunday School Easter program is at 9:30 a.m. and Easter service starts at 10:45 a.m.
National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.) will have Easter Sunrise prayer service on the steps at 6:15 a.m., gospel service at 8:30 a.m. and traditional worship at 11 a.m.
Margaret’s Episcopal Church (1830 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) will have the Holy Eucharist at 9 and 11:15 a.m.
Metropolitan Community Church of D.C. (474 Ridge St., N.W.) will have its Easter Sunday services at 9 and 11 a.m.
The United Church (1920 G St., N.W.) will have its Good Friday worships at 9:30 a.m. in German and 11 a.m. in English followed by a children’s Easter egg hunt.
Monday, April 9
The Obamas will host the 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll today. This year’s theme is “Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move” and a there is special keepsake egg featuring the First Dog Bo.
Tuesday, April 10
Foundry United Methodist Church (1500 16th St., N.W.) has an LGBT Bible study group meeting today at 7:30 p.m.
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
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