Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Aug. 10
Concerts, exhibits, parties and more through Aug. 16
Marina Diamandis plays the 9:30 Club Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy Fly-Life Inc.)
TODAY (Friday)
Arlington LGBTQ Youth, a metropolitan DC PFLAG youth group, hosts an LGBTQ teen concert tonight from 7-10 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, Va.). Cash donations are appreciated but not required for admission. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Town hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. Admission is free and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit towndc.com.
The Black Cat hosts Disco in the Dark tonight at 9:30 p.m., a dance party with resident DJs Mr. Bonkerz, William Devon and Remote Ctrl. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door. For more details, visit blackcatdc.com.
Remington’s Nightclub (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) hosts Lady Lenore’s A-List Party tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. The drag show begins at 11:30; early arrival is suggested. Admission is $10. For more information, visit remingtonswdc.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for the GLBT Arts Consortium and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop’s production of “The Gondoliers” operetta at 6:30 p.m. at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th St., S.E.). Duties include working at the box office and concessions stand and ushering. Email [email protected] if interested and visit burgundycrescent.org for more information.
Saturday, Aug. 11
SlutWalk DC, a march against attitudes that promote slut shaming in U.S. culture, begins at Lafayette Square by the National Mall at 11 a.m. and lasts till 2 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org or slutwalkdc.com.
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) provides free HIV testing today from 4-7 p.m. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
DJ Twin spins tonight at Town. Doors open at 10 p.m. and the drag show starts at 10:30. Tickets are limited to guests 21 and over and are $8 from 10-11 and $12 after 11. $3 drinks will be served before 11. For more details, visit towndc.com.
Sunday, Aug. 12
The D.C. Kings perform tonight at Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.). Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit phase1dc.com.
Busboys and Poets hosts a singer-songwriter open mic night from 7:30-9:30 p.m. this evening. Songwriters Association of Washington (SAW), a non-profit that benefits aspiring and professional singer-songwriters, will be scouting for outstanding artists at the event. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at busboysandpoets.com or at the door if still available.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today at the D.C. Central Kitchen (425 2nd St., N.W.) from 9 a.m.-noon. No prior cooking experience is required. Email [email protected] if interested and visit burgundycrescent.org for more information.
Monday, Aug. 13
The Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) presents La-Ti-Do tonight from 8-10 p.m. La-Ti-Do is a spoken word and musical theater cabaret series produced by Regie Cabico and DonMike Mendoza. Admission is $10. For details, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
The Fireplace hosts happy hour starting at 9 p.m. tonight. Rail liquor and domestic beer can be purchased for $3. Admission is free and limited to guests 21 and over. Visit fireplacedc.com for more details.
GiveWell D.C., a charity organization that is part of EatWell D.C., invites guests to dine at any EatWell restaurant tonight. 15 percent of all money spent on dining and drinking goes to the City Dogs Rescue organization. EatWell D.C. restaurants include Grillfish (1200 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.), Logan Tavern (1423 P St., N.W.), Comissary (1443 P St., N.W.), The Heights (3115 14th St., N.W.) and The Pig (1320 14th St., N.W.).
Tuesday, Aug. 14
The D.C. Center’s Bi Women group meets tonight at Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) from 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) presents Marina and the Diamonds tonight at 7 p.m. Marina Diamandis, the singer-songwriter of this one-woman show, pokes fun at the superficiality of American pop culture in her electro-pop music and cites gay icons like Britney Spears and Madonna as her biggest influences. Tickets are sold out. For more details, visit 930.com.
The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) hosts happy hour tonight starting at 5:30 p.m. Drink specials will be served all night. For details, visit thebachelorsmill.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, helps out with safer sex kit packing at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) from 7-10:30 p.m. Prior registration is not required. For more details, visit burgundycrescent.org or thedccenter.org.
Wednesday, Aug. 15
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) has karaoke tonight starting at 10 p.m. Admission is free and limited to guests 21 and over. $5 Absolut and Smirnoff cocktails will be served. Visit cobaltdc.com for more details.
Jazz musician Jeron White performs tonight at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 8-11 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. for social bridge at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.). No partner is needed to participate. For more details, visit lambdabridge.com.
Thursday, Aug. 16
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts a poly discussion group tonight from 7-9 p.m. The group is open to people of all sexual orientations and discusses polyamory and other non-monogamous relationships. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its weekly best package contest tonight with hosts Lena Lett and BaNaka at midnight. Participants can win up to $200 in prizes. Admission is $3 and limited to guests 21 and over. $2 rail drinks will be served from 9-11. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Funk guitarist Kevin Robinson performs tonight at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 8-11 p.m. Tickets are free. For more details, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
Whitman-Walker Health provides HIV testing at Glorious Health Club (2120 West Virginia Ave., N.E.) from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.
The 13th annual Frederick Pride Festival was held at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, June 27.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Photos
PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
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