Arts & Entertainment
D.C. arts briefs: Aug. 10
Tom Nichols at the Center, Queer Queens return to Birchmere and more
Tom Nichols plays the D.C. Center this weekend. (Photo courtesy Nichols)
A little night music
Singer-songwriter Tom Nichols performs Saturday night at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) starting at 8 p.m. Guests are suggested to make a $10 donation upon entry.
During his musical career, Nichols has experimented with a wide range of genres, including classical, folk, rock and pop. The openly gay singer/songwriter has also co-produced an independent musical on film, directed various choirs and has provided aspiring musicians voice and guitar lessons.
Nichols has produced 11 full-length albums, and has performed at impressive venues like Carnegie Hall in New York City and Boston Symphony Hall.
Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at thedccenter.org. For more information on Nichols, visit tomnicholsmusic.com.
Olympics at Nellie’s
Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) has extended hours during the Olympic games.
Today the bar will open two hours early at 3 p.m.; “Beat the Clock” happy hour will start at 5, featuring $2 bottles of Miller Lite and house vodka drinks from 5-6.
Nellie’s will start screening the Olympics at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning and the Olympic closing ceremony at 4 p.m. on Sunday, with $4 Miller Lite and house vodka drinks and $15 buckets of beer.
For more details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
A gay ole’ time
Now in their seventh year, the Queer Queens of Qomedy are bringing the laughs to Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Poppy Champlin, a producer and internationally popular comedian, selects the best lesbian comics from around the country for each performance. Michelle Balan, who has performed with the Queer Queens before, and newcomer Zoe Lewis will be featured in the Birchmere show along with Champlin.
Balan was a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and regularly performs at the NY Friars Club. Lewis is a musical comedian, supplementing her jokes with her piano and ukulele skills.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at thebirchmere.org. For more information on the show, visit queerqueensofqomedy.com.
Magic show launched at Helix Lounge
Kimpton’s Hotel Helix (1430 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) launches a new Friday night magic show series, “THINK: An Evening of Mind Reading and Magic,” featuring magician Josh Norris tonight at 8 p.m.
Norris is a D.C. native, magician and mind reader.
Ticketholders can enjoy an extended Helix Lounge happy hour by arriving early, as well as $4 “Magic Hat” beers and $8 “Magic Martinis.” Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at joshnorris.com. The show is recommended for ages 18 and older, but guests as young as 13 are welcome to attend.
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
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
