Arts & Entertainment
D.C. arts briefs: Sept. 21
17th Street Festival Saturday, Madonna plays two nights at Verizon Center and more
17th Street Festival Saturday
The third annual 17th Street Festival is Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. on the 17th Street N.W. corridor. The event is produced by the Urban Neighborhood Alliance and the Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets.
The event is designed as a community-building event showcasing the region’s shops, schools, restaurants, clubs, parks, art and residents. Streets will be closed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Look for booths, exhibits, games, entertainment and more.
Details are at 17thstreetfestival.org.
Dana Tai Soon Burgess and Company cap 20th season
Dana Tai Soon Burgess premieres his new work “Caverns” tonight at 8 at the George Washington University Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre (800 21st St. NW). Tickets for students are $15, $22 for artists and $25 for general admission.
“Caverns” explores the topic of memory and shows a journey of a woman remembering certain moments in a relationship. It will be performed by dancers Katia Chupashko Norri, Felipe Oyarun and Connie Fink. The performance will also include other works from the Company and followed by a panel discussion with Burgess, who’s gay, and the dancers. For details, visit vendini.com.
Madonna brings ‘MDNA Tour’ to D.C.
Madonna at her show in Philly last month. (Photo by Brian Walmer)
Madonna is back at the Verizon Center (601 F. St. NW) for her first D.C. shows since her 2004 “Re-Invention Tour” this weekend. Both shows begin at 8 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. The Sunday night show is sold out but tickets may still be available for Monday.
Before the concert Town (2009 8th St. NW) is celebrating all things Madonna, including her music, her videos and live performances by Tha Dance Camp. They call it MadonnaRama. Doors open Saturday night at 10. The cover costs $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $12 after 11. All drinks are $3 before 11 and you must be 21 and older to enter. For details on MadonnaRama information, visit towndc.com.
Black Fox Lounge hosts gay-themed ‘Spill’
Thursday night at 8, the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave. NW) is hosting “Spill — True Stories of Queer Sex, Desire and Romance,” a new monthly performance hosted by Jefferson. Every performance includes storytellers, comedians, sex educators and many others sharing their sexual experiences.
The host, Jefferson, is a sex educator and writer, who’s known for his blog, “One Life, Take Two.” It goes in depth of his life as a parent and his own sexual experiences. The bi New York resident also hosts a monthly series called “Bare! True Stories of Queer Sex, Desire and Romance.”
For more information on Spill, visit spillstories.wordpress.com.
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
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