Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Sept. 28
Parties, concerts, exhibits and more through Oct. 4
Stewart Lewis (photo courtesy Stewart Lewis)
TODAY
The National Gay HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Conference and reception are both held today. The Conference occurs from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Barbara Jordan Conference Center: Kaiser Family Foundation (1330 G St. NW), while the Reception will take place at 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Number Nine (1435 P St. NW).
Arena Stage begins its “One Night with Janis Joplin” show tonight at the Kreeger Theater (1101 6th St. SW) at Arena Stage. The show continues through Nov. 4. For more information, visit arenastage.org.
Thank GLAAD It’s Friday, a networking event for young LGBT professionals, is tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Penthouse (1612 U Street, NW). This is part of a national series offered by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Visit glaad.org for details.
Local gay singer/songwriter Stewart Lewis plays from 6-8:30 p.m. tonight at Beacon Bar & Grill (1615 Rhode Island Ave. NW) on its rooftop Sky Bar area. No cover. More information at stewartlewis.com.
The National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day events continue today with a conference today from 8:30 a.m. ti 4:30 p.m. at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center at the Kaiser Family Foundation (1330 G Street NW). A reception follows from 5:30-7:30 at Number Nine (1435 P Street NW). This is a National Association of People with AIDS event. Details are at napwa.org.
Saturday, Sept. 29
The Green Festival Eco Fashion Showcase is set today from 1-4 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place NW). For more information, visit greenfestivals.org.
DJ Cottontail will be making his East Coast debut at Town (2009 8th St. NW) tonight at 10:30. There is an $8 cover charge from 10-11 p.m. and a $12 cover charge after 11 p.m. For details, visit towndc.org.
Biometric palm prints, known as “next generation identification” for this FBI-developed ID database, are being offered free today as part of a child safety program at Don Beyer Volvo (1231 West Broad Street, Falls Church, Va.) today from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Parents can have the palm prints, fingerprints, a color digital photo and a child safety journal — all free — on a disc. These are the only copies that are kept — prints and photos are not made part of a database. These are provided for parents whose children go missing. Organizers say about 40 percent of prints left are palm prints so having these on file can be an added resource in helping police find missing children. Visit lifeprintevent.com to RSVP.
Opera in the Outfield is today at Nationals Park with a free simulcast of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Gates open at 5 p.m. Opera starts at 7. Details are at operaintheoutfield.org.
The D.C. Eagle (639 New York Ave.) is having a yard sale today from noon to 4 p.m. prior to its moving to a new location. Details at dceagle.com.
Sunday, Sept. 30
Dignity Washington, a local LGBT Catholic group, holds its weekly Sunday Mass tonight at 6 at St. Margaret’s Church (1820 Connecticut Ave. NW). For details, visit dignitywashington.org.
Joey Arias performs with drag legend Lady Bunny today at the Speak Easy at L’Enfant Café (2000 18th Street NW) in Adams Morgan tonight at 7 and 10:30 p.m. Details at laboumbrunch.com.
Monday, Oct. 1
Cobalt (1639 R St. NW) holds its weekly Martini Monday tonight at 10. There is no cover charge and you must be 21 and older to enter. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.
Nellie’s Sport Bar (900 U St. NW) hosts its daily Beat the Clock Happy Hour tonight starting at 5. This includes bottles of Miller Lite, and house vodka drinks. The specials are: 5-6 p.m. $2 drinks, 6-7 p.m. $3 drinks and 7-8 p.m. $4 drinks. For details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Tuesday, Oct. 2
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court NW) and Burgundy Crescent will team up for safer sex, during their weekly Safer Sex Kit packing session tonight from 7-10:30 p.m. Volunteers come together to pack kits and pass them out in as many bars, clubs and other venues in the D.C. area. It creates a way to make new friends in the LGBT community as well. For more information, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Treble Tuesdays are back at Mova Lounge (2204 14th St. NW) with special music of any request, all night. There will be no cover charge and $8 martini specials. For more information, visit movalounge.com.
Special Agent Galactica performs a rock show tonight at MOVA (2204 14th Street NW) from 8 to 10 p.m. She headlines there the first Tuesday of each month. Guests tonight are Thomas J and David Knight. Details at pinkhairedone.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 3
Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St. NW) will hold its weekly game of Smart Ass Trivia tonight at 8 and 9 p.m. Each game includes five questions per round that get progressively harder. The winning team receives $40 off of their bar tab, while second prize get $20 off their bar tab. Third prize receives $10 off. For details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
BOGO nights at MOVA Lounge (2204 14th St. NW) are back in D.C. tonight from 5-close, everything is two for one. There is no cover charge and all of the specialty drinks can be found on their site. DJ Neekola will be spinning all night. For more information, visit movalounge.com.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club, an LGBT group, meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th Street, S.E.) across from the Marine Barracks for social bridge. No partner needed. Click on “social bridge in Washington DC” at lambdabridge.com for more information.
Bookmen D.C., an informal gay men’s literature group, meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. to discuss “The Unreal Life of Sergei Nabokov” by Paul Russell. The discussion will take place at Tenleytown Library (4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW). Visit bookmendc.blogspot.com for details.
Thursday, Oct. 4
The Rainbow History Project Pioneer Reception and Exhibit is tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Thurgood Marshall Community Center (1816 12th Street NW). This year’s honorees are Robert Alfandre, Colevia Carter, Keith Monroe, Paulette Goodman, Jose Gutierrez, Susan Hester, Len Hirsch, Robert Miailovich, Bob Summersgill and Jessica Xavier. Now in its 12th year, the Rainbow History Project is dedicated to preserving LGBT history for the D.C. area. For more information, e-mail to [email protected] or call 202-431-9139. More information is at rainbowhistory.org.
The Adah Rose Gallery (3766 Howard Ave. Kensington, Md,) will showcase Thomas Drymon and Julie Wolsztynski works beginning today through early November. Drymon’s series “End of Empire” started his D.C.-based work in 2007.Wolsztynski’s series “New York Poetry” is a series of films. For more details, visit adahrosegallery.com.
Howard Theatre (620 T St. NW) hosts Peaches and DJ Extravaganza tonight at 9 p.m. The Toronto-born Peaches is known for her sexually progressive lyrics, rock and electro sound and bold performances. Her first single, “Fuck the Pain Away” is still circulating in the indie, fashion and queer circles. For details, visit howardtheatre.com.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
Let love and compassion guide our response to Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis
D.C. Black Pride 2025: Events, parties, and empowerment
Cuban lawmakers to consider simplifying process for trans people to change IDs
Frank Kameny’s legacy lives on
