Arts & Entertainment
Calendar through August 22
Pat Benatar, Will Gartshore among next week’s events
The D.C. Mystics in action. Night OUT with the team is Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Mystics)
Friday, August 16
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. There is no cover charge, and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit towndc.com.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts “Deejay Gauthreaux’s Mother F*ckin’ Birthday Bash” tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. for guests 21 and over. Free rail vodka drinks will be served from 10-11. Admission is $10. For details and to purchase tickets, visit cobaltdc.com.
Whitman-Walker Health provides free HIV testing at The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8t St., S.E.) at 10 p.m. tonight. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.
Aqua Bar and Lounge (1818 New York Ave., N.E.) hosts “Club Fuego,” a Latino gay dance party, from 10:30 p.m.-3 a.m. tonight. Admission is $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit aquadc.com.
Will Gartshore performs “Dressed Up: A Class-Conscious Cabaret” in the “Sizzlin’ Summer Cabaret Series” at Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va.) at 7 p.m. tonight. Gartshore will perform classic hits by Sondheim, The Beatles and Gershwin with pianist Christopher Wingert. Admission is $31.15. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit signature-theatre.org.
Saturday, Aug. 17
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts a “We Love the ‘90s” party tonight for guests 21 and over. The evening features all ‘90s music and videos upstairs, with a ‘90s drag performance at 10:30 p.m. Doors open at 10. Cover is $8 from 10-11 and $12 after 11. For details, visit towndc.com.
Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Booty Beach Ladies Dance Party.” The winner of the party’s bikini and board shorts contest will receive cash and prizes. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $5. Visit phase1dc.com for more information.
The Black Lesbian Support Group meets at the University of D.C. Student Services Building (4200 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) at 3 p.m. today. For more information, visit blsg.com.
Matchbox (1901 14th St., N.W.) hosts a retreat for the D.C. Center’s Youth Working Group from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit thedccenter.org for more information.
D.C. Eagle (639 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts a bar night for the Centaur Motorcycle Club tonight at 9 p.m. For more details, visit dceagle.com or centaurmc.org.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for a lost dog and cat rescue foundation at the Falls Church PetSmart (6100 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, Va.) from 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit burgundycrescent.org for more information.
Sunday, Aug. 18
K&C Productions hosts its weekly “Sizzling Hot Sundays,” an LGBT hip-hop and house music dance party, at Club Muse (717 6th St., N.W.) tonight from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. For details, visit clubmuse.com.
Perry’s (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly Sunday Drag Brunch today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet. For details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
The Black Fox Lounge (1723) hosts “Tula’s Cabaret,” a classic lip-sync drag show, from 8-11 p.m. tonight. Admission is free. For more information, visit
blackfoxlounge.com.
Special Agent Galactica performs tonight with jazz guitarist, Peter Fields, at L’Enfant Café (2000 18th St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. The show features music from the Golden Age of Jazz, the Blues of Burlesque and some Hollywood classics. Admission is free. For details, visit pinkhairedone.com.
Monday, Aug. 19
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Casa Ruby, a safe space for members of the Latino transgender community, (2822 Georgia Ave., N.W.) provides Spanish-language career development today from 4-6 p.m. For more information, visit the dccenter.org or casaruby.org.
Tuesday, Aug. 20
Whitman-Walker Health provides free HIV testing at Panam Supermarket (3552 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts its weekly FUK!T Packing Party tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.
Team D.C. presents “Night OUT at the Mystics vs. the Chicago Sky” tonight at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Center (601 F St., N.W.). Tickets range from $17-300. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit teamdc.org.
Pat Benatar, who has maintained an LGBT following with her ‘80s smash hits and involvement in gay Pride parades, performs tonight with Neil Giraldo of Cheap Trick at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.). Admission is $25-42. For details and to purchase tickets, visit wolftrap.org.
Wednesday, Aug. 21
Whitman-Walker Health provides free HIV testing at Congresswoman Eleanor Norton’s annual job fair today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Pl., N.W.). For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) hosts a support group for black gay men living with HIV tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit uhupil.org.
Midtown (1219 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) hosts “Mix It Up 2.0,” an LGBT dance party, tonight from 8:30-midnight. All groups of six entering together get a free bottle of champagne. For details, visit midtown-dc.com.
“WAIFs,” an all female stand-up and sketch comedy group, perform tonight at Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $5 and limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
The Dupont Drawing Group meets tonight at 7 p.m. at The Church of the Pilgrims (2201 P St., N.W.) to draw from the live model. The session is self-directed with no formal instruction, and no materials are provided. Drawing spots and easels are available on a first-come-first-serve basis, so guests should arrive anytime after 6:45. No reservations are required but a modest fee to pay the model will be collected. For more information, visit paulreuther.com.
Thursday, Aug. 22
Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, today at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.). Doors open at 5 p.m. for happy hour until 9, and the club closes at 1 a.m. Admission is $5 all night and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit rudeboientertainment.wordpress.com.
Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) meet tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.). The organization works to reduce violence toward LGBT people through community outreach, education and monitoring legal cases to ensure the dignity of LGBT victims. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
D.C. Eagle (639 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts a “Beltway Bears Bar Night” this evening at 9 p.m. For details, visit dceagle.com or beltwaybears.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.’”
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