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Calendar through August 29

DJ Escape, drag cabaret, LGBT hip-hop and a Rehoboth 5k on tap this week

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DJ Escape, music, entertainment, gay news, Washington Blade
DJ Escape, music, entertainment, gay news, Washington Blade

DJ Escape is at Town tonight (Friday). (Photo courtesy DJ Escape)

Friday, August 23

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.

Remington’s Nightclub (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) hosts “The A-List Show” tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. The drag show, featuring Ladi Lenore and The Empire, starts at 11:30. Admission is $10.

Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) hosts a reception to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the March On Washington tonight from 6-10 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. For more information, visit uhupil.org.

DJ Escape, a New York-based deejay who has spun at some of the world’s largest nightclubs and made remixes for stars like Beyoncé and Gwen Stefani, spins tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). Doors open at 10 p.m. and the drag show starts at 10:30. Cover is $8 from 10-11, and $12 after 11. For details, visit towndc.com.

The Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) hosts “GAY/BASH,” an alternative LGBT dance party and drag show, tonight at 9:30 p.m. DJs Joshua Vogelsong and Dean Sullivan blend electro and bass pop with punk and rock and roll all night. The party features two drag performances, one at 11:30 and the other at 1 a.m. Admission is $10 and open to guests 18 and over. For details and to purchase tickets, visit blackcatdc.com.

Olivia & the Mates, fronted by lesbian singer-songwriter Olivia Mancini, perform tonight with Matthew Sweet at the Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $29.50. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit birchmere.com or oliviamancini.com.

Saturday, Aug. 24

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.

Maryland Trans*Unity hosts a picnic and potluck for all transgender, genderqueer and gender non-conforming individuals from 2-6 p.m. at Open Door MCC (15817 Barnesville Rd., Boyds, Md.). For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Layla Lounge (501 Morse St., N.E.) hosts an “Elite Boyz” dance party tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over and is free before midnight and $10 afterward. For details, visit layladc.com.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts “Beats and the City,” a laser light show and dance party with DJs Eddie Elias and Luis Perez, from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Admission is $10 and open to guests 18 and over. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit cobaltdc.com.

Club Hippo (1 West Eager St., Baltimore, M.D.) hosts “Vogue,” a Madonna birthday tribute party, tonight from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. DJ Jason Royce spins Madonna classics all night, and $2 rail drinks and draft specials will be served. Cover is $8 and is free those with military or college IDs and those who share Madonna’s Zodiac sign. For more information, visit clubhippo.com.

The Latino Queer Bilingual Writing Group hosts a creative writing workshop at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) today from 12:30-2:30 p.m. The workshop is open to writers of all genres and levels of experience who wish to write in Spanish or English. Visit thedccenter.org for more information.

Sunday, Aug. 25

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 Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) hosts karaoke tonight from 9 p.m.-midnight. Cover is $3, and there will also be pool, video gaming systems and cards. For more information, visit bachelorsmill.com.

Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Guil-Tea Dance Party” today from 3-8 p.m. DJ Shea Van Horn spins pop guilty pleasures all afternoon. Admission is free and limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

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.) from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. For details, visit clubmuse.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.

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts a “Celebration of Bayard Rustin’s Life” today from 2-5 p.m. The event includes a “Meeting for Worship” at 2, light refreshments at 3 and a screening of the biopic film, “Brother Outsider,” at 3:30. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Heart to Hand, a non-profit devoted to assisting people with HIV and AIDS, is having a benefit called Skate Away HIV Day today at the Temple Hills Skating Palace (3132 Branch Ave., Temple Hills, Md.) from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is free and the first 500 who get tested at the event will get free skate rentals.

The fourth annual Sundance Land & Sea event is today at 8 a.m. (7:30 check-in) at the Rehoboth Bandstand in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Participants can do either a 5k run, half-mile swim, one-mile walk or biathlon. Participants are encouraged to pick up their packets on Saturday. The event is a benefit for CAMP Rehoboth. Visit seashorestriders.com for details.

Monday, Aug. 26

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Monday’s a Total Drag [Show]” party tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. An episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” screens at 9, and then a live drag show will be featured. Admission is 18 and up and is free. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.

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.

The Capital Area Rainbowlers Association (CARA) hosts a social tonight at the AMF Annandale Lanes (4245 Markham St., Annandale, Va.) from 8-10 p.m. All local LGBT groups are invited to attend. Bowling is $1 per game and shoe rental is $1. For more information, visit carabowling.org.

Tuesday, Aug. 27

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts a genderqueer discussion group from 7-8 p.m. tonight for people who identify outside of the gender binary. For more information, visit thedccenter.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.

Wednesday, Aug. 28

The Dupont Drawing Group meets tonight at 7 p.m. at The Church of the Pilgrims (2201 P St., N.W.) to draw from a 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, and a modest fee to pay the model will be collected. For more information, visit paulreuther.com.

Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) hosts a support group for black gay men living with HIV from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit uhupil.org.

The Lambda Bridge Club meets at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. Reservations are not necessary and newcomers are welcome. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Thursday, Aug. 29

SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts “Chat it Up,” a support group for LGBT youth, from 5-7 p.m. tonight. For more information, visit smyal.org.

Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, 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.

Whitman-Walker Health provides free HIV testing at Miriam’s Kitchen (2401 Virginia Ave., N.W.) tonight from 4-6 p.m. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival

LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town

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A scene from the 2026 Fredericksburg Pride March. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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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Egypt

Iran, Egypt play in World Cup ‘Pride Match’

FIFA allowed Pride flags inside Seattle stadium

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(Screen capture via KOMO News/YouTube)

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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Photos

PHOTOS: Frederick Pride Parade

Second annual LGBTQ march held in Maryland city

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A scene from the 2026 Frederick Pride Parade. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The second annual Frederick Pride Parade was held in the streets of downtown Frederick, Md. on Friday, June 26.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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