Virginia Pride 2024 was held at Bon Secours Training Center in Richmond, Va. on Saturday, September 14.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Pumpkin spice is back on the menu, the mercury in the thermometer is dropping, and Washington’s trees are starting to (slowly) fade into lighter hues of yellow and orange. This, along with a slew of new LGBTQ events across the District indicates that fall has un-officially begun. 

JR.’s is transforming into East High from Disney Channel’s “High School Musical” for a special live drag show: HIGHBALL MUSICAL! Local drag queens, including Citrine, Baphomette, NuNu Paris, and more will take over the legendary bar from Sept. 8-14. Showtimes are at 9 p.m. on Sept. 13, with two performances on Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $10. The show is for adults 21 and up. For more information visit JR.’s instagram at jrs_bar_dc. 

Local Drag star Cake Pop! is opening a pop-up bar of her own. The queen will take over the top floor of LGBTQ sports bar Pitchers, creating her own POP! BAR. The opening party on Sept. 12 will include drink specials, music, and live performances from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” queen Denali, local drag queens Venetian, Aquarius Moon, You’neek Nu’york, and many more. Doors open at 7 p.m. and performances start at 10 p.m. For tickets and more details on the pop-up experience visit popbardc.com. 

Do you think you have the hairiest chest in D.C.? Or are you a fan of a man with some fur? Then head to Uproar Lounge on Sept. 13 to compete in their Hairiest Chest Competition. The competition starts at 8 p.m. and goes until 1 a.m. with drinks and music pumping. For more information, visit uproarloungedc on Instagram.  

On Sept. 15, Kiki is holding a Glitter and Grades: Drag, Dance, and Donate fundraiser. The LGBTQ bar will collect funds to purchase supplies for local LGBTQ teachers as drag queens, strong drinks, and dancing will be had. The fundraiser is from 4-8 p.m. with a suggested entry donation of $5.  

Brat summer may be ending, but that doesn’t mean the brat attitude (and parties) must end. Bunker is hosting a cya brat party on Sept. 20 from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. The night will have Charli XCX-themed performances by drag artists trevHER and Venetian with DJ Miscalculated playing all your favorite Charli tracks. There is a $10 cover after 11 p.m. with $5 drink specials all night.  

Do polka music and beer steins fill you with glee? Then put on your lederhosen and get ready for some traditional Oktoberfest festivities. Red Bear Brewery is hosting OktoBEARfest on Sept. 21 from 11 a.m.-12 a.m. The festivities include a stein holding competition, live polka music, and a Lederhosen & Dirndl contest. For more information, visit Red Bear Brewery’s website at redbear.beer. 

On Saturday, Sept. 21 Shakers is hosting Drag Queen Tara Hoot’s Family Fun Story Time for kids of all ages. Tara Hoot will bring “tales, twirls, and fun.” Doors open at 12 p.m. and will last until 2 p.m. Free snacks and drinks for children will be given out. For more information visit Shakers’s Instagram page at shakersdc. 

DC Rawhides, a local organization dedicated to creating inclusive dance spaces for same-sex couples and the LGBTQ community, is hosting its bi-monthly country-western dance event. All are welcome to attend, learn to do-si-do and line dance—no experience necessary. A valid ID and a $10 donation will get you in the door. The last dance of September is on Saturday, the 21st, and the first October event is on the 5th, from 7-11 p.m. at the North Hall in Eastern Market. For more details, visit dcrawhides.com. 

On Sept. 24, Crush dance bar will hold a local politics Meet and Greet night, offering a chance to talk to candidates and nominees for the DC Council, DC State Board of Education, and other positions on the ballot. The event starts at 7 p.m. and is sponsored by the Blade and Team Rayceen.

Do you want to learn how to dance? Do you like ballet but have never felt like you belong in a dance class? Robert “Bambi” Woofter is calling all to come to their monthly Party & Prance dance class at Trade bar on Sept. 24. Come learn how to dance from an inaugural member of The Kennedy Center’s Dance Council, and teacher of dance at American University, George Washington University, and Dance Place for free. The class starts at 6:30 and goes until 7:30 p.m. For more information visit hausofbambi.com. 

Starting Wednesday, Sept. 25, Shakers will host its second annual MX Shakers Competition Drag Show. Eleven new drag queens will compete for the crown of MX Shakers with host Tatianna (from season 2 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and season 2 of “Drag Race All Stars.”) Every Wednesday for eight weeks, queens will perform to stay on the stage with the ultimate prize of hosting a gig of their own.  

The D.C. Drag Awards 2024 winner for best party DEEP CVNT is hosting its first collaboration with Xunt to put on DEEP XUNT! Xunt, a trans DJ collective in the District is working with party host GirliePop to host a trans celebratory mini-ball. The party starts at 9 p.m. at Trade on Sept. 26 with trans DJs, trans-inspired categories, and trans-centered vibe. All are encouraged to dress up and walk in the ball. For more information visit deepcvntparty on Instagram.  

Clocked, a new trans-centered comedy show, is coming to As You Are bar on Friday, Sept. 27. Headliners include New York City comic Charlie Girard, founder of Queers Can’t Take a Joke (an LGBTQ stand-up comedy class); local comic Bixby, a graduate of the first Queers Can’t Take a Joke cohort; and Grace Wynter, a writer’s assistant for FX’s English Teacher. Other queer comics will also take the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available at the door.   

Thomas Circle’s Green Lantern will host its monthly District Underwear Party on Oct. 4 from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Dance in a jock, thong, or whatever you feel hot and comfortable in as DJ Zyon plays music to get you moving. There is a $10 cover that includes a clothes check.   

Join Flashy for a celebration of Indigenous People’s Day and the 11th anniversary of Flashy, Flash’s iconic holiday party on Oct. 13. Dance the night away with music from TWiN and Sean Morris on the first floor, while a soon to be announced Grammy-nominated DJ/Producer spins on the rooftop. The party kicks off at 10 p.m. and goes until 4 a.m. Tickets are $40 online ahead of time and $50 at the door. This is a 21 and up event. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite. 

The Washington Blade’s annual Best Of LGBTQ DC party returns on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at Crush. Come out to celebrate our Local Hero and winners in 70 categories. Some winners will perform at the party. 

Have you picked your Halloween costume yet? If not, start thinking now. Crush is hosting a special exorcism-themed Altar Call partyon Oct. 31. The dance bar will host a night of spooky queer fun, culminating with a costume contest where one lucky (and best dressed) patron will win $1,000. 

“Something for everyone.” It’s a tired tagline, but in the case of this fall’s DMV theater season, it happens to be pretty much true. And a lot of the work is queer, directly or tangentially. Here’s a sliver of what’s already opened and what’s in store. 

Theater J jumps into the new season with “How to Be a Korean Woman” (through Sept. 22), Sun Mee Chomet’s comic and heartfelt telling of searching for her birth family in Seoul, South Korea. edcjcc.org

Woolly Mammoth Theatre opens with “The Comeuppance” (through Oct. 6), the latest work from Tony-winning out playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. 

“On the night of their 20th high school reunion, the self-proclaimed “Multi-Ethnic Reject Group” reconnects while they pregame in Prince George’s County, Md. But amid the flow of reminiscing, an otherworldly presence forces these former classmates to face the past head-on and reckon with an unknowable future.” Woollymammoth.net 

Signature Theatre kicks off with the D.C. premiere of Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer-winning play “Primary Trust” (through Oct. 20). Booth’s contemporary humor-filled tender tale of self-discovery and connection is followed by Signature’s big musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (Oct. 29-Jan. 12), Stephen Sondheim’s classic Roman-set musical comedy staged by Signature’s out artistic director Matthew Gardiner. Sigtheatre.org 

GALA Hispanic Theatre’s season opener, Gustavo Ott’s “The 22+ Weddings of Hugo” (through Sept. 29), is based on a true story. Performed in Spanish with easy-to-follow English surtitles, Ott’s raucous tale seeks to cover the various scenarios immigrants experience through many weddings. The cast features out actors Carlos Castillo as Hugo, a quiet postal clerk, and Victor Salinas who plays Elmar, a gay writer seeking refuge. José Zayas directs.  Galatheatre.org.

Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas Performing Arts Center presents “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” (through Oct. 6), a play with music about jazz legend/queer icon Billie Holiday starring Roz White. Mosaic’s out artistic director Reginald L. Douglas directs. Mosaictheater.org 

Ford’s Theatre presents “Mister Lincoln” (Sept. 20-Oct. 13), a “witty and revelatory” one-man show starring Scott Bakula (stage and screen actor famous for TV’s “Quantum Leap”). Fords.org  

ExPats Theatre (also housed at Atlas) opens with “Marlene” (Sept. 28 through Oct. 20) featuring Karin Rosnizeck as the legendary Dietrich, a great star who famously defied social and gender conventions while dazzling the world with her glamorous career. Expatstheate.com 

There’s a lot on offer at George Mason University’s Center for Arts this autumn, not least of all “An Evening with Lea Salonga” (Saturday, Sept. 28).

Tony-winning singer and actress Lea Salonga headlines the 2024 ARTS by George! benefit concert, performing songs from a four-decade career on Broadway and in animated movie hits. Born in the Philippines, Salonga originated the lead role of Kim in Miss Saigon, and she was the first Asian cast member to perform the role of Eponine in Les Misérables on Broadway. 

Other promising one-day-only GMU entertainments include Ballet Hispánico (Oct. 5) and Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble (Oct. 19). cfa.gmu.edu

Creative Cauldron in Falls Church presents “Sondheim Tribute Revue” (Oct. 3-27) a celebratory salute to musical giant Stephen Sondheim with eight performers singing 20 titles from the gay composer’s brilliant songbook including “Company,” “Follies,” “Into the Woods,” “A Little Night Music,” “Sweeney Todd,” and the recent Tony Award Winner, “Merrily We Roll Along,” and more. Creativecauldron.org 

Olney Theatre explores what makes a president great with “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground,” Sept. 27-Oct. 20. And for Disney fans, don’t miss “Frozen,” Oct. 24-Jan. 5. Olneytheatre.org

The Kennedy Center offers laughs and nostalgia with “Clue” (Sept.17 through Oct. 6), a whodunit based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game. Next up is “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Oct. 11 – 20). 

Other Kennedy Center treats include “An Evening with David Sedaris” (Oct. 15).  The gay humorist is slated to share his inimitable brand of satire and hilarious observations, and then it’s out sound healing artist Davin Youngs with “The Reset” (Oct. 28), his take on a “sound bath” including improvisational singing, looping devices, and healing instruments. Kennedy-center.org 

Fall is the best time at the beach, so plan a weekend in Rehoboth and visit the phenomenal Clear Space Theatre. “Venus in Fur” runs Sept. 19-29 followed by “Sweeney Todd” Oct. 11-27; and “Shrek” runs Nov. 8-10. Clearspacetheatre.org

Fall cabaret will be in full swing at the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., as soloists share heart-warming stories and songs about their travel adventures (Oct. 19 at 2, 5, and 8 p.m.). And, of course, no holiday season is complete without the Chorus’s annual holiday celebration set for Dec. 7, 14, and 15. Gmcw.org

Folger Theatre presents Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” (Oct. 1-Nov. 10) staged by inspiring out director Raymond O. Caldwell. A large, versatile cast features Cole Taylor and Caro Rayes Rivera as the star-crossed lovers, and a host of familiar local faces including Luz Nicolas, Deirdra LaWan Starnes, and out actor Fran Tapia as Lady Capulet. folger.edu

Studio Theatre serves up “Summer, 1976,” (opening Nov. 13), a memory play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn (“Proof”).  Directed by Vivienne Benesch, the two-hander features longtime D.C. favorites Kate Eastwood Norris and out actor Holly Twyford playing disparate women whose unlikely friendship and ensuing connection changes the course of their lives. Studiotheatre.org 

And on Wednesday, Dec. 4, Strathmore in North Bethesda presents “A Swingin’ Little Christmas,” a fun takeoff on kitschy, classic ‘50s and ‘60s holiday specials, featuring out TV star Jane Lynch (“Glee,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) alongside Kate Flannery (“The Office”), Tim Davis (“Glee’s” vocal arranger), and The Tony Guerrero Quintet. Strathmore.org