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Best of Gay D.C. 2017: DINING

Winners from the Washington Blade’s annual poll

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Gay D.C., gay news, Washington Blade

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Best Ethnic Restaurant

Rasika

Popular Indian restaurant in Penn Quarter. Also won in 2015.

633 D St., N.W.

rasikarestaurant.com

Editor’s choice: Thai Tanic

Rasika (Photo by T. Tseng; courtesy Flickr)

Best Bottomless Mimosa/Bloody Marys

Level One

Brunch is served a la carte every Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

1639 R St., N.W.

levelonedc.com

Editor’s choice: Commissary

Level One, gay news, Washington Blade

Level One (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Place in Union Market

Salt & Sundry

Editor’s Choice: Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.

According to the store’s social media, food writer Amanda McClements is proud to bring her passion for stylish entertaining to life at Salt & Sundry in D.C.’s bustling Union Market. She opened the shop in November, 2012 to share her love of cooking, entertaining and design, and says that she and her team ā€œare constantly on the hunt for new pieces that reflect the shop’s urban bohemian aesthetic.ā€

According to McClements, ā€œour ever-changing collection of goods for good living features handcrafted furniture, dinnerware, linens, covetable vintage finds and a pantry stocked with small-batch foods and craft cocktail ingredients.ā€ She is also proud to offer farm tables hand-made by her father, a North Carolina craftsman who creates furniture out of salvaged and locally milled wood. She brags that, ā€œhis pieces are one-of-a-kind and showcase the rustic beauty and patina of aged wood.ā€

The store also hosts special events and demonstrations with local chefs, mixologists and food personalities.
In addition to the Union Market location, Salt & Sundry has added stores in the Logan and Shaw neighborhoods and has been featured in such notable publications as ā€œBetter Homes and Gardens,ā€ ā€œThe Best of Southern Style,ā€ ā€œSouthern Living,ā€ ā€œHouse Beautiful, ā€œFood & Wine,ā€ ā€œWashingtonianā€ and ā€œMartha Stewart Living.ā€ (BTC)

Salt & Sundry

1309 5th St., N.E.

@saltandsundry

shopsaltandsundry.com

Salt & Sundry (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Locally Made Product

Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.

Approachable, affordable and portable Southern staples.

2301 Bladensburg Rd., N.E.

masondixiebiscuits.com

Editor’s choice: Compass Coffee

(Photo courtesy of Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.)

Best Michelin Star Restaurant: Pineapple and Pearls

Editor’s Choice: Inn at Little Washington

In a time when fast casual is king, Pineapple and Pearls chooses to reign supreme in the realm of special occasion restaurants — the kind of place where you go with the love of your life to celebrate a milestone.

The details are worthy of true fine dining, from fine china to edible parting gifts, and the acoustics are so good that you’ll even be able to hear your special someone cooing at you across the table. You’ll splurge, of course, but Chef Aaron Silverman and his stellar staff will make it worth every penny, with a sumptuous 11-course tasting menu that will absolutely live up to the hype.

Expect to pay $280 per person when seated in the dining room, which includes wine pairings, gratuity and tax, or $180 per person at the bar, where drinks can be ordered a la carte. Past menu highlights have included roasted potato ice cream with caviar and crispy potato threads, sweetbread tacos on handmade tortillas, and a playful PB&J made with foie gras butter and cherry preserves.

If the price tag is too rich for your blood, go ahead and reserve a spot on the patio, where you can order a few snacks and drinks at more modest prices of about $16 each. Because Pineapple and Pearls is usually not open on Saturday, it also means that weeknights just became cool again. (KH)

Pineapple and Pearls

715 8th St., S.E.

pineapplesandpearls.com

Chef Aaron Silverman (Photo by Kate Warren)

Best Food Festival or Event

Taste of D.C.

The largest culinary festival in the mid-Atlantic ran Oct. 7-8.

thetasteofdc.org

Editor’s choice: RAMW Restaurant Week

Taste of D.C. (Photo public domain)

Best Craft Cocktails

Columbia Room

Editor’s Choice: Five to One

The moment you enter the hushed environs of Columbia Room, you’ll immediately know that this is no ordinary bar. Recently named America’s best cocktail bar at the 2017 Spirited Awards, Columbia Room offers drinks that hover somewhere between intellect and fantasy — playful twists on classics, from a Manhattan crafted with ā€œzombie vermouthā€ to a Sazerac spiced with roasted star anise.

The cozy Spirits Library is a perfect spot to curl up with a cocktail and a friend or two with a jazzy soundtrack, and there’s a fun punch garden out front for hanging with a crowd, but the gem is the elegant tasting room tucked away in the back. Go for either a three- or five-course tasting menu ($79 and $108, respectively, gratuity included) of cocktail and snack-sized food pairings — the themes change with the seasons, offering an interesting little flavor journey that turns an ordinary night at the bar into something a little more elevated. (KH)

Columbia Room

124 Blagden Alley, N.W.

columbiaroomdc.com

Columbia Room (Photo by Whiskeywarrior; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Best Fast Casual Dining

CAVA

Editor’s Choice: Ted’s Bulletin

It’s no secret that fast casual dining has taken over the restaurant landscape, but few have done it better than CAVA, the offshoot of Cava Mezze, which got its start right here in the region.

If there’s a secret ingredient that accounts for the chain’s success, it’s that the flavors taste authentic, probably because they are a true reflection of the Greek roots of the company’s founders. The assembly line format so popular these days works well with the fresh ingredients, from grilled meatballs spiked with lemon and oregano to garlicky braised lamb, topped off with some of the standouts that originally appeared at Cava Mezze, like the spicy Crazy Feta and the roasted eggplant and bell peppers mixed with tangy Greek yogurt.

Garnishes like pickled banana peppers from locally owned Gordy’s Pickle Jar and fresh mint provide just that touch of brightness that makes lunch at your desk feel a little less sad. (KH)

CAVA

Various locations across DC, Maryland and Virginia

cava.com

CAVA (Photo courtesy of CAVA)

Best Local Brewery

D.C. Brau

ā€œPopular craft brewery offering free tours and tastings.ā€ Third win in this category!

3178-B Bladensburg Rd., N.E.

dcbrau.com

Editor’s choice: Right Proper Brewing

DC Brau (Photo by Steph Harding Photo)

Best Local Distillery

District Distilling Co.

Reclaimed barn doors and brick walls are the backdrop for American fare and drinks crafted from spirits made on-site.

1414 U St., N.W.

district-distilling.com

Editor’s choice: Republic Restoratives

District Distilling Co. (Photo courtesy of District Distilling)

Best Burger

Shake Shack

Locations in Dupont Circle, F Street and Union Station.

shakeshack.com

Editor’s choice: Duke’s Grocery

Shake Shack (Photo by Shake Shack burger and fries; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Best Caterer

Rocklands Barbecue and Grilling Company

Editor’s Choice: Patrick Vanas Events

Craving something big and beefy for your next event? Look no further than Rocklands Barbecue, which dishes up stacks of wood-smoked baby-back ribs, brisket, chicken and leg of lamb, not to mention their Mason-Dixon macaroni salad, homemade apple compote and barbecued baked beans.

Their full-service catering operation offers everything from table rentals to ice cream sundae bars, and you can get as refined as you like with passed appetizers of brown sugar bacon skewers or avocado toast, or go whole hog and literally opt for a whole smoked pig to anchor your holiday table. (KH)

Locations in Washington, Arlington and Alexandria.

rocklands.com

Rocklands BBQ and Grilling Company (Photo courtesy Facebook)

Beat Cheap Eats

&pizza

Third consecutive win in this category!

1215 Connecticut Ave., N.W.

1250 U St., N.W.

1400 K St., N.W.

andpizza.com

Editor’s choice: Amsterdam Falafel

&pizza (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Chef

Jose Andres

Spanish-American chef often credited for bringing small plates to the U.S. America Eats Tavern is coming soon to Georgetown. Other locations include Barmini (501 9th St., N.W.), China Chilcano (418 7th St., N.W.) and Jaleo D.C. (480 7th St., N.W.).

joseandres.com

Editor’s choice: Jamie Leeds

JosƩ AndrƩs (Photo by Blair Getz Mezibov)

Best Coffee Shop

Compass Coffee

Second consecutive win in this category!

1335 7th St., N.W.

compasscoffee.com

Editor’s choice: Tryst

Compass Coffee (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Date Restaurant

Floriana

ā€œIntimate, white-tableclothed bistro offering lasagna and other Italian classics with weekly specials.ā€ Second consecutive win in this category!

1602 17th St., N.W.

florianarestaurant.com

Runner-up: Busboys and Poets

Floriana (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Ice Cream/Gelato

Dolcezza

1418 14th St., N.W.

dolcezzagelato.com

Editor’s choice: Ice Cream Jubilee

Best Farmer’s Market

Eastern Market

Second consecutive win in this category!

225 7th St., S.E.

easternmarket-dc.org

Editor’s choice: FARMFRESH Dupont Circle Market

Dolcezza (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Eastern Market (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Food Truck

Peruvian Brothers

Editor’s Choice: Far East Taco

Frequently landing at the top of favorite food truck lists, Peruvian Brothers offers up authentic homestyle flavors based on the dishes that brothers Mario and Giuseppe Lanzone grew up eating on the coast of Peru.

Pan con chicharrón, fried pork tenderloin and slices of grilled sweet potato on a French roll and topped off with the duo’s signature criolla sauce — made with vinegary thinly sliced red onions — is a perennial favorite, along with a baked tilapia filet sandwich and hearty empanadas stuffed with beef, chicken or spinach. Be sure to try the Peruvian wild rice, studded with bacon, raisins and walnuts, and save room for alfajores, a traditional sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche. (KH)

Peruvian Brothers food truck

peruvianbrothers.com

Peruvian Brothers (Photo courtesy Facebook)

Best Pizza

Comet Ping Pong

Hip crowd eats pizza and wings while playing ping pong and listening to bands in warehouse-chic digs.

5037 Connecticut Ave., N.W.

cometpingpong.com

Editor’s choice: Matchbox

Comet Ping Pong (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Rehoboth Restaurant

Blue Moon

Bright, remodeled Craftsman cottage serving upscale American fare with regular live entertainment.

35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.

bluemoonrehoboth.com

Editor’s choice: Fable

Blue Moon (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)

Best Local Winery

Breaux Vineyards

Second consecutive win in this category!

36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Purcellville, Va.

breauxvineyards.com

Editor’s choice: The Winery at Bull Run

Breaux Vineyards (Photo courtesy of Breaux)

To see winners in other categories in the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. 2017 Awards, click here.

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a&e features

Drag legend Ella Fitzgerald returns to the stage for Capital Pride festival

Donnell Robinson on 40 years as a performer and the current political backlash against drag

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Ella Fitzgerald performs at the Capital Pride Festival in 2019. (Washington Blade file photo by Drew Brown)

Donnell Robinson, who has dazzled audiences in the nation’s capital as the drag personality of Ella Fitzgerald for at least 40 years, has the date of Saturday, March 21, 2020, embedded in his mind.

That was the last time he performed in drag. It was at the popular Southeast D.C. nightclub Ziegfeld’s-Secrets, where Robinson performed as Ella Fitzgerald for nearly 40 years, before it, along with all city nightclubs, bars, and other ā€œnonessentialā€ businesses were ordered temporarily closed by Mayor Muriel Bowser in response to the COVID pandemic.   

ā€œThat was the last show I did,ā€ Robinson told the Blade in an interview at his apartment in Arlington, Va.

A short time later, around May of 2020, Robinson and all the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets employees and performers learned that the owner of the club’s building at 1824 Half Street, S.W., announced plans to demolish it to build an upscale condo building several years sooner than expected. That meant the club would not reopen when the COVID restrictions were lifted.

ā€œSo, what I recall is in May, it was the first week in May, Steven [Delurba, the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets general manager and part owner] called me and said, ā€˜Honey, do you have anything in the dressing room? Come and get it. The landlord called and said we must be out by the 15th.ā€™ā€

Robinson said he has fond memories of meeting up with other drag performers, one of the longtime bartenders and other employees who came to retrieve their belongings in the dressing room and other storage spaces in the converted warehouse building that had served as home to Ziegfeld’s-Secrets since 2009.

And it meant at least the temporary end to a 40-year run in which Robinson (aka Ella Fitzgerald) served as emcee and lead drag performer at the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets nightclub, which began in the club’s previous location a few blocks away.

Robinson began performing as Ella Fitzgerald at The Other Side nightclub in 1980, which later changed its name to Ziegfeld’s-Secrets, at its previous location on the unit block of O Street, S.E., before it was displaced in 2006 by construction of the Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

Ella Fitzgerald performs in 1993. (Blade file photo by Doug Hinckle)

The club did not reopen until 2009, when its owners Allen Carroll and Chris Jensen, were able to obtain a lease for the 1824 Half Street building, which Carroll and Jensen renovated before reopening the club there.

All of that has become the backdrop to Robinson’s excitement over returning to the stage as Ella Fitzgerald at D.C.’s Capital Pride festival on June 11, which will take place on Pennsylvania Avenue with the U.S. Capitol as a dramatic backdrop two blocks behind the stage.

While he’s hopeful that all will go well with his upcoming performance at the Pride festival, Robinson says he is aware of the recent far-right political backlash against drag shows in states across the country.

In addition to proposed laws placing restrictions on drag shows, protests targeting drag shows, including some attempting to disrupt the shows, have also occurred in cities and states, including earlier this year in nearby Silver Spring, Md., and at a drag brunch hosted by a restaurant near the U.S. Marine Barracks on Capitol Hill in D.C.

ā€œI have read about some of that,ā€ Robinson told the Blade. ā€œI haven’t been in the drag scene in three years. But I see and know what’s going on,ā€ he said. ā€œAnd my fellow drag performers who are older in my generation, I know they may be at risk. And I know I am to a degree,ā€ he continued.

ā€œAnd it’s a shame that we have to fear that we can’t present our art, our art form of drag and hope that nothing is going to happen to me today,ā€ he said. ā€œWhy should we have to even have that thought going through our mind while we’re going through our makeup and getting ready?ā€

Speaking with the Blade at his apartment, Robinson added, ā€œI’m planning to walk out of here in full drag to go to Pride. And there’s going to be part of me in the back of my mind that I’ve got to watch my back because there may be some idiot out there that doesn’t want to see an old man dress up in sequins and beads.ā€

ā€œI just don’t understand why people think that drag is going to go away,ā€ Robinson said. ā€œIt’s not. It’s more popular now than it ever was because of RuPaul and the drag brunches and the shows that are continuing to go on.ā€

Donnell Robinson works as a popular hair stylist in addition to performing as Ella Fitzgerald. (Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro Jr.)

Robinson, 68, says he was born in Warrenton, Va., and grew up on a farm just outside Warrenton and raised by his grandparents. His first attempt at drag took place while in the 8th grade when he entered a school talent show portraying TV personality Flip Wilson’s drag character Geraldine Jones.

ā€œAll of my girlfriends, they helped get it together,ā€ Robinson recalls. ā€œI borrowed the wig from the school librarian,ā€ he said, adding he bought a red dress and borrowed a pocketbook from someone. ā€œAnd I won the contest.ā€

He didn’t do drag again until his senior year in high school, Robinson said, when he ā€œpulled out Geraldine againā€ in a dramatic arts class. ā€œI got an ā€˜A’ in dramatic arts,ā€ he told the Blade, before graduating from Fauquier High School in June of 1974.

ā€œThen I waited a year or so, and then I came out to do drag in 1975 in the fall,ā€ he said. That began when a friend introduced him to the then gay nightclub Pier 9, located in the building that later became Ziegfeld’s-Secrets, where drag shows were held.

Robinson said he was impressed by the beauty of the drag performers while attending Pier 9 drag shows. ā€œI’m like, oh, so I can do that too,ā€ he said. And that’s exactly what he did. In October of that year, he entered a Halloween costume contest at the Pier, once again as the Geraldine Jones drag character, and won the contest in the comedy category.

From there, Robinson says, through people he met at the Pier he learned of the then D.C. gay bar Plus One on Capitol Hill, which also hosted drag shows. After auditioning and being approved as a drag performer at Plus One, the owner of the club, Bill Oats, assigned him the drag name Fanny Brice.

It was at the Plus One about a year later when Robinson met Mother Mame Dennis, the drag performer and lead organizer of the Academy of Washington, a local drag social club that organized drag events, including the Gay Miss Universe drag competition. The next day, an Academy of Washington member who performed at Plus One brought Robinson to an academy event.

It was there that Mame Dennis approached him and raised the issue of Robinson’s drag name. ā€œShe said, ā€˜Oh my dear, if you want to be in this group you need to change your name immediately,ā€™ā€ Robinson quoted Dennis as saying. ā€œAnd I was like, yes ma’am. She said you need to be either Nell Carter or Ella Fitzgerald,ā€ Robinson recounted.

ā€œI was being a smart ass. I said, ā€˜I’ll take Ella Fitzgerald for $2.’ She said, ā€˜Oh, you’re funny.’ And she named me Ella Fitzgerald,ā€ Robinson remembers. ā€œAnd I was her first African-American daughter in the group.ā€

Through the Academy of Washington and others he met through the drag scene at Plus One and other D.C. gay bars, Robinson quickly learned what he calls the art form of drag and developed a following among those patronizing drag shows in D.C. It was through the academy that Robinson also met the owners of the then Other Side nightclub, Chris Jensen and Allen Carroll, who invited Robinson to begin performing at their club.

Ella Fitzgerald performs at the opening of Ziegfeld’s/Secrets on Feb. 13, 2009. (Washington Blade file photo by Henry Linser)

ā€œThere were five of us and we did the show on a Sunday night for 500 women,ā€ Robinson says. ā€œBecause, remember, between Washington Square, the earlier name, and the Other Side, it was all women. There were no men allowed until around 1986,ā€ he told the Blade. ā€œSo, every Sunday night we were doing drag shows for 500 women, from ’80 until ’85 or ’86.ā€

Around the time he began performing as Ella Fitzgerald, Robinson also began his other career as a hairstylist, which he says he continues at this time and will celebrate his 40th anniversary as a hairstylist in November of this year.

For much of that time, Robinson has been one of the sought-after stylists at the VSL Hair Salon at 1607 Connecticut Ave., N.W., in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. The salon recently came under new ownership and now operates under the name of Color Lab Salon at the same address.

As Robinson’s reputation as a drag performer became widely known, many of his salon clients referred to him as Ella and were regular patrons of the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets drag show.

By the time Jensen and Carroll renamed the Other Side as Ziegfeld’s-Secrets and through the time it relocated in the building on Half Street, S.W. and until its closing in 2020, Robinson took on the role as the emcee of the club’s Ladies of Illusion drag shows as well as that of one of the city’s most sought after drag performers, according to people who attended his shows.

In an Aug. 2, 2001, lengthy feature article, the Washington Post referred to Robinson and his Ella Fitzgerald character as the ā€œdoyenne of Washington drag queens.ā€ The Post article recounted what those who have attended Robinson’s shows already knew – that he also took on the role of a stand-up comedian engaging audience members in on-the-spot banter, often inviting audience members to come on stage to chat with Ella.

ā€œIs that your husband?ā€ the Post article quoted Robinson asking a female audience member at one of the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets drag shows. When the woman replied that the person was her boyfriend, Ella said with an incredulous facial expression, ā€œThat little queen?ā€ according to the Post article. The audience roared in laughter.

Robinson says among the highlights of his career as a drag performer have been the recognition he has received from his peers in the drag community, including from the Academy of Washington and its leader Mame Dennis.

 ā€œOnce I changed my name to Ella Fitzgerald, Mame said, ā€˜My dear, one day you will be Miss Universe.’ And 10 years later, Mame crowned me Miss Gay Universe. I was the first African-American Miss Universe in 1986,ā€ Robinson recounted.

He said the prospect of resuming his drag performances to the degree he did before Ziegfeld’s-Secrets closed was uncertain, in part, because he is dealing with a bout of sciatica that makes it difficult for him to walk and move about quickly.

“You might see me come out with a cane at the Pride show,” he said with a laugh.Ā Ā 

Ella Fitzgerald performs at the 2012 Capital Pride Festival. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
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Bars & Parties

15 LGBTQ events today

Capital Pride Rooftop Pool Party tonight

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UPDATE: The Capital Pride Rooftop Pool Party was originally scheduled for tonight at 8 p.m., but has just been rescheduled to June 22 due to poor air quality. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Below are our picks for some of the most fun and creative things to do today (Thursday, June 8) in the DMV that are of special interest to the LGBTQ community.


LGBTQ+ Military Pride Mixer

Thursday, June 8
4-6 p.m.
As You Are
500 8th Street, S.E.
Free
Eventbrite

The D.C. Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs host the “LGBTQ+ Military Pride Mixer” at As You Are this afternoon at 4 p.m.


Lavender Evolutions: Femz & Themz bipoc Happy Hour

Thursday, June 8
5-8 p.m.
Trade
1410 14th Street, N.W.
Instagram

Rico Pico hosts “Lavender Evolutions” tonight at Trade. The “Femz & Themz bipoc Happy hour” begins at 5 p.m. with a show at 8. Performers include Molasses, Flirty Rico and Hennessey.


Equality Chamber of Commerce Pride Weekend Kick-off

Thursday, June 8
6-9 p.m.
The Moxy
1011 K Street, N.W.
$25 non-member
Tickets

The Equality Chamber of Commerce holds its Pride Weekend Kick-off Party at The Moxy tonight from 6-9 p.m. The event is free to members and $25 for non-members of ECC.


PRIDE in the Park: Free Outdoor Comedy

Thursday, June 8
6-9 p.m.
Fairview Road Urban Park
8900 Fairview Road
Silver Spring, Md.
Eventbrite

Laugh out loud to comics Stacey Cay, Howl Cooper, Ashley Mayo, Gray West, Rose Vineshank and Apple Brown Betty at Fairview Road Urban Park tonight from 6-9 p.m.


Women’s/Sapphic Night

Thursday, June 8
7 p.m.
The Dirty Goose
913 U Street, N.W.
Instagram | Website

It’s Women’s/Sapphic Night at The Dirty Goose tonight.


GAY! Trivia and Drag Show

Thursday, June 8
7-10 p.m.
Baja Tap
2436 18th Street, N.W.
Free
Eventbrite

Ophelia Diamonds hosts a game of gay trivia and a drag show at Baja Tap tonight.


BAD (Broadway and Disney) Singalong: Loud & Proud Edition

Thursday, June 8
7-10 p.m.
H Street Country Club
1335 H Street, N.E.
Free
Eventbrite

Belt your favorite Broadway and Disney tunes at the BAD Singalong: Loud & Proud Edition at H Street Country Club tonight.


DMV Comedy Wars: A PRIDE Benefit for the Trevor Project

Thursday, June 8
7:30-9 p.m.
O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub
3207 Washington Boulevard
Arlington, Va.
$15
Eventbrite

The DMV Comedy Wars continue with a “Pride Battle” of comics at O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Arlington, Va. tonight. Benefits from the show are slated for the Trevor Project, so go out and laugh for a good cause.


Capital Pride Rooftop Pool Party

A scene from last year’s Rooftop Pool Party. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Thursday, June 8 [UPDATE: This event has been postponed to June 22]
8 p.m.
Penthouse Pool and Lounge
1212 4th Street, S.E.
$25-$35 / 21+
Website

The Capital Pride Alliance hosts its annual Rooftop Pool Party at 1212 4th Street, S.E. [UPDATE: Rescheduled due to poor air quality]


ElectroPOP Thursdays: Pride Edition

Thursday, June 8
8 p.m.-2 a.m.
Bunker
2001 14th Street, N.W.
No Cover
Website

Steve Sidewalk brings the music to this Pride Edition of ElectroPOP Thursdays at Bunker.


Films on the Green DC: “Three Nights a Week” Screening

Thursday, June 8
9-11 p.m.
Washington Monument
2 15th Street, N.W.
Free
Eventbrite

The base of the Washington Monument is a beautiful spot to watch a film. For this Pride Thursday, Films on the Green is playing the 2022 French LGBTQ film, “Three Nights a Week.”


Wasted & Gay Thursdays

Thursday, June 8
9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Wasted Lounge
816 H Street, N.E.
$5
Eventbrite

Have a pleasant evening with a beverage and hookah at Wasted Lounge with “Wasted & Gay Thursdays” at 9 p.m. tonight.


Sleaze Pride

Thursday, June 8
9 p.m.-2 a.m.
DC9 Nightclub
1940 9th Street, N.W.
$10
Facebook | Eventbrite

The monthly DC9 “Sleaze” LGBTQ parties culminate with the Sleaze Pride party tonight featuring drag artists Jane Saw, Indiana Bones and Vagenesis. DJ Lemz and DJ Keenan Orr bring the music.


Shirts and Skins!

Thursday, June 8
10 p.m.
Kiki
915 U Street, N.W.
Instagram

Kiki dips its toes into the gear party scene for Pride with a Shirts and Skins party. So, show off your jock straps, singlets, compression shorts, harnesses, pup attire, body suits or whatever gear you grab at this kinky party.


KINTETIC Pride: Sugar Pop

Thursday, June 8
10 p.m.-3 a.m.
Soundcheckdc
1420 K Street, N.W.
$20-$30 (or purchase weekend pass)
Facebook | Tickets

KINETIC Pride events begin with Sugar Pop featuring Mayhem Miller with Dan Slater at Soundcheck at 10 p.m. You can either pay piecemeal for each party, or you can secure weekend passes for all four KINETIC Pride events for $149-$219 on Eventbrite.


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PHOTOS: LHP Pride Kickoff Drag Show

Latinx Pride Court crowned at Trade

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The 2023 Latinx Pride Court flanked by LHP President Nancy CaƱas and LHP Vice President Julio Acevedo pose for a photo at Trade on Wednesday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Latinx History Project (LHP) held a Pride Kickoff Drag Show at Trade on Wednesday, June 7. Performers included Rico Pico, Desiree Dik and Darcy de la Cuadra. Rico Pico was crowned Mr. DC Latinx Pride 2023, Randy Salmeron (a.k.a. Darcy de la Cuadra) was crowned Mx. Latinx Pride 2023 and Kaila Kaleaa was crowned Ms. Latinx Pride 2023.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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