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Summer’s second half

OutWrite book fest, 17th Street Festival, Kastles Night OUT and more coming soon

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17th Street Festival, gay news, Washington Blade
Summer events DC, gay news, Washington Blade

The annual 17th Street Festival will be Saturday, Aug. 25. This is a photo from last year’s event. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Let’s start with the bears. Now that Town is closed, several other venues have started Friday night bear happy hour events. It’s a long D.C. Friday evening tradition that goes back to DIK Bar and Titan. 

Bear Happy Hour, which has been around about six years, is at the Rock & Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.E.) is every Friday evening from 6-10 p.m. No cover. Details at bearnonsense.com.

WOOF! Happy Hour is every Friday from 5-11 p.m. at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) with free pizza at 7:30 p.m., no cover before 9:30 p.m. and drink specials. Details at dceagle.com.

Otter Happy Hour by TRADE and Otter Den is every Friday from 5-10 p.m. at TRADE (1410 14th St., N.W.). No cover. Details at tradebardc.com.

D.C. Bear Crue’s Bear Happy Hour is every Friday evening from 5-10 p.m. at UPROAR Lounge and Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.). Details at dcbearcrue.com

Other events of note throughout the summer include:

• Drag Brunch is every Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.). Tickets are $45.21.

• The Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival is Saturday, July 21, from 2-8 p.m. In Court Square in Harrisonburg, Va. Details at shenandoahvalleypride.org. 

• City Winery (1350 Okie St., N.E.) has its Rooftop Vino and Vinyasa event featuring Ashley Binetti leading a 50-minute flow class on Saturday, July 21 from 10:30 a.m.-noon. Tickets are $15. Details at citywinery.com. 

• Lawyers for SMYAL is Wednesday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. at 555 13th St., N.W. Tickets at app.etapestry.com

• Night OUT at the Washington Kastles is Thursday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Smith Center (600 22nd St., N.W.). Prices vary. Details at groupmatics.events. 

• Jay Z and Beyonce bring their On the Run Tour II to FedExField (1600 Fedex Way, Landover, Md.) July 27-28. Tickets range from $49-770. Details at ticketmaster.com

• DISTRIKT of Columbia has its BM 2018 Fundraiser on Saturday, July 28 at 8 p.m. at Flash (645 Florida Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $8-15 and available at ticketfly.com

• Alan Cumming performs his cabaret show “Legal Immigrant” on Saturday, July 28 at 8 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). Tickets are $59-349 at kennedy-center.org

• “The Ask Rayceen Show” is the first Wednesday of each month and has its next installment on Wednesday, Aug. 1 with a poetry slam. Look for the event on Facebook for details. 

• OutWrite 2018, D.C.’s LGBT Literary Festival, is Aug. 3-5 mostly at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) although the Laughing Out Loud kickoff event will be held at Ten Tigers Parlour (3813 Georgia Ave., N.W.) with Michelle Tea and Chelsea Shorte. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Full details on the festival at thedccenter.org

• World of Rose on the Rooftop is Saturday, Aug. 4 at 2 p.m. at City Winery (1350 Okie St., N.E.) with Vanessa Phillips leading patrons through a sampling of 50 rose samples. Tickets are $45. Details at citywinery.com. 

• Taste of Studio is Saturday, Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. at Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) offering art, culture and culinary excellence under one roof. Tickets start at $50. Details at studiotheatre.org. 

• Distrkt C’s Rehoboth Beach weekend party is Aug. 4-5. Deborah Cox will perform on Saturday, Aug. 4 at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Various passes and packages are available. Details at distrktc.ticketspice.com

• Sistas Who Travel will host a drag brunch on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Dirty Martini (1223 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $40. Look for the event on Facebook for details. 

• Distrkt C Winter White party is Saturday, Aug. 11 at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) with Twisted Dee Martello. Tickets are $20. Details at distrktc.ticketspice.com

• Shakira brings her “El Dorado World Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Saturday, Aug. 11. CHCK PRICES. Details at ticketmaster.com.

• The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington has its Summer Restaurant Week Aug. 13-19. Details and participating restaurants at rwdmv.com. 

• “Express Yourself! Madonna’s 60th Birthday Flow” is Thursday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. at 405 Yoga D.C. (1000 Florida Ave., N.W.). Tickets at clients.mindbodyonline.com. 

• The LGBT Biz Pitch Competition from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce is Friday, Aug. 17 at 11:30 a.m. at the chamber (729 15th St., N.W.). Details at nglcc.org

• BARE (every third Saturday) has its ninth annual White Party on Saturday, Aug. 18 at 10 p.m. at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.). Wear white. Look for the event on Facebook for details. 

• “Hard Paint (Tinta Bruta)” screens on Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at HRC Headquarters (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) from Reel Affirmations. Details at reelaffirmations.org.

• The 17th Street Festival is Saturday, Aug. 25 from noon-6 p.m. on the 1500-1600 blocks of 17th Street. Look for the event on Facebook for details. 

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Calendar

Calendar: June 19-25

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, June 19

Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website

Saturday, June 20

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation.  Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ people of color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. There will be all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website

Sunday, June 21

Kinetic Presents will host “DiscoVERS: Pride with Alexis Tucci & Clinton Foster” at 10 p.m. at Sax Restaurant and Lounge. Alexis Tucci and Clinton Foster trade off behind the decks all night, weaving uplifting disco and driving house into one continuous set. Throughout the evening, surprise performances unfold across the room, woven into the music rather than stacked on top of it. Tickets cost $41.76 and are available on Eventbrite

Monday, June 22

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

Center Faith will host “Pride Interfaith Service” at 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. This is the 43rd annual LGBTQ+ community celebration of religious pluralism and interfaith collaboration. Founded during the era of the Names Project AIDS memorial quilts, we continue to connect and weave many LGBTQ+ faith communities. For more details, email [email protected]

Queer Book Club will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The Queer Book Club meets on the fourth Monday of the month to discuss queer books by queer authors. This month’s reading is “The Skin and it’s Girl” by Sarah Cypher. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website

Tuesday, June 23

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook

“Self-Defense Class with Avi Rome” will be at 12:30 p.m. Rome is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and a full time Martial Arts instructor with 25 years of teaching experience. He holds a 5th Degree Black Belt in Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do and is the director of the studio’s Adaptive Tae Kwon Do program for students with special needs. He has also run numerous self-defense workshops for various groups and situations. For more details, visit the center’s website.

Wednesday, June 24

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Thursday, June 25

The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the center. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245. 

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center’s website.  

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Out & About

Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves

Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community

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(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.

The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.

This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.

For more details, visit the cemetery’s website

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Baltimore Pride is here

Parade, block party, festival planned for Maryland city

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A scene from last year’s Baltimore Pride. This year’s main events take place on Saturday and Sunday. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.

The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.

There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events. 

For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website

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