Out & About
Calendar Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2018
Parties, screenings and sing-a-longs abound for Labor Day Weekend

Alison Wonderland, an Aussie DJ, plays Echostage Friday night. (Photo courtesy Capitol Music Group)
Friday, Aug. 31
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Exile Fridays, an 18-and-up LGBT dance party, tonight from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Ba’Naka will host the drag show which features D.C.-area queens. DJ Ryan DoubleYou will spin tracks. Rail drinks are $4 until 11 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/eagledc.
D.C. Bear Crue hosts Bear Happy Hour at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) tonight from 5-10 p.m. Drink specials include $5 rail cocktails and $5 draft pitchers of Bud Light and Shock Top. Free appetizers will be handed out all night. For more details, visit facebook.com/bearhappyhour.
Australian DJ Alison Wonderland performs at Echostage (2134 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.) tonight at 9 p.m. American EDM DJ Party Favor opens the show. Tickets are $33.50. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit echostage.com.
Saturday, Sept. 1
The 18th Library of Congress National Book Festival is at the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt Vernon Pl., N.W.) today from 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Authors scheduled to appear include gay author David Levithan, bisexual author Roxane Gay, Dave Eggers, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and many more. There will be family friendly activities on the expo-floor and a book sale. Admission is free. For more information and a complete list of authors, visit loc.gov.bookfest.
D.C. Drag Brunch celebrates its three-year anniversary at Dirty Martini (1223 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Drag show starts at noon. All-you-can-eat brunch buffet is served from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. There is also a full bar. Guests must be 21 and over for entry. Tickets are $40 but a $20 online deposit is required. For more details, visit dragshowbrunch.com.
Game of Crawls, a “Game of Thrones”-themed bar crawl is today from 4-10 p.m. Participating bars include Decades D.C., Lucky Bar, James Hoban Irish Restaurant and Bar, Buffalo Billiards and Cafe Citron. Tickets are $28.45 and include access to drink specials at all bars, a souvenir cup, crowns, beads and candy. For more information, visit facebook.com/wherelocalsgo.
Sunday, Sept. 2
Flash (645 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts Flashy Sundays Labor Day Weekend tonight from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Drag performers Kristina Kelly, Gabrielle Dupree and Labella Mafia will have shows at 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. on the roof deck. DJ Twin and DJ Sean Morris will play music on the main floor and DJ Mike Babbitt will play music on the roof deck. Cover is $20 for the main floor and roof deck. Admission to the first floor is free. For more details, visit facebook.com/flashydc.
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) hosts “Leonard Bernstein at 100: West Side Story Sing-a-long” today from 4-6:50 p.m. Attendees can sing along to classic songs from the musical such as “Maria,” “Tonight” and “America.” General admission tickets are $13, senior tickets are $10 and child tickets are $8. For more information, visit silver.afi.com.
The BackRoom (715 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts “Electric Rainbow: Labor Day Edition,” a dance party, tonight from 5-10 p.m. The party will be a Beyonce and KC birthday celebration and a Labor Day celebration. For more details, visit facebook.com/thebackroomcapo.
Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts Church Labor Day Sunday tonight from 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Jane Saw hosts the party. Div0id and Daisy Confused will perform. Bil Todd, Wess the DJ and Jesse Jackson will spin tracks. For more information, visit facebook.comtradebardc.
Monday, Sept. 3
Alamo Drafthouse (15200 Potomac Town Pl., Woodbridge, Va.) hosts its Champagne Cinema Movie Party with a sing-a-long screening of “Grease 2” tonight at 7:20 p.m. Craft cocktails inspired by the film will be served. Guests will also receive interactive props. Tickets are $14. For more information, visit drafthouse.com.
Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts Labor Gay: the Annual Day Party for Working Gurls today from 2-6 p.m. There will be popsicles, performances and a raffle. For details, visit facebook.com/tradebardc.
Tuesday, Sept. 4
The fourth annual Silver Spring Takoma Park Restaurant Week starts today and runs through Sept. 9. Montgomery County Councilmember Tom Hucker hosts the event. Participating restaurants include Busboys and Poets, Mrs. K’s Toll House, Republic and more. For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit sstprestaurantweek.com.
Republic (6939 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, Md.) hosts Alegre Happy Hour, an LGBT happy hour, today from 5-7 p.m. For more information, visit republictakoma.com.
Wednesday, Sept. 5
Bookmen D.C., an informal men’s gay literature group, discusses “The Sparsholt Affair” by Alan Hollinghurst at the Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For details, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.
Thursday, Sept. 6
Alanis Morissette performs at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.) tonight at 8 p.m. The Canadian songstress will sing some of her biggest hits including “Ironic” and “You Oughta Know.” Tickets range from $45-80. For more details, visit wolftrap.org.
The Asian and Pacific Islander Queer Community hosts a support group meeting at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society D.C. and Asian Queers United for Action. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
Out & About
Learn more about queer love
Friends of Dorothy Cafe hosts event at City-State Public House
Friends of Dorothy Cafe will host “Living History: How We Loved” on Thursday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. at City-State Public House.
Guests will hear how queer and trans people have loved and cared for one another, especially when legal, medical, and social systems did not recognize those relationships. We’ll reflect on chosen family, long-term partnerships before marriage equality, caregiving during the AIDS crisis, hidden romances, friendship as survival, chosen family, and the loves that changed the course of our lives. This evening is about honoring lived experience, preserving community memory, and strengthening the bridge between generations.
Tickets are $24.57 and are available on Eventbrite.
Friday, May 8
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at noon at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Women in their Twenties and Thirties will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “We Are Pat” at 12:30 p.m. This event takes a fresh look at the iconic Saturday Night Live sketch “It’s Pat” and traces how ideas about gender and what we laugh at have shifted from the ’90s to today. What began as a character born out of cultural anxiety around gender now lands in a world shaped by ongoing debates about transness and queerness. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Saturday, May 9
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community 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.
Sunday, May 10
Drag Queen Sip and Paint Experience Washington DC will be at 4 p.m. at Town Tavern. This is a fabulous experience brought to you by Sip and Paint USA and combines the joy of painting with the lively energy of a drag queen, offering an hour and a half of fun, creativity, and entertainment. Participants paint a canvas while enjoying cocktails, all under the guidance of a glamorous drag queen host. Tickets are $47.19 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Monday, May 11
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]).
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.
Tuesday, May 12
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so — by sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.
Wednesday, May 13
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.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Movement for Healing” at 3 p.m. This trauma- and yoga therapy–informed class is designed to help guests gently reconnect with their body and their breath. Through mindful movement, somatic awareness, and grounding practices, guests will explore how to release tension, increase mobility, and cultivate a deeper sense of safety and ease within. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, May 14
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 Center’s website.
Lesbifriends Travel will host “Queer Night Out: DC Power FC Game” on Wednesday May 6 at 7 p.m. at Audi Field.
This will be a fun night out as DC Power FC takes the field at Audi Field, kicking off with a happy hour meetup in Navy Yard before the group walks to the stadium together. Lesbifriends and Travel group will be seated together in the stands, making it easy to connect, cheer, and enjoy the game with people who just feel like your people.
More details are available on Eventbrite.
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