Bars & Parties
Calendar: Jan. 29-Feb. 4
Events in the week to come

Friday, Jan. 29
The Manassas Park Community Center (99 Adams St. Manassas Park, Va.) hosts a virtual LGBTQ+ youth hang out tonight at 7 p.m. This free event facilitated by queer and ally facilitators from the center is a chance for you to meet new people, play games and possibly win prizes from the comfort of your home. For more information, call 703-335-8872 or visit the event’s Facebook page.
The D.C. Center hosts a free social anxiety workshop tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Participants can learn more about the causes of social anxiety and its special effects on the LGBTQ community, although the workshop is open to the general public. No one will be required to speak or interact, and participants should understand this is an educational event, not a therapy session. More information is available at socialanxietyhelp.com and thedccenter.org.
Saturday, Jan. 30
Colage, a national organization dedicated to supporting people with one or more LGBTQ+ caregivers, hosts “Being the Child of an LGBTQ+ Parent in the 1970s or 1980s” today at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Email [email protected] or visit the event’s Facebook page for more information.
Sunday, Jan. 31
A Dark Beer Journey hosted by Red Bear Brewing (209 M St., N.E.) and DC Beer ends tonight at 10 p.m. DC Dirt, Black is Beautiful and Grande Goddess are among the stouts, porters and other dark beers during this special event. Visit redbear.beer for more information on this and other events.
Monday, Feb. 1
Busboys and Poets and The Downtown Columbia Partnership host Poetry on Ice at the Color Burst Ice Rink (6251 Mango Tree Rd., Columbia, Md.) tonight at 4 p.m. Admission is $7 for this family-friendly event featuring live music, spoken word performances and more honoring the birthday of Busboys and Poets namesake, Langston Hughes. For more information, visit merriweatherdistrict.com/whats-on/color-burst-ice-rink.
Tuesday, Feb. 2
The American History Museum presents the free panel discussion “Pandemic Perspectives: Race and Place – Yellow Fever and the Free African Society in Philadelphia” today at 4 p.m. When yellow fever raged through Philadelphia in 1793, many fled, including doctors. The Free African Society helped provide free care during the epidemic, but suffered a backlash in its wake. To learn more and register for this event, visit si.edu.
Wednesday, Feb. 3
BookMen DC, an informal group discussing fiction and nonfiction gay literature, meets tonight, and every third Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Participants do not have to become members, commit to reading every book, or attend every meeting. More information is available at bookmendc.blogspot.com and thedccenter.org.
Thursday, Feb. 4
P&P Live! presents a virtual discussion with Jeane Theoharis on “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” a young reader’s edition of the original work which won an NAACP Image Award, today at noon via their website. This version is accessible to a 12-and-up audience and corrects the myths that Parks was a meek, passive player in American history. For more information on this event, and to purchase the book, visit politics-prose.com.
Bars & Parties
Here’s where to watch ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ with fellow fans
Entertainers TrevHER and Grey host event with live performance
Spark Social Events will host “Ru Paul’s Drag Race S18 Watch Party Hosted by Local Drag Queens” on Friday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m.
Drag entertainers TrevHER and Grey will provide commentary and make live predictions on who’s staying and who’s going home. Stick around after the show for a live drag performance. The watch party will take place on a heated outdoor patio and cozy indoor space.
This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center is hosting a watch party for an episode of the 10th and final season of “Queer Eye,” which was filmed in D.C. The screening will be held on Friday, Jan. 23 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Center.
The screening will last 45-55 minutes, with community time both before and after the episode. Drinks and snacks will be provided and organizers promise a “surprise or two.” For information on tickets, visit the DC Center’s website.
Bars & Parties
Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week
Parties, contests, vendor expo and more planned for annual gathering
The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend will begin on Thursday, Jan 15.
This is an annual three-day event in Washington, D.C., for the leather, kink, and LGBTQ+ communities, featuring parties, vendors, and contests.
There will be an opening night event hosted the evening of Thursday, Jan. 15. Full package and three-day pass pickup will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Hyatt Capitol B. There will also be “Kinetic Dance Party” at 10 p.m. at District Eagle.
For more details, visit MAL’s website.
