Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier celebration and fireworks show returning June 11
The annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation will take place on Saturday, June 11 at 9 p.m.
The Washington Blade, in partnership with LURe DC and The Wharf, is excited to announce the 3rd annual Pride on the Pier and Fireworks show during DC Pride weekend on Saturday, June 11, 2022, from 2-9 p.m.
The event will include the annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation at 9 p.m.
Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Southwest waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment.
The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older. Local DJ’s Eletrox, Jai Syncere and Sean Morris will perform throughout the event.
The Dockmasters Building will be home to a VIP experience. To learn more and to purchase tickets go to www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
“After having to cancel Pride the past two years we couldn’t be more excited to bring back Pride on the Pier with a real bang,” says the Washington Blade’s Director of Marketing Stephen Rutgers. “No matter the age we are creating a welcoming event for all.”
The Transit Pier will house the Family Zone that will include the new Wharf Roller Rink.
“The Wharf is a place for everyone to enjoy D.C.’s greatest resource — the waterfront,” said Monty Hoffman, Founder and CEO of Hoffman and Associates. “District Pier is the perfect backdrop for this celebration and we look forward to the return of Pride on the Pier and the completion of the Wharf in Fall 2022.”
Event sponsors include Absolut, Alto, Bud Light, DC Brau, DC Fray, Burney Wealth Management, Cherry Fund, Leonard-Litz Foundation, PEPCO, The Wharf. More information regarding activities will be released at www.PrideOnThePierDC.com
The Washington Blade was founded in 1969 and is known as the “newspaper of record” for the LGBTQ community both locally and nationally. For more information, visit washingtonblade.com.
LURe was established in 2006 by Karen Diehl and Sterling Higgins and provides party promotional services to the Maryland, Virginia and D.C. lesbian community. For more information visit facebook.com/lurewdc.
ABOUT THE WHARF
The Wharf is Washington D.C.’s most exciting neighborhood. This remarkable mile-long neighborhood along the Washington Channel of the Potomac River reestablishes Washington, DC, as a true waterfront city and destination. Phase 1 opened in October 2017 with two million square feet of residences, offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, cultural uses, marinas, and public areas including waterfront parks, promenades, piers, and docks. When complete in 2022, this $2.5 billion, world-class, mixed-use waterfront neighborhood will feature more than 3.5 million square feet of development. The Wharf is easily accessible to the region by water taxi, Metro, WMATA and Southwest Neighborhood Shuttle buses, bicycle, foot, and car.
Development is led by Hoffman & Associates and Madison Marquette, in conjunction with ER Bacon Development, City Partners, Paramount Development and Triden Development.
More information is available at www.wharfdc.com. Download the District Wharf app for a live news feed, information on events, interactive map, transportation updates and more. The app is available on Apple and Android devices.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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