Arts & Entertainment
10 LGBTQ events this week
Pride month kicks off with a flurry of activities

Below are our picks for some of the most fun and creative things to do this week in D.C. that are of special interest to the LGBTQ community.
Black Pride Us Helping Us Picnic

Monday, May 30
12-7 p.m.
Fort Dupont Park
Minnesota Avenue, S.E.
Website
The annual Us Helping Us Picnic in the Park is Monday at Fort Dupont Park and is free and open to the public. Games, performances and more in this community gathering.
Dragapella!

Wednesday, June 1
8 p.m.
Rams Head on Stage
31 West Street
Annapolis, Md.
Facebook | Tickets
The Kinsey Sicks, America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, perform at Rams Head on Stage on Wednesday.
Kennedy Davenport at Pitchers

Wednesday, June 1
8 p.m.
Pitchers
2317 18th Street, N.W.
Facebook
RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Kennedy Davenport performs at Pitchers and A League of Her Own on Wednesday. There is a free meet and greet hosted by Ba’Naka and a drag show with Venus Valhalla and Cake.
Pride Pils Dance Party

Thursday, June 2
6-11 p.m.
Dacha Navy Yard
79 Potomac Avenue, S.E.
Facebook | Eventbrite
Join the Washington Blade and DC Brau for the release of this year’s Pride Pils at a Dance Party at Dacha on Thursday.
Capital Pride Honors

Friday, June 3
7-10:30 p.m.
Penn Social
1519 17th Street, N.W.
$25-$60
Facebook | Tickets
The Capital Pride Alliance honors members of the community in an annual reception on Friday.
Drag Underground

Friday, June 3
8-10 p.m.
Dupont Underground
19 Dupont Circle, N.W.
$15-$20
Facebook | Eventbrite
See a popular drag show alongside the Underground’s newest exhibit, The Gender Within: The Art of Identity.
Pride!

Saturday, June 4
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Eastern Panhandle Pride
downtown
Martinsburg, W.Va.
Facebook
12-5 p.m.
Annapolis Pride
West Street & Calvert Street
Annapolis, Md.
Website | Facebook
12-6 p.m.
Reston Pride
Lake Anne Plaza
Reston, Va.
Website | Facebook
Three regional prides are taking place on Saturday: Annapolis Pride in Maryland, Eastern Panhandle Pride in West Virginia and Reston Pride in Virginia. If you live to the west, south or north of the District, you have a place to celebrate!
Queer Beer Festival

Saturday, June 4
The Wharf
760 Maine Avenue, S.W.
Facebook | Tickets
Hop Culture x New Belgium present Queer Beer, a craft beer festival celebrating the unique, vibrant voices of the queer community in the industry including queer owned and/or operated breweries or breweries that have demonstrated a dedication to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.
Two sessions available on Saturday:
VIP 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM
General Admission 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM
VIP 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM
General Admission 6:30 PM– 10:00 PM
Bent: Pride Month Kickoff

Saturday, June 4
10 p.m.
9:30 Club
815 V Street, N.W.b
$25
Facebook | Ticketmaster
See performances by Sweet Pickles, KC B. Yoncé and We The Kingz at a Pride Month Kickoff Party at the 9:30 Club on Saturday.
Pride: Womxn’s Kickoff Party

Saturday, June 4
7 p.m.
500 8th Street, S.E.
Facebook
Join DJ Rosie for a Pride Womxn’s Kickoff Party on Saturday. Free admission.
If you would like to let us know about an upcoming event, email [email protected] with details.

The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)






















The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)



















In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.

Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”