Can you believe that April of 2022 is almost in the books? We may be moving from pandemic to endemic, but please continue to be safe. I’ll continue to share as many online events as I can, so you can still have fun if you choose to stay home more.
On to the fun!
Don’t forget! This and every Friday, Live, on the Hill provides an al fresco stage for local musicians. Tomorrow, April 29, you can hear Jarrell Bradley. Stop in starting at 5 p.m. The event runs through 6:30 p.m.
If you would rather talk about outdoor concerts, then this week’s Capitol Conversations is for you. Tune in tomorrow at 1 p.m. and learn more about the history of concerts on the Capitol Grounds. Engaging and fox-free! Click here to learn more and RSVP.
Honey Made on Barracks Row ( 727 8th Street SE) is holding two Sip and Shop events on Friday, April 29 and May 6. From 5-7 p.m. drop by, shop their cute merchandise and sip alcoholic and non-alcoholic sips. If you’re feeling inspired, why not get a tarot reading? We hear she’s very good! (Yes, it’s me. Hi! Come say hi!)
Perhaps it might have to do with Shakespeare and Cervantes sharing a birthday, but April is for both poetry and books. April 30 is Independent Bookstores Day and we are extremely lucky to have several in our area. In addition, April 30 also happens to be East City Books’ sixth birthday! Starting this week, they will have all manner of incredible events, flash sales throughout the day, tote bags with a purchase of $100 or more, plus more fun things on their Instagram and Twitter! Make sure you share your loot and tag #IndependentBookstoreDay. More info? Click here.
Mr. Henry’s is hosting their first-ever Winefest on Saturday, April 30 starting at 12:30 p.m. A $50 entry fee includes unlimited tasting of over 25 wines, charcuterie plate and a $20 credit toward the purchase of bottles! For more info, email mrhenrysdc@gmail.com or call 202-546-8412.
In slightly less fun news, if you need to dispose of medications safely, the National Prescription Drug Take Back day is April 30 and you can safely dispose of any drugs at any of the Metropolitan Police Department stations. Not sure where the closest one is? Go here and enter your zip code.
You don’t know this yet, but Turkish psychedelic folk rock is your new thing. Altin Gün is playing at Capital Turnaround on Saturday, April 30 and you are invited. Tickets here. Curious about their incredible sound? Check out “Badi Sabah Olmadan.” You will not regret it.
The Literary Hill Bookfest is back in person! On Sunday, May 1, come on down to Eastern Market’s North Hall for a day of local authors and lore. In addition to your favorite local authors, you can help write a community poem, fold origami and do such wondrous works as we many rejoice in– or something like that. For more information, click here.
Through the end of April, Tap99 is supporting Autism Awareness Month. Stop by and get some Matt’s Mac and Cheese bites: 100% of the April profits will go to local non-profit Siblings of Autism in honor of Autism Awareness Month. Jason Cherry, owner of Tap99, is dedicating this fundraiser to his brother, Matthew, who was diagnosed with Autism at age 3.
Do you love Bach? It’s time again for the Washington Bach Consort’s free Noontime Cantata series. The first Monday of the month is at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and the first Tuesday of the month is at Epiphany downtown. For more information and Monday’s program, click here.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if an extinct species came back to life? This is the topic in “Back to Life,” a conversation with the Science and Entertainment Exchange. Tune in on May 4 and learn about all the possibilities. Click here for more information.
If being outdoors is more your jam on a Wednesday, go to Canal Park for their Spring Jazz Series. On May 4, enjoy offerings from the Levine School, starting at 6:30 p.m. More info here.
And because there is nothing more American than celebrating another culture’s lesser holiday with bombastic tackiness and plenty of spirit (cf. Hanukkah), Cinco de Mayo is coming to hearts and livers everywhere. Here are a few fun things to do on this Tequilaest of days:
- Barracks Row Main Street will host a, uh, Siete (?) de Mayo party at Eastern Market Metro Park. There will be a mariachi band and an Afro-Caribbean band as well. You can also expect food specials. More info here.
- If you haven’t checked out the new-and-improved Santa Rosa Taqueria, run, do not walk. Their new patio on 3rd Street SE is really great and all-weather (folks were sitting comfortably out there on a recent rainy day) and the Margaritas are going to razzle you and dazzle you. Highly recommend the Himalayan pink salt on the rim– so good! Oh yes. The food is also great– as usual.
- The Running of the Chihuahuas is coming to the District Wharf on May 7. More details here.
- Feel like going off-Hill? Swingers in Dupont Circle is offering five of their special Margs for $10 on Cinco.
OFF-HILL
We want to give the biggest, warmest welcome back to boat rides along the Georgetown Canal! A tradition that hasn’t been back for years, it’s now officially here again and you can schedule boat rides into the summer now. Click here to learn more.
Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, why not witness history in the making at the Inaugural Washington Capitals’ Bubble & Table Hockey Tournament! The tournament will be two days of Caps, table hockey and FUN. To find out more and to register, click here.
Help DC Brau celebrate 11 years in the brewing game with 11 Years of BREW-TALITY! Brew-tality will be a celebration of beer, wrestling, music and….??? Guess you’d better get tickets here if you want to find out.
The FONA Garden Fair and Plant Sale is here! A must for gardeners of all kinds, this fair has beautiful and rare plants, as well as your garden staples. For more information and times, click here.
The AFI Silver Theatre is celebrating International Labor Day with the DC International Labor Fest. The festival kicks off on, when else, May 1, with a movie called The Wobblies, which has been lovingly restored in 4k. Watch the trailer here and buy tickets here.
How about learning to ride a bike? WABA DC has several events around town such as learning to ride bikes at the Carter Barron parking lot. For more information, click here.
PLAN AHEAD
The Mother’s Day House and Garden Tour organized by the Capitol Hill Restoration Society is one of those so very Capitol Hill events you have to do at least once (but you’ll want to do every year). The tour, which benefits and supports the mission of CHRS, will take place May 7 and 8, 2022. For more details and to secure your tickets, click here. Not sure what to expect? Why not take a preview tour on March 26-27? Click here to find out more and reserve your tickets.
Mark your calendars for May 7, 2022 when Maury at the Market: Lights, Camera, Auction is back in person at Eastern Market’s North Hall. Buy your tickets here. Remember: You don’t need to have a child enrolled in DCPS to enjoy the party or the loot!
Coming on May 7, Central Farm Market is opening their Half Street Central Farm Market! The outdoor market will run every Saturday, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. through December 17, except for Thanksgiving weekend. There will be cooking demos, kid activities and so much more. For more info, click here.
Learn about robotics and laugh out loud on May 12 with Wrong Answers Only hosted by LabX and the National Academy of Sciences. Click here to learn more and RSVP.
Looking for fun outdoor activities for the kiddos? On May 14, and every Saturday in the summer, the DC Public Library will be doing Pop-Up Storytime at Eastern Market Metro Park, starting at 10:30 a.m. Music, movement, puppets and so much more! For more info, click here.
Can’t get enough of books? The Books in Bloom festival in Columbia, Maryland, is coming on Sunday, May 15. More info here.
Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 20 from 7-9 a.m. and the Capitol Hill BID will have a special station with treats and swag if you’re choosing to live the two-wheeled life. More info here.
On June 12, celebrate 50 years of the Arboretum’s Washington Youth Garden with a party and benefit! More information and details here.
This week’s news was big: Pharrell Williams is headlining in Something in the Water, a HUGE festival taking place *somewhere* along Independence Avenue SW (TBD), on Juneteenth weekend, June 17-19, 2022. The festival has its origins in Virginia Beach, but this year they are moving up farther north. The line-up is big and you can buy passes for the whole week starting Saturday, April 30. Click here to check out the lineup and to get your tickets (or bookmark it to get your tickets on 4/30).
The National Building Museum— one of my favorite museums in the city– always done something magical for their Summer Block Party series, and this year is no different. Together with the Folger Theater, this year they will bring an ACTUAL SHAKESPEAREAN PLAYHOUSE to the Grand Hall! The Playhouse will be open during the day for visiting, behind-the-scenes peeks and education. At night, it’ll transform into Titania and Oberon’s lair of love and mischief as the Folger Theater brings “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the stage starting July 12. For info on The Playhouse and the National Building Museum, click here. For play tickets, click here.
And it’s a ways off, but start getting excited for the DC Jazz Fest, August 31 to September 4 this year. Check out the line-up here.
Have fun while doing good! Hope & Seek , an in-person and virtual scavenger hunt is happening on Saturday, May 21. You can form your own team or support a team. The proceeds will support Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School, an institution that supports the learning and needs of adults from 18 years of age onward. For more information, to register, and to learn about the school’s mission, click here.