Let me start this To Do List by wishing all of my readers of Mexican heritage a very special Independence Day. In Latinoamérica (just… let me have that one, please), we are all a little bit Mexican, at least today. ¡Viva México!
So, what shall we do?
First of all, it’s H STREET FESTIVAL WEEKEND! This whole Saturday, prepare for noise, craziness, snarled traffic, overflowing garbage but also FUN FUN FUN! Listen, just because an event is probably the most fun thing to happen locally all year doesn’t mean that they can’t always stand to be better neighbors. ANYWAY. This is what you need to know:
WHAT: H STREET FESTIVAL (see street closures here)
WHEN: Saturday, September 17, noon to 7 p.m. (officially, but you know the party starts early and ends late)
WHERE: Along the most beautiful, crazy, dynamic High street on the land, our beloved H Street NE, between 3rd and 14th Streets NE. Blinking back tears just writing that. Our baby’s all growed
up!!
It’s going to be B I G.
We hear Sticky Rice wants to break a tater tot-eating world record, so make sure you swing by there and check it out!
Not feeling H Street? How about celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Experience Guatemala! at the Wharf! On Saturday and Sunday of this week, travel to Guatemala through sights, sounds and smells (of food). It’s part of Fiesta DC and you can get all the details here.
Oktoberfest, which starts in September, is a great celebration of Bavarian culture and, well, a celebration of beer! Starting today, September 16 to October 9, enjoy fun events around town. Leading the pack it’s Wundergarten, with a beer garden, parties, German food, and the traditional Tapping of the Keg. For more details and to RSVP, click here. (Multiple dates are available)
Café Berlin on Massachusetts Avenue also has a special Oktoberfest menu (and special adorable costumes for the staff). They will also have Spanferkel, special Pig Roasts on September 24 and October 8. For more information, menus and to make reservations, click here.
Biergarten Haus is like stepping into Oktoberfest year-round. Plan on stopping by sometime this week and raise a stein or two. For more info click here. Prost!
This evening, rush over to Eastern Market Metro Plaza for the Live, on the Hill jazz series. Grab dinner at one of our wonderful local eateries and enjoy Too Much Talent Band from 5:30 to 6:30.
Want indoor music instead? Wander down to the Ugly Mug for live music starting at 9:30 p.m. More info here.
Looking for even more live music in the neighborhood? Don’t forget that Mr. Henry’s has live music every Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, click here.
On Saturday, September 17, help Crazy Aunt Helen’s welcome Gina Schaefer of A Few Cool Hardware Stores (a.k.a. Frager’s parent company) as she talks about her debut book, “Recovery Hardware.” More details and tickets here.
Want to do something fun with the kiddos and celebrate Back to School time? DCPS is having a Back to School Block Party at Eliot Hine Middle School on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. More info and RSVP here.
Did you know the U. S. Capitol holds Capitol Conversations on weekdays at 1 p.m.? These virtual sessions are informative and fun–– a neat opportunity to learn something new while you eat your lunch. Register for Capitol Conversations here.
On Wednesday evenings, make it trivia! Two Girls Trivia runs a quiz at Fight Club starting at 7 p.m. You can also catch them at Biergarten Haus on Tuesday evenings. For more information and quiz hints, check out their Twitter, @twogirlstrivia.
The Capitol Hill Art League recently opened a show at Frame of Mine on 8th Street. The show is titled “Labor of Love” and features the work of local artists. Click here to see more or visit them in person. Frame of Mine is open 10 am-6 p.m on select days.
Every Thursday, Kelly’s Irish Times has comedy! The Batting Cage Comedy show starts at 8 p.m. and is free. More info here.
Hispanic Heritage Month started yesterday and you can celebrate with a flight of flavors from Ice Cream Jubilee. We’d like to lodge a formal complaint because we do not see ANY guava or lulo flavored choices and we do not feel represented. But okay, we’ll eat the Strawberry Tres Leches, because we’re team players.
Want to stay in and shop from the comfort of home and for a good cause? Our friends at Everyone Home DC are doing their September Challenge auction, with tons of great deals. Sources say there may even be a tarot reading from a certain Madame Meow we may or may not know. Click here to start bidding.
Hey, have you gotten your COVID booster and your flu shot? No? Well, cross that off your list this weekend! Click here to find where you can get it.
PLAN AHEAD
DO NOT FORGET! Art All Night is happening on Friday, September 23, from 4-10 p.m. Check out vendors at Eastern Market’s Night Market starting at 4 p.m. Walk a little farther down and look at the great art at Groovy DC, Woven History, PGN Architects and Fight Club. Eastern Market Pottery will be doing demos and you can buy student and pro work! Stop by Coldwell Banker Capitol Hill and say hey, because I will be there, along with several other artists, showcasing and selling my photography! Really excited to see Mark Garrett (one half of the duo that brought us the John Lewis mural at 13th and Pennsylvania) do a live piece as well. There will be a Silent Disco starting at 7 p.m. What more could you want? Oh yeah– live music at Mr. Henry’s! More info here and over on Eastern Market Main Street’s Instagram.
Want to do something family-friendly and very tubular and radical? Back to the Yards, an 80s themed dance party is happening on September 23 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. More info and RSVP here.
We could never (never!) pit our two library branches against one another because they are both adorable, but Northeast is pulling ahead with their Garden Concerts, happening September 25 and October 16. On 9/25 it’s Whiskey Before Breakfast, a traditional Irish folk music band. On 10/16, it’s Karen Collins and the Backroad Band. Concerts start at 2 p.m. in the courtyard. In case of rain, they’ll take place in the meeting room located in the basement. More info? Click here.
A new interactive experience is coming to Rhode Island Center, the space right off Rhode Island Avenue Metro, where the Van Gogh exhibit was earlier this year. The experience is called DINOS ALIVE and it looks like it’s gonna be a great hit for the younger set (and their tired, devoted parents). Dinos Alive is coming in October, but you can get tickets here.
Get tickets to The Till Trilogy at Mosaic Theater Company. This collection of three works focuses on the 1955 murder of Emmet Till, a 14-year old child who was tortured and killed for allegedly offending a white woman. For more information and tickets, click here. The Till Trilogy runs October 4- November 20 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.
The third annual “In This Together” community walk, organized by Calvary Women’s Services, is happening on September 24. Get a team together, sign up and help end homelessness in DC. For more info and details, click here.
Another wonderful film festival coming in late September is the March on Washington Film Festival. If there has ever been a time to reflect, learn and uphold the courage of those seeking for equality and fighting for basic rights, it is now. Learn more about the festival and their mix of in-person and online screenings happening September 28-October 2 here.
If you’ve never tuned in to a chat from the U. S. Botanic Garden, you may want to change that this coming October 8. TikTok/Instagram sensation, @blackforager (a.k.a. Alexis Nikole Nelson) will be demonstrating how to cook with acorns and you’re not going to want to miss it. Alexis is funny, charming, engaging and very knowledgeable about all the delicious eats in your backyard. Register here.
Do you love beer? Do you love events that are just a short stroll downhill from our beloved neighborhood? Then Snallygaster— celebrating 10 years of wonderful beer merriment this year– is surely your jam. This year’s iteration happens October 8 on Pennsylvania Avenue, between 3rd and 6th Streets NW. More tickets and information here. We are told tickets are going fast: last year it was very crowded but also a lot of fun, so get your beer buds together for suds.
The Congressional Cemetery Soul Strolls are a hot ticket, coming at you October 14, 15, 21 and 22. Learn about the residents of our quietest community and wander the beautiful grounds at night. Tickets are $15-35 and you can get them here, while you still can.