It’s October and it’s SPOOKY SEASON! Are you decorating your home? Please fill out this form so you can be included in this year’s SPOOKY HILL IS HOME MAP! If you send us your address by October 20, your house may be part of the route in the October Hill Family Biking ride!
The Folger starts their season on October with the timeless tale of woe, Romeo and Juliet. Don’t forget: the Folger has special deals for students and seniors as well as performances for theater lovers with disabilities, so visit the play’s page and get yourself a ticket! Click here for information, tickets and membership options.
The St. Mark’s Players are putting on The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter. Performances start Friday, October 4 and you can get tickets here.
Barrel on Pennsylvania Avenue is celebrating the democratic process in the best way possible: “All the Presidents’ Bars” is a series of themed Presidential bars rocking tradition in the basement. The fun will go on 6 p.m. to close, Thursday to Saturday, starting October 3 through November 2. From a sax-y bar celebrating Bill Clinton to an ice-cream flavored boozy delight in honor of President Biden, every weekend in October pays homage to a Commander-in-Chief. Follow Barrel on Instagram and plan your visit around your favorite prez.
By the way, the Commanders are 3-1 and they play at home on Sunday at 1 p.m.! If you want to watch the game with like-minded fans, may we suggest Walter’s in Navy Yard, Union Pub near Stanton Park, Duffy’s in Hill East or The Brighton at the Wharf? All have lots of TVs and great pub fare for you to root and enjoy! Also, make sure you check out the local specials at Duffy’s– they could help brighten your Monday!
The Literary Hill is happening again at Eastern Market on October 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come meet local authors, explore new reads and nerd out on books. You can even meet my blogging partner-in-crime, Robert Pohl, who’ll be selling his books! What could be better? More info here.
OUTDOOR MOVIE SEASON
Outdoor movie season happens as long as you’re willing to stand outside and it’s not just a spring and summer activity anymore. Here are a few (list is constantly updated). Please make sure to check on the day of screening as movies may be postponed due to rain:
- The Drive-In at Union Market (October 4––Willy Wonka)
- NoMa’s CiNoMaTic (October 9– Sleepless in Seattle)
OFF-HILL
Celebrate 70 years of Schneider’s with a special raffle and discounts! Please note, this event takes place at their warehouse, 2508 24th Street NE. More information here.
And celebrate 50 years of everyone’s favorite torusish-shaped Brutalist museum, the Hirshhorn! Enjoy the best modern and contemporary art, celebrate with a doughnut and learn how to appreciate art that makes you react and think. For the whole slate of programming, click here, but know that if you show up before 10 a.m. tomorrow ant Sunday, your odds of getting a celebratory doughnut (Saturday, Astro Chicken & Doughnuts; Sunday, Just Fine Doughnuts) are very good.
Exhibiting Failure is a new art installation at Rhizome in Takoma, DC, opening on Sunday, October 6. What can we learn from failing, especially in a culture that excludes and excises in favor of monetizing? Enjoy performance art and more at the opening reception, or attend the closing show on October 28. For more info, click here.
Oktoberfest at the Wharf is on October 5. Enjoy the Wiener 500 (register your pup here), stein-hoisting, polka and more! More info here. Prost!
Oktoberfest AND a Taylor Swift Dance Party? This can only mean one thing: You need to drop by Wunder Garten in NoMa and partake of the fun, going through October 13. More info and RSVP here.
The National Building Museum has an exhibit called Capital Brutalism. Take a loving look at some of our most polarizing, beloved architecture. (#teamBrutalism). Click here for more information and click here for tickets to the Building Museum.
PLAN AHEAD
The Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s Literary Feast wants YOU to sign up for one of their intriguing, enticing dinners, happening October 19. Click here for more info.
Want to celebrate spooky szn at the Library of Congress? Has it been a dream of yours to show up with the whole fam, becostumed and ready to make cute crafts? Then sign up for their Halloween Family Day on October 19 here!
Or you can go to the National Building Museum for The Big Build on October 19! How is the world that surrounds us built? Learn all about it during this wonderful STEM fair! You can even pet a truck! For more info and tickets, click here.
And if a panel discussion on the memefication of politics is more your speed, then visit the Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill to listen to Election Reflection: The Memefication of Politics. For event speakers and more info, and to RSVP, click here.
On October 23, join Little District Books and as you are in welcoming author Gerardo Sámano Córdova for a discussion on his book, Monstrílio. RSVP here.
Need some frights for spooky season? How about some local séances and other haunting Hill happenings? Join Profs and Pints at the Hill Center on Thursday, October 24 for Washington’s Spookiest Days. Click here for more info and tickets.
Hilloween is coming again to Eastern Market on Friday, October 25 from 5-7:30 p.m. Enjoy entertainment, photo booths, face painting and other fun and kid-appropriate fun. For more info and updates, you can check out the main Hilloween website or Hilloween’s Facebook page (although as of Friday, October 4, the FB page was still displaying last year’s information.)
And on October 26, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s Expo takes over the Eastern Market North Hall. Whether you’re a bona fide weekend warrior or you’re just starting to tackle a project or two in your historic home, the expo is sure to have something for you. More info here.
On November 2, sign up to walk or volunteer for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. Raise awareness of heart conditions or learn about cardiovascular disease, which will affect almost one-half of Americans in some form or other. Click here to sign up!
And don’t forget: NOVEMBERFEST at Eastern Market is coming November 9-10! More info soon!