Category Archives: Special Events

Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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Fringe 2012: Week One

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Fringe and Pole
courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

The chaotic collaborative wonder that is the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival is well underway. Joanna, Patrick and Jenn have been busy seeing shows, tweeting micro-reviews, and hanging out at the Gypsy Tent. Miss the primer? No problem, there’s still plenty of time. Despite being drenched by sweat and rain, audiences are enjoying some excellent experimental productions through July 29. The three of us sat down over some fried pickles and rehashed our first week of fringing. We’ll keep the reviews quick and dirty.

Recapped: Colony, Girls Who Think They’re Hot, Hysterical Blindness, The Webcam Play, Bareback Ink, He HEE! Or “What It’s Not Glee?”, The Brontes, My Princess Bride.

Colony
Reviewer: Joanna

Joanna was enthralled by Colony’s dancing duet – dressed in stripes like worker bees, frenetically running and interacting with the audience in an almost body-slam atmosphere of fifty minutes of non-stop tension.

Patrick: “On a scale of 1 to Synetic?”
Joanna: “It was like a NYC basement show, except good.” Continue reading →

Special Events
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Fourth of July Flashback: 2012

Photo courtesy of mosley.brian
2012 – Fourth of July – Party in America
courtesy of mosley.brian

Another hot July 4th with the unfulfilled threat of rain. And as usual, we got through it! Hope everyone had all the grilled food, adult beverages, and what have you to celebrate the Fourth. And if you did or didn’t get a chance to see the fireworks along the Mall, you get a chance to relive them below. Enjoy, and remember only 363 Days until the next July 4th! Continue reading →

Special Events
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Fourth of July 2012

Photo courtesy of mosley.brian
2010 – Fourth of July – A Moment to Capture
courtesy of mosley.brian

Oh, fireworks; and Fourth of July fireworks, no less! This is one of my favorite times of the year, and the National Fireworks along the Mall is one of the reasons why. It may be a cliché, but this is one of the great things about this town. But it’s difficult to enjoy if you don’t know the ins and outs. To help you out, I’ve got this post!

(*PST*: Before I go further, remember the fireworks meetup tomorrow…ok, I swear that is the last reminder!)

Last year, I went through a lot of the details: locations for the viewings, tips on how to survive the crowds, and even a bunch of great pictures. This year, I wanted to give some advice on taking pictures of the fireworks (or any fireworks for that matter). If you’ve always wanted to get great photos of the fireworks, but never knew how, please keep reading. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Special Events, The Features
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Summer 2012 Guide to Outdoor Movies

Photo courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
DSC_1556.jpg
courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

Summertime in the city–the daylight lasts longer, the outfits get shorter and the city has so many things to offer you outdoors. We’ve rounded up the outdoor movies in the DC area and put them into one comprehensive guide. Break out the popcorn and blankets and get ready to see what films are rolling this summer.

Washington, DC:

Screen on the Green
Where: On the National Mall, between 7th and 12th streets, NW
When: Begins at sunset
Movie Lineup:
Monday, July 16th: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Wednesday, July 25th: It Happened One Night
Monday, July 30th: From Here to Eternity
Monday, August 6th: Psycho

Follow @SOTGinDC for updates and more information.

Capitol Riverfront Movies
Where: Tingey Plaza (behind U.S. Department of Transportation), New Jersey Avenue and Tingey Streets, SE
When: 8:45 PM/Sundown
Movie Lineup:
Thursday, June 14: National Treasure
Thursday, June 21: The Goonies
Thursday, June 28: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Thursday, July 5: City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold
Thursday, July 12: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Thursday, July 19: The Da Vinci Code
Thursday, July 26:  Muppet Treasure Island

Follow @CapitolRvrFront for more information.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Music, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Food, Music, and Charity: Sound Bites 2012

An annual fundraiser for DC Central Kitchen, Sound Bites took over the 9:30 Club – and V Street outside in block party style – on Sunday evening. The event featured music from a variety of local performers, a cocktail-mixing competition among some of the city’s top bartenders, and samples of fare by many local restaurants.

The event, now in its third year, is a different take on the many fancy charity galas that have been all over town the last few weeks. DC Central Kitchen wanted to do something casual, accessible, and lighthearted to raise funds for their vital projects. All of the restaurants involved donated their food and staff time to the cause. Attendees were able to stroll around the outdoor area tasting samples or duck out of the sun into the club to listen to a band or DJ between bites.
Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Drink Yourself to the 2012 RAMMY Awards

The RAMMY Awards are an annual celebration of members of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (thus the clever name) – and the gala is one of the biggest food-industry parties of the year in DC. If that event, coming up on June 24, sounds like something you would want to peek inside, the RAMW is offering a fun way to get involved and maybe win some tickets: Drinking at the establishments nominated in the “beverage/mixology program” category.

At each of the five restaurants, a signature cocktail has been created. When diners order one of them, they will be entered to win a pair of tickets. Just ask for the RAMMY card to fill out when you place your order.

The five nominees are BourbonSteak, ChurchKey (on behalf of Neighborhood Restaurant Group), Estadio, Virtue Feed & Grain (on behalf of EatGoodFood Group), and Room 11.

Having sampled four of the five drinks at a press kick-off to the promotion, Room 11’s Chaos Theory and Estadio’s Día de Descanso were my strong favorites among the drinks (though, it is important to note, the RAMMY award is for complete bar programs and they are not being judged on these drinks alone).

Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Dogugaeshi

Basil Twist's production of Dogugaeshi. Photo credit: Richard Termine.

The only reason I didn’t give Basil Twist’s hypnotic Dogugaeshi a standing ovation was that I was simply too stunned to rise from my seat.

Certainly I was prepared to be enchanted, after my last experience of the Basil Twist Festival – Petrushka at Shakespeare Theatre Company – but this was even more intense. Over the course of one hour I’d been transported, body and mind, to a theatrical state I had never experienced before.

There’s a haunting beauty to Dogugaeshi. As it’s a very brief run I urge you to catch it this week before closing on April 22. If it were just a presentation of Japanese folk puppet theater, that would still be reason to see it, but Twist takes this classic form and reframes it as a profound elegy on time and the ephemeral nature of beauty.

It’s the dogugaeshi itself, a “set change” stage mechanism, that tricks the eye until the viewer is almost in a trance. Or is it that strange, playful fox blowing out a candle? Continue reading →

Special Events
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Historic Howard Theatre Opens for a New Generation

Historic Howard Theatre Opens for a New Generation

The newest performing arts venue opening to entertain Washington audiences really is not new at all. The Howard Theatre, re-opening this month, was originally built in 1910 and saw legends like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and James Brown to its stage.

While the theatre had been known as a place where color barriers were broken during the times of segregation, it was nonetheless damaged in DC’s riots of 1968, after which the Shaw neighborhood where it stands changed and the theatre never really recovered. In more recent decades, the Beaux Arts landmark fell into disrepair and, since 1980, sat dormant – a shell, holding only memories of the grand balls and shows it had once hosted.

In 2000, the Howard Theatre was designated an American Treasure under the “Save America’s Treasures” program by President Clinton, a designation for historic sites around the nation that are “so important to the history of the United States that they must be preserved and restored.” Once that status was achieved, a fundraising campaign to restore the theatre began in 2006 the renovations started in September of 2010.
Continue reading →

Cherry Blossom Festival, Entertainment, Special Events, The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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This Saturday: Samurai Cinema Triple Feature!

Photo courtesy National Geographic

Want something a little different to make this year’s cherry blossom visit truly magnificent? How about a great samurai triple feature?  The National Geographic Museum will be presenting three classics of Japanese cinema, all featuring the iconic Toshiro Mifune and presented in stunning 35mm! Presented in conjunction with the National Geographic Museum exhibition Samurai: The Warrior Transformed, the films will be introduced by Michael Jeck, veteran film programmer notable for commentary on Criterion DVD releases of Seven Samurai and Throne of Blood.

Admission to each film is $5, though you can see them for free with paid admission to the new samurai exhibit. (The offer is valid only for exhibit tickets purchased for Saturday, 3/31; there are a limited number of tickets available.) Warning—these films all have some pretty violent content. Film details after the jump. Continue reading →

Downtown, Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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National Geographic Live: April 2012

Photo courtesy National Geographic

April looms large in front of us and so does a beautiful spring. While tourists flood the Tidal Basin, why not check out the April programming for National Geographic Live? The National Geographic Museum is offering WeLoveDC readers a chance to enjoy one of their premier events in the coming month. We’re giving away two pairs of tickets to readers this Friday; look through the great programs listed below and pick two you’d like to attend. In the comment field, simply enter your choices. (Make sure you use your first name and a valid email address!) Winners for April will be chosen at random after noon on March 30.

All programs (unless otherwise noted) take place in Grosvenor Auditorium at 1600 M Street, NW. Tickets may be purchased online at www.nglive.org, via telephone at (202) 857-7700, or in person at the National Geographic ticket office between 9 am and 5 pm. Free parking is available in the National Geographic underground garage for all weekday programs that begin after 6 pm. Continue reading →

Cherry Blossom Festival, Special Events, The Features
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Cherry Blossom Festival 2012: Week 1 Highlights

Photo courtesy of Pianoman75
Meta blossoms
courtesy of Pianoman75

While the peak bloom time of the area cherry blossoms has passed, the Centennial Celebration hasn’t! Officially kicked off last night, the National Cherry Blossom Festival begins in earnest this week.

Here are some of the highlight events happening over the next several days; many exhibitions and events are ongoing through the spring.
Continue reading →

Adventures, Cherry Blossom Festival, Downtown, Special Events, The Features
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Celebrating 100 Years of Blossoms

Photo courtesy of katieharbath
Cherry Blossoms
courtesy of katieharbath
It’s cherry blossom time! This year is the Centennial anniversary of Japan’s gifting of the cherry trees to the U.S. and the National Cherry Blossom Festival has planned a whopping five weeks of events to celebrate. While the festival officially kicks off this coming Sunday, some events are already unfolding this week – not to mention we’re smack in the middle of the peak bloom time of the trees.

We’ll provide you a weekly listing of events here on WeLoveDC so you can keep up with all the fantastic offerings. There’s so much going on for the Centennial that we can promise there’s something for everyone! (And don’t forget to drop your photos into our Flickr pool!)

Tonight is the sold-out 2012 Pink Tie Party at the Mayflower Renaissance. Chefs José Andrés and Roy Yamaguchi, innovators in the culinary community, will host the evening, exemplifying the international collaboration and creativity at the heart of the Festival. The sixth annual fundraiser and kick-off to the Centennial Celebration and the “season of the blossoms” will feature area chefs’ spring-, cherry- and blossom-inspired cuisine and cocktails. An auction contributes to the Festival’s fundraising efforts offering everything from weekend getaways and yacht charters to concert, sporting, dining, and theater experiences and blossom- and Japanese-themed jewelry and apparel. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features
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ARTINI: Week Two Feature Nights

Ronald Flores of Art and Soul's cocktail for ARTINI 2012. Photo credit: Dan Swartz. Courtesy of the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

ARTINI 2012 is underway! Twelve** Eleven talented bartenders have created cocktails inspired by works in the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Every Friday the We Love DC drinks team will wrap up the week’s feature nights with reviews of each artini entry, to culminate at the gala on March 31st. We kicked off Week One last Friday; let’s see what Week Two had at the bar.

ARTINI 4: Jon Arroyo, Founding Farmers
Inspiration: Behind Every Good Man, Nina Chanel Abney, 2010, acrylic on canvas
Reviewer: Moses

What kind of beverage can be inspired by one of the hottest young American artists, Nina Chanel Abney? Abney was named to Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” this year, and her work starred in the Corcoran’s “30 Americans” exhibit this past autumn. Abney’s Behind Every Good Man depicts her characteristic mask-like facial imagery and buzz of sexual energy, creating an unsettling scene, where one look captures both terror and resignation. Continue reading →

Downtown, Entertainment, Interviews, Music, People, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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Celtic Air: Moya Brennan

Photo courtesy of Marvin (PA)
Moya Brennan – Triskell – Trieste
courtesy of Marvin (PA)

What better way to truly celebrate the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day than to join a céilidh? Since such intimate gatherings are a bit tough to come by here in the DC area, the next best thing would be going to National Geographic and immersing yourself into the music of Moya Brennan. On her last stop of a brief U.S. tour, Moya will be filling the air with her ethereal voice and Irish and Gaelic music tradition.

Known best as the front singer for Clannad, Moya’s solo career has flourished over the last two decades. (My wife – herself of strong Irish heritage – and I have been a fan of her music since Moya’s first solo album Máire, which came out in 1992.) Bono of U2 describes her as “one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced.” Her seemingly otherworldly voice mixed with her mastery of Irish and Gaelic musical traditions have made her into a master of taking traditional, cultural music and making it “new” for the modern age.

I had the extremely blessed opportunity to chat with her about her life, traditions, music, and Saturday’s sold out concert. Continue reading →

Special Events, The Mall
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Orchid Mystique at US Botanic Garden

Photo courtesy of Rukasu1
Orchids
courtesy of Rukasu1

If seeing cherry blossom buds makes you impatient for late March, the US Botanic Garden has you (and your date…or camera…) covered with their annual display of orchids – Orchid Mystique: Nature’s Triumph.

I visited last weekend on an extremely affordable date (admission is always free), and decided that the Botanic Garden must have some of the best curators in the city.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japan’s cherry blossom gift to DC this year, the orchid show has a distinctly Japanese flair. Archways span the garden court’s fountains, which take on new character with steam and floating flowers. Orchids snake through the building and hang in all colors from bridges overhead. The East Gallery houses a Japanese rock garden with near-perfect bonzai. On a less crowded weekday visit, the quiet space would complement midday meditation.

Continue reading →

Interviews, Penn Quarter, People, Special Events, The Features
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Scribblings: Max Holland

Photo courtesy of cliff1066�
Richard Nixon, Time cover April 30, 1973, “The Watergate Scandal”
courtesy of cliff1066�

On Friday, March 16, join author Max Holland for a look at Mark Felt, the FBI official behind “Deep Throat,” the secretive whistleblower of the Watergate scandal. Holland will be speaking at the International Spy Museum from noon until 2 p.m. on his latest book, Leak: Why Mark Felt Became Deep Throat.

Best known through Hal Holbrook’s portrayal in the film version of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s All the President’s Men, Felt was regarded for decades as a conscientious but highly secretive whistleblower who shunned the limelight. Yet even after he finally revealed his identity in 2005, questions about his true motivations persisted.

Max Holland has found the missing piece of that Deep Throat puzzle—one that’s been hidden in plain sight all along. He reveals for the first time in detail what truly motivated the FBI’s number-two executive to become the most fabled secret source in American history. In the process, he directly challenges Felt’s own explanations while also demolishing the legend fostered by Woodward and Bernstein’s bestselling account. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events
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Fun, Flavorful Fundraising: The Embassy Chef Challenge

Chef Devin E. Johnson, Embassy of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and judge Tim Carmen, food reporter for The Washington Post. Photo by Don Tanguilig

Perhaps nothing exemplifies a nation’s identity and culture more than its traditional cuisine. Among the highlights of Washington DC are the many cultures represented among its host of communities, international organizations and embassies (more than any other city in the world).

Unbeknownst to most of us, hidden talents are creating culinary masterpieces behind the walls of Washington’s embassies. These embassy chefs are themselves cultural ambassadors, sharing their national dishes for state dinners and other events, without the media attention or fanfare of other top restaurant chefs.

The 4th Annual Embassy Chef Challenge, sponsored by local non-profit Cultural Tourism DC, culminated in a fun and flavorful fundraising event Thursday night at the Ronald Reagan Building. Cultural Tourism DC promotes the cultural treaures of Washington through a host of events, neighborhood heritage trails, culture events for kids, the month-long international festival Passport DC and more.
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Preview: ARTINI 2012

ARTINI 2011, image courtesy of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Photo credit: Ben Droz.

A gala that combines almost all of my favorite things – parties, drinks and art – into one glamorous mix? Always fantastic. Get ready for the fifth annual love affair of cocktails and art that is ARTINI.

Presented by the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design’s 1869 Society and sponsored by Washingtonian, while the actual gala is a month away on Saturday, March 31, the competition itself starts next week. Twelve (Eleven as of 3/27, see update**) of the top mixologists in the city will showcase their talent and creativity in a unique way – by crafting cocktails inspired by works of art in the Corcoran collection. Last year it was an honor to serve as a judge on the Critic’s Choice panel; this year I’m happy to just kick back as a partygoer. Tickets are now on sale and do sell out quickly, so snap yours up – $95 for 1869 Society members, $115 for non-Society members. All proceeds benefit ArtReach, the Corcoran’s educational outreach program, celebrating its twentieth year of visual arts education for local students.

Sample the entries all March long as the twelve** participants roll out their artistic cocktails at weekly Feature Nights starting next week and continuing every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday until the event. Our dedicated team of WLDC lushes – Brittany, Fedward, Moses and myself – will attempt to report on as many of these drinks as possible throughout the month. Look for our round-ups in the weekly Friday Happy Hour!

Now that we have all the details out of the way, I wonder if I have any predictions? Continue reading →

Education, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Ticket Giveaway: Washington Home & Garden Show

Photo courtesy of Victory & Reseda
Home and Garden Show 2
courtesy of Victory & Reseda

The Washington Home & Garden Show starts up next Friday and the event’s new management has been lovely enough to give WeLoveDC 5 pairs of tickets to give away to our readers.

This year’s three day event features 16,000 square feet of show featuring the latest in landscaping and outdoor lifestyle trend, celebrity guests (such as Todd Davis from HGTV’s Room Crashers and Sasha Andreev from HGTV’s Curb Appeal), “Innovation Avenue,” a one stop shop for the latest in home decor, kitchen, bath, and outdoor living, the IKEA Haute Design Show, a haute design comes to life during a chic runway presentation, and outstanding local professionals on hand to show DC how to transform homes into ultimate living spaces.

I don’t you know about you, but the DIYer, Urban Homesteader, Interior Decorator in me is pumped.

Here’s how the giveaway works:

Leave a comment on this post using a valid e-mail address before Tuesday, March 6 at 5pm. One entry per e-mail address. We’ll close off entries at 5 PM and winners will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail. If you’re chosen as the winner, you must respond to the e-mail within 24 hours or you will forfeit the tickets and we’ll select another winner. The winners will be able to pick up the tickets under their name at will call at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Good luck!

Downtown, Essential DC, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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And the Blossom Bloomtime Is….

DSC_0191

This year marks the centennial anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington, DC and the enduring friendship between Japan and the United States. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is celebrating in style this year with a five-week calendar of events. Considered the nation’s greatest springtime celebration, this year will feature diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit.

Among some of the events are the Pink Tie Party on March 20 with Chefs Jose Andres and Roy Yamaguchi and the Cherry Blossom Parade on April 14, co-hosted by Katie Couric with special correspondents Alex Trebek, Leon Harris, and Alison Starling.

The biggest news, however, is the bloom prediction by NPS Chief Horticulturalist Rob DeFeo. Due to the light winter and continual warming trend, the peak bloom prediction this year is from March 24th through the 31st. In the coming weeks, watch for updates from WLDC on the exciting Cherry Blossom events and plans to come!