Mar
29
Fri
Smithsonian at 8: La Grande Fête @ La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France
Mar 29 @ 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

SMITHSONIAN at 8, in collaboration with Francophonie DC and La Maison Francaise at the French Embassy, presents La Grande Fête, the closing celebration of the 2019 DC Francophonie Cultural Festival.

WHEN: Friday, March 29, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

WHERE: La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC

Get ready for a spectacular party with a French accent. The annual Francophonie Cultural Festival spotlights the music, art, literature, film, cuisine, and customs of French-speaking countries and regions from across the globe. Its closing celebration, La Grande Fete, is always magnifique, and this year’s bash is no exception.

Beginning at 7 p.m., launch into a world tour of francophone cultures. Sample food and drink from more than 30 embassies as you explore each nation’s unique attractions and traditions.

Guinean singer/songwriter Natu Camara performs live with an energy that keeps you on your feet. Natu’s dynamic and mesmerizing voice is a fusion of soul, Afro-Rock, folk and pop. Combined with unique and joyful stage presence, she is sure to make for a memorable addition to this year’s La Grande Fete. Les the DJ will spin music from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and plenty of destinations in between. Don’t miss this chance to experience the best of the French-speaking world—all without leaving home.

General admission $40

Tickets must be purchased in advance (no sales at the door).

For tickets and further information the public may call 202-633-3030 or visit www.SMITHSONIANat8.org.

Mar
31
Sun
Bad & Boozy Brunch @ City Tap Dupont
Mar 31 @ 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

In celebration of Women’s History Month, City Tap Dupont invites guests to a Bad & Boozy Brunch on Sunday, March 31, from 11am to 3pm. Brunchers are invited to raise a glass in honor of the phenomenal women of the world with bottles of bubbly and mixers for build-your-own mimosas ($20), as well as the usual $18 bottomless mimosas, beermosas, and build-your-own bloody marys. From 11:30am – 2:30pm DJ Ducky Dynamo will have powerful female artists playing throughout the restaurant for guests to dance and sing along with while enjoying brunch favorites such as strawberry sundae pancakesshrimp & grits, and woodfired pizzas. To make a reservation at City Tap Dupont, visit https://www.citytap.com/location/dupont/.

Apr
8
Mon
Taste of the Nation @ National Building Museum
Apr 8 @ 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign invites Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia residents to sip and sample creations from area’s most celebrated restaurants to help kids in need at this year’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry on Monday, April 8, 2019Hosted at the National Building Museum, the annual tasting event will feature gourmet cuisine and libations crafted by the city’s hottest chefs, sommeliers and mixologists, uniting to raise funds to ensure all children in America have access to the healthy food they need, every day. One-hundred-percent of proceeds from the event benefit No Kid Hungry’s work to end childhood hunger in America.

Led by Chef Chair Mike Friedman (The Red Hen, All-Purpose), Pastry Chair Tiffany MacIsaac (Buttercream Bakeshop), Mixology Chair Gina Chersevani (Buffalo and Bergen, Suburbia), and Sommelier Chair Nadine Brown (Society Fair), D.C.’s culinary tastemakers will provide guests with scrumptious bite-size fare, craft cocktails and delectable desserts. Guests will also have a chance to participate in an intimate tasting with Chef Kwame Onwuachi (Kith and Kin, Philly Wing Fry) and Chef Tae Strain (Momofuku CCDC), and score hot items at the silent auction and “Giving Tree”. 

Notable participating Washington, D.C. area culinary talent and eateries include:

All-Purpose | Al Dente | Art & Soul | Barrel | Beuchert’s Saloon | Buffalo and Bergen | Bombay Street Food | Buttercream Bakeshop | Captain Cookie and the Milkman | Cava Mezze | Coconut Club | Colada Shop | Compass Rose | Espita Mezcaleria | Estadio | Farmers & Distillers | Firefly | Georgetown Cupcake | The Green Zone | Hank’s Oyster Bar | I’m Eddie Cano | Jack Rose Dining Saloon | Junction Bakery & Bistro | Kith and Kin | Kuya Ja’s | McClellan’s Retreat | Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro | Mi Vida | Milkbar | Momo Yakitori | Momofuku CCDC| Nama Sushi | Osteria Morini | Ottoman Taverna | Oyamel | Pisco y Nasca Ceviche Gastrobar | Radiator | Rappahannock Oyster Bar | RARE Steakhouse | RASA | Royal | Shake Shack | Society Fair Spoken English | Stellina Pizzeria | Succotash Penn Quarter | Sweet Lobby | The Delegate | The Pub and the People | The Source | Tico |  Truxton Inn

One in six children in America struggles with hunger, including nearly 27,000 kids in the District of Columbia. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger nationwide by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. Since the campaign’s launch, No Kid Hungry and its partners have connected kids struggling with hunger to more than one billion meals.

In 2018, D.C.’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry raised enough to connect hungry kids in need with up to 2.5 million healthy meals. Local beneficiaries include Capital Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions, and Mary’s Center.

D.C.’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry is supported by national co-presenting sponsors Citi and Sysco®, national media sponsor Food Network, and national sponsor OpenTable. Whole Foods Market is the Official Grocer Sponsor of D.C.’s 2019 Taste of the Nation and will be providing samples alongside their local vendors. This event is also made possible by the following local sponsors: Caledonia Spirits, Catoctin Creek, Chrysler Pacifica, Ecolab, Flying Dog Brewery, MacRostie Winery and Vineyards, Rémy Cointreau and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry tickets start at $100, with prices increasing a month prior to the event on March 8, 2019. For additional information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.nokidhungry.org/tastedc.

Apr
15
Mon
OFERTÓRIO CAETANO VELOSO @ Music Center at Strathmore
Apr 15 @ 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM

OFERTÓRIO

CAETANO VELOSO

With Moreno, Zeca & Tom Veloso

 

For over 35 years, GRAMMY Award-winner Caetano Veloso has been a major musical, social, and cultural force in Brazil. The New York Times calls him “one of the greatest songwriters of the century.” Veloso’s latest project is a collaboration with his sons: Moreno, Zeca, and Tom. This legendary lineage performs an intimate, acoustic concert full of their favorite songs like “Um Canto de Afoxé Para o Bloco do Ilê,” and your favorite songs of Veloso’s like “Cucurrucucu Paloma,” “Sozinho,” and more. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encompassed theatre, poetry, and music in the 1960s, paving the way for pursuits in rock, pop, folk, and Bossa Nova.

Apr
20
Sat
Pearl Dive’s Annual Crawfish Boil @ Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Apr 20 @ 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Pearl Dive Oyster Palace’s Annual Crawfish Boil is right around the corner!

The venue will be offering up a feast of Crawfish, Corn on the Cob, House Made Andouille Sausage, Coleslaw, Cornbread Muffins, Roasted Potatoes, Wood Grilled Oysters, Pulled Pork Sliders, Hush Puppies, Abita Beer, House Wine Pours, and Hurricane Punch!

All you can eat and drink!

Apr
29
Mon
The Changing Role of Museums in the Middle East @ Middle East Institute
Apr 29 @ 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
The Changing Role of Museums in the Middle East
When
Monday, April 29, 2019
12:30pm – 1:45pm
A light lunch will be served at 12:00pm
Where
Middle East Institute
1319 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Details:
The Middle East Institute (MEI) and The Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) are pleased to invite you to a panel conversation on the changing social and cultural significance of museums in Lebanon, and more broadly in the Middle East, as they seek to move beyond their traditional role as authorities in the arts to become more relevant to the cultural and socio-economic concerns of communities at a local, regional, and international level.
Please join Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Taline Boladian, member of APEAL,The Association for the Promotion and Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (founding entity of BeMA), and Peggy Loar, president of International Museum Planning Consultants, for a discussion about the future of museums in the Middle East. NPR Art Desk Reporter Neda Ulaby will moderate the conversation.
May
2
Thu
LECTURE: Around the World in 80 Trees @ Conservatory Garden Court, US Botanic Garden
May 2 @ 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Jonathan Drori, author and environmentalist

From India’s sacred banyan to the fragrant cedar of Lebanon, trees offer us sanctuary, inspiration and companionship – not to mention sustenance and raw materials – and forests have surprising parallels with human communities. In this fascinating and beautifully illustrated talk, Jonathan Drori, author and trustee of The Eden Project in Cornwall, and former BBC documentary film-maker and board member of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, uses plant science to illuminate how trees play a role in every part of our lives, from the romantic to the regrettable, and how they are capable of the most bizarre antics. An unmissable event for tree and nature lovers. Please note: Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Program begins at 7 p.m.

DATE: Thursday, May 2

TIME: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Conservatory Garden Court

FREE: Pre-registration required, visit www.USBG.gov/Learn

This program sponsored by the Friends of the U.S. Botanic Garden.

May
4
Sat
DC Chocolate Festival @ La Maison Francaise
May 4 @ 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

The DC Chocolate Festival is back this Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm. 

This event brings together over 30 chocolate vendors and thousands of chocolate lovers for a day of tasting, talking and learning.  

A celebration of artisan and fine chocolate from the Mid-Atlantic and beyond, the DC Chocolate Festival is at La Maison Francaise, Embassy of France (4101 Reservoir Road NW).

And it will bring together both chocolate makers and chocolate enthusiasts for a day of tastings and educational micro workshops.

The DC Chocolate Festival features over 30 chocolate vendors with incredible chocolate confections, treats, beverages, and craft chocolate bars from across the local area and the world!

In addition to delectable tastings, the DC Chocolate Festival offers chocolate documentaries & film screenings, books signing, talks, workshops for kids and adults and many more!

Click here for tickets.

May
10
Fri
EU Open House @ Various Embassies
May 10 @ 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
EU Open House • May 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. • Passport DC 2019: EU Open House • 
The European Union Delegation at 2175 K will be open as part of the EU Open House on May 11. Visitors will get a sneak peek into what the EU does, sample food from Europe, play a spin-the-wheel game for prizes, try out a virtual reality experience and get artistic with a coloring wall. This event is free and open to the public, and families are welcome. For the full list of all 28 embassies participating and what activities they will be doing, visit the EU Open House website.
This event is also the highlight of the European Month of Culture taking place May 1-31 when all EU countries bring performances, exhibits and much more to DC. The full lineup of events can be found online.
May
16
Thu
ZooFari: Bite Night @ Smithsonian National Zoo
May 16 @ 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Boasting the city’s best restaurants, one-of-a-kind animal demonstrations and inspiring conservation stories, ZooFari: Bite Night, a benefit for wildlife sponsored by GEICO, returns to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on May 16 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Hosted by Friends of the National Zoo, this year’s event promises to be a glamorous night of dining, drinking, bidding and dancing—all to support the Zoo’s important mission to save species.

“We love hosting ZooFari every year,” said Lynn Mento, executive director of FONZ. “What makes it so special and popular is not just that the food and drink are amazing, but that you’re enjoying the restaurant tastings in this beautiful setting where you have the chance to see animals, and meet some of the world’s leading conservation scientists. It’s a unique combination of great food, great drink and helping to save the planet … that’s a pretty good night!”

Most animal houses will be open, and the VIP Lounge, hosted by Charles Schwab & Co., will be at Great Cats Circle, where there also will be exclusive animal demonstrations. The only DJ to spin beats and cook at the same time, DJ Chef, will entertain all attendees, as will electric violinist Ben Hoyt, Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar and a food sculptor.

In addition to providing a unique dining and entertainment experience, the event will celebrate conservation work around the globe. Smithsonian scientists will be on hand to share stories with guests about how they’re saving endangered animals. Special stations will showcase five wildlife projects supported by Conservation Nation, an initiative of Friends of the National Zoo.

A silent auction is open to the public before and during the event. The auction features conservation-themed prizes, including animal paintings, behind-the-scenes tours at the Zoo and even the opportunity to name a wild tapir.

General admission tickets include access to the general event area, as well as complimentary food tastings, beer, wine, soft drinks and water, plus live entertainment and animal experiences. Four extravagant VIP packages include access to an exclusive VIP Lounge with the finest food and cocktails, as well as special parking opportunities, express check-in and more.