Events/Things To Do

On Saturday, August 24 from 6 – 10 p.m., Washington, D.C. will host the sixth annual Le Dîner en Blanc. The yearly extravaganza, where guests don all white, promises another evening of dining and excitement, as it acquires a secret public location, revealed only minutes prior to the commence of the event. 

Over the course of the evening, 5,000 guests will once again dine and celebrate the sixth anniversary of Le Dîner en Blanc – Washington amid live music, entertainment and dancing. Each year, guests bring their all-white tables, chairs and table settings, and the truly ambitious create their own French picnics with extravagant, inventive tablescapes.  For those looking for a more convenient option, attendees can rent a table and chairs from Rentals to Remember.

Registration for the unique experience happens in three stages beginning later next month: Phase 1 is for members who attended the previous year; Phase 2 is for new members who have been sponsored by Phase 1 attendees; and Phase 3 is for guests who signed up on the waiting list. Those interested can sign up at washington.dinerenblanc.com/register.

About Le Dîner en Blanc – Washington Hosts

Le Dîner en Blanc – Washington, D.C. is produced by The Davis Group, LLC, a full-service event design and production company based in the Washington, DC area. Linda Davis, along with daughters Bryer and Kaitlin have brought together nearly 15,000 people to celebrate Dîner en Blanc in Washington.

City Tap Penn Quarter will offer a ticketed all-you-can-eat Louisiana style crawfish boil including crawfish, clams, shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes. The first Abita Beer Strawberry Lager with a complimentary koozie is on the house for ticketed patrons. Stick around for the live music and patio games with $5 Abita brews and $10 adult capris suns until 5pm

City Tap Dupont is excited to throw a day at the beach, luau themed open bar event on Labor Day. Come for brunch and stay to enjoy Hawaiian themed food specials such as pineapple burgers and pulled pork tacos starting at 1pm, and a $45 ticketed open bar from 2pm to 5pm including select draft beers, house wines by the glass and rail mixed drinks.

La Cosecha, EDENS’ upcoming contemporary Latin market (1270 4th Street NE) in the Union Market District, will celebrate its opening preview celebration with a festive block party and special concert, presented by title partner Events DC and headlined by Grammy-winning Latin fusion band Ozomatli on Saturday, September 7 from 11am-7pm.

Local pop singer-dancer Jason Cerda will also perform during the free, open-to-the-public event, which will serve as a Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff event and is being curated in collaboration with local music production group All Things Go. Additional musical acts include Salt Cathedral, Mario + Jose, Jonathan Acosta, DJ Bembona, DJ Renzo, DJ Nicolas Losada and Batalá.

The Calle Latina block party’s family-friendly activities include a special Latin-inspired face painting menu created by Colombia-born local muralist MasPaz, Con Sabor kids’ dance classes, chef demos and a flash mob led by Cerda.

Guests will also get a sneak peek at all of the La Cosecha partners: El Cielo, NOVA BOSSA, Amparo, Ali Pacha, Grand Cata, Serenata, Café Unido, Filos Bakery, Zona E Home, La Casita and Peruvian Brothers.
In partnership with sponsors the D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment, Carlos Rosario School, and Bacardi, the block party will feature additional pop ups by New Latin Wave, Se Habla Español, The Future is Latina, Andeana Hats, Adelante Shoes, Arcay Chocolates, Piña & Coco, Wonder for People and Politics & Prose, Arepa Zone, Ilegal Mezcal and Bacardi.

“After considerable time spent planning and curating La Cosecha, we’re excited and proud to invite all to our preview block party, Calle Latina, where we’ll be celebrating the colors, textures and sounds of Latin America. The ongoing insights and assistance from Latin embassy partners and the city’s cultural tastemakers have been invaluable in the creation of this new marketplace,” says EDENS CEO Jodie W. McLean. “Inclusivity and cultural appreciation are the foundation of any strong community and seem more important now than ever. We hope that by showcasing these dynamic cultures, we can spark conversations and relationships across diverse cultures.”

Ozomatli, known as much for their music as their activism, are two-time Grammy winners with a one-of-a-kind sound that encompasses a wide array of musical styles, including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap and more. Since their inception in 1995, Ozomatli has performed all over the world in places like China, Tunisia, Jordan and Burma, serving both as cultural ambassadors and advocates for farm workers’ rights and immigration reform.

D.C.-area native Cerda is a double-threat singer and dancer, boasting Billboard-charting singles Al Lado Mio, Color Favorito and Un Poco Mas, as well as a 3,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art dance studio in northern Virginia.

La Cosecha’s partnerships with Latin embassies, cultural and diplomatic leaders and strategic stakeholders from the Latin community will solidify the new marketplace as a national platform for Latin culture and cuisine. Cultural opportunities for the larger community will include art exhibits, film screenings, live performances, media lab space and outdoor activations throughout the year.

To RSVP for La Cosecha’s Calle Latina block party, please visit www.lacosechadc.com/callelatina.

Gelato Festival America is coming to Washington D.C., September 7^th and 8^th to City Market at O. Join Washington’s Italian community and come out to celebrate authentic Italian gelato. Along our journey to find the best gelato in America, international gelato artisans will gather in the capitol to prepare original flavors fresh in the world’s largest frozen dessert laboratory on wheels. Guests enjoy all-you-can-eat gelato while participating in the Eating Contest, Carpigiani Gelato University, Kids Jury and other activities for the whole family then vote for their favorite flavors to win the Gelato Festival Gold Medal.

Gelato Festival America is coming to Washington D.C., September 7^th and 8^th to City Market at O. Join Washington’s Italian community and come out to celebrate authentic Italian gelato. Along our journey to find the best gelato in America, international gelato artisans will gather in the capitol to prepare original flavors fresh in the world’s largest frozen dessert laboratory on wheels. Guests enjoy all-you-can-eat gelato while participating in the Eating Contest, Carpigiani Gelato University, Kids Jury and other activities for the whole family then vote for their favorite flavors to win the Gelato Festival Gold Medal.

Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown is adding a Paella Fest to its renowned Paella Night Wednesdays with some of DC’s most renowned and talented chefs to benefit Horton’s Kids.

On Wednesday, September 18^th from 5 pm to 7 pm, Fairmont’s Executive Chef Jordi Gallardo welcomes Chefs Cinthia Bonilla from Mola Restaurant and Carlos Gomez Segovia from Taberna del Alabardero to join him in preparing and serving their own version of Spanish Paella.

            Guests will love tasting delicioso varieties of Paella in the hotel’s courtyard:

Chef Cinthia Bonilla – Paella de Mariscos

Chef Jordi Gallardo – Mediterranean Paella, O Paella Mixta

Chef Carlos Gomez Segovia – Black Paella

While sipping sangria guests will be entertained in Spanish style with a live Flamenco guitarist.

Lush landscaping, cozy fire pits and ample seating creates the perfect venue for Chefs Gallardo, Bonilla and Segovia’s live paella stations.  Using their own recipes they will prepare and serve their own authentic Paella made authentic ingredients including shrimp, chicken, mussels and secret ingredients in their giant pans.

 An array of gazpacho, pan con tomate, anchego cheese, serrano ham, tortilla de patatas, olives, anchovies and flan de caramel will accompany the chefs Paella.

Specially priced glasses of red and white sangria will be available along with the regular happy hour cocktail menu.  Flamenco music will entertain guests in Spanish style. A percentage of the proceeds will go directly to Horton’s Kids   Horton’s Kids empowers children growing up in one of Washington, DC’s most under-resourced communities so that they graduate from high school ready for success in college, career, and life.  https://www.hortonskids.org/

Fairmont’s Paella Fest is $15 per person, reservations are available on Eventbrite at: https://fairmontwashingtonpaellafest.eventbrite.com

On September 23, 2019, Tzedek DC, a DC legal services organization will hold Eat Well, Do Justice: Celebrity Chef Knish Knockout!.  The event raises funds for Tzedek DC (“Sedek DC”), a non-profit organization headquartered at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law with the mission of safeguarding the rights of low-income DC residents facing often unjust debt collection lawsuits and other predatory consumer crises. www.tzedekdc.org

The event will be held at the University of the District of Columbia Student Center. Five acclaimed DC area chefs will create their own take on the knish, the traditional Jewish staple. Attendees will sample each creation and, along with a panel of judges, vote to determine the winner.

The five local Chefs who will be featured at the event are:

·      Cathy Barrow, Cookbook author and Washington Post Food columnist

·      Ian Boden, Chef, The Shack

·      Todd Gray, Chef-owner Equinox

·      Johanna Hellrigl, Partner, Fat Baby Restaurant Group, Executive Chef of Doi Moi

·      Keshaun Winston, Instructor at Cookology and former personal chef for President Obama

Guest Judges who will determine the celebrity chef winner (along with event attendees) are:

·      Renée McDonald Hutchins, Dean, UDC David A. Clarke School of Law

·      Dahlia Lithwick, Legal writer, Slate

·     The Hon. Jamie Raskin, U.S. House of Representatives

·      Ed Scarpone, 2018 Eat Well Do Justice! winner and Schlow Restaurant Executive

Bonnie Benwick, Former Deputy Food Editor for The Washington Post, will serve as the Honorary Chair of the event.  Co-chairs for the event are Courtney Weiner, June Kress, Laura Kumin, and Nina Simon.

“Tzedek DC’s focus is fundamentally on a civil rights issue, serving the communities where predatory abuses in lending and lawsuits have been most prevalent,” says Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Founding President and Director-Counsel for Tzedek DC. “This event is an entertaining way to raise funds for this important work, in which we are inspired by the ancient command from the Book of Deuteronomy: “Tzedek, Tzedek tirdof,” or “justice, justice you shall pursue.”