Events/Things To Do

WHAT: Embassy chefs from around the world will gather for the 2017 Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge presented by TCMA (A Drew Company), to showcase the unique flavors of their countries in a friendly, delicious culinary competition. With more than 30 embassies participating, this year’s event offers attendees a global culinary experience unmatched in Washington DC.

Attendees will have the opportunity to sample a sip and bite from all participating embassy chefs, and cast their votes for the People’s Choice award. The winner will be announced alongside the Judges’ Choice – selected by a group of elite members of the worlds of diplomacy, culture and the culinary arts, who will critique each dish and beverage before placing their votes.

The Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge not only encourages culinary diplomacy, but also celebrates the arts of many cultures and highlights some of the area’s amazing musicians, dancers and singers. In years’ past, performances have included Bolivian folk dancers, Russian violinists, Chinese dancers and Brazilian samba artists. This year’s event will feature a non-stop range of performances to accompany the delicious food and drink that will be served.

Embassy of Barbados, swept the competition in 2015 winning over the people and the judges, and was the Judges’ Choice winner last year, alongside Peoples’ Choice winner Embassy of the Philippines. Both countries will return to the competition this year to defend their titles and win another coveted golden pineapple.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Atrium of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, DC 20460

WHO: Chefs from every corner of the globe will be competing, including:

PRICE:   General Admission – $65.00
              Includes all the global sips and bites and live entertainment

VIP – $95.00
Includes one-hour early entry to meet chefs, taste their offerings, and network with embassy community elite

For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.eventsdcembassychefchallenge.com/home_2017#tickets

(WASHINGTON)—Washington National Opera (WNO) today announces an exciting

conclusion to its 2016–2017 season: the 2017 WNO Opera Gala, celebrating WNO

Board Chairman Jacqueline Badger Mars, who will step down as Chairman this

summer. The Gala, on Saturday, June 3, 2017, will include a concert in the Kennedy

Center Opera House featuring the WNO Orchestra and an array of musical stars who

will pay special tribute to Jacqueline Mars’s visionary leadership of WNO: legendary

soprano Renée Fleming, superstar mezzo-soprano and D.C. native Denyce Graves,

and Hamilton Tony Award® winner Leslie Odom Jr. The Gala is presented as part of

JFKC, the Kennedy Center’s season-long celebration of John F. Kennedy’s centennial,

and explores the themes of service and gratitude, which are often associated with

President Kennedy.

The Co-Chairmen of the WNO Opera Gala are WNO Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B.

Casey and Mrs. John F. Mars. The Opera Gala pays tribute to Jacqueline Badger Mars

for her six seasons of leadership of the WNO Board of Trustees. Highlights of her

tenure include the founding of the American Opera Initiative, which for the last five

seasons has helped identify the brightest rising American composers and librettists and

has added their work to the repertory; the programming of an annual opera for families

at the holiday season, including Hansel and Gretel, The Little Prince, and the world

premiere commission of The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me; and the presentation of WNO’s

first-ever complete Ring cycles in 2016, a feat that put WNO into a very elite group of

American opera companies.

“I have been honored to work with Jacquie Mars since 2008, and her imaginative

leadership and guidance have brought WNO unparalleled growth and success while

also making the opera more accessible to a broader audience,” said WNO executive

director Michael L. Mael. “Our next Chairman will certainly have big shoes to fill, but I

am happy that Jacquie will continue to steer this company as a WNO trustee.”

Tickets for the Gala concert start at $49 and are on sale now to Kennedy Center

members. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 21, 2017 at 10 a.m.

For those who wish to purchase special Gala packages, the evening will begin with a

VIP cocktail reception on the Kennedy Center’s River Terrace at 5:30 p.m., followed by

the Gala concert at 6:30 p.m. After the performance, Gala package holders will depart

the Kennedy Center for elegant black-tie dinners hosted by many ambassadors at their

embassies or residences throughout the city, a longtime tradition of the Opera’s season-
ending social gathering.

The Opera Gala is WNO’s largest fundraiser and one of Washington’s most anticipated

events of the year. Proceeds from the Opera Gala will play a crucial role in advancing

the Opera’s award-wining artistic, educational, and outreach programs.

While the 2016–2017 season is coming to an end, the new season promises

excitement. WNO’s 2017–2018 season includes new productions of Verdi’s epic drama

Aida, the company premiere of Handel’s magical baroque opera Alcina, and Verdi’s

towering masterpiece Don Carlo, plus Rossini’s delightful comedy The Barber of Seville

and Bernstein’s biting satire Candide. The season also features a festival weekend of

four world premieres as part of the American Opera Initiative, the return of the holiday

family opera The Little Prince, two special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist performances,

and more. Subscription packages are available now.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets for the Gala concert start at $49 and are available online, in person at the

Kennedy Center Box Office, and by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324. For all

other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at

(202) 416-8540.

Today, World Central Kitchen opens ticket sales for Dine-N-Dash, the primary annual fundraiser for José Andrés’s international organization focused on smart solutions to hunger and poverty. The June 7 event is a raucous progression with the anticipated participation of more than 30 of Washington, D.C.’s best restaurants, and includes appearances by nationally recognized food celebrities, including Andrew Zimmern.

“We are excited to be having our fifth Dine-N-Dash this year!” Andrés said. “I cannot believe it has already been five years. We have a goal of raising $500,000 for World Central Kitchen, and it is incredible that in our first year we raised $75,000, and now we are hoping to raise a half a million dollars. I am so happy to see how this event has grown.”

Now in its fifth year, Dine-N-Dash aims to raise over $500,000 to support World Central Kitchen’s smart solutions to hunger and poverty, which include food safety and sanitation training, building school kitchens, clean cookstove conversion, and job creation. The D.C.-based brainchild of celebrated chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen operates under the direction of Brian MacNair, mobilizing its Chef Network to tackle issues of poverty and hunger in a growing list of countries that includes Haiti, Cambodia, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic. Chefs like Victor Albisu, Tom Colicchio and Erik Bruner-Yang have travelled with the organization for on-the-ground action and instruction.

“We have a lot of fantastic fundraising events in D.C., but Dine-N-Dash is really something special,” MacNair said. “We don’t hold this in a food hall or event space. We bring our community of supporters into the restaurants to experience not only the chef’s food, but the feel and design of their spaces and the character of the neighborhood. World Central Kitchen is all about connecting a global food community for the betterment of all, and Dine-N-Dash reflects that idea in a really fun way.”

Dine-N-Dash will take place on June 7 from 6-10pm. This year, over 30 restaurants are expected to participate, a huge increase from the six that took part in the event’s first year. Originally located in Penn Quarter, the Charles Schwab-sponsored event is now split evenly between the original neighborhood and the busy 14th Street corridor. Guests select a starting restaurant when they buy a ticket, and from there progress from establishment to establishment at their whim, with each offering a selection of 6-8 dishes and 4-6 drinks. There will be live music at many of the participating restaurants, and a selection of the city’s finest food trucks will ensure that even trips between restaurants will be delicious.

VIP ticketholders will be invited to the VIP–only pre-party pop-up sponsored by MGM National Harbor that brings Andrés’s FISH and the Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse to Penn Quarter at a soon-to-be disclosed location. The pre-party will be hosted by Andrés and attended by celebrity chefs, including Andrew Zimmern and Ted Allen. The pop-up space will open to the public at 7pm.

When: Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Time: 6-10pm

Price: General Admission: $125, VIP: $400

Tickets: Available today at https://dinendash.info/

Participating Restaurants To-Date Include:

• Penn Quarter
  • Bantam King
  • China Chilcano
  • Del Campo
  • Denson
  • Graffiato
  • Jaleo
  • MGM National Harbor Pop-up with Fish by José Andrés and Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse
  • Oyamel
  • Pepe (food truck)
  • Proof
  • Rocklands (food truck)
  • SEI
  • Zaytinya
• 14th Street
  • Black Jack
  • B Too
  • Colada Shop
  • Dangerously Delicious Pies (food truck)
  • Dirty South (food truck)
  • Doi Moi
  • Estadio
  • Ghibellina
  • Lupo Verde
  • Pearl Dive
  • Policy
  • Sotto
  • T Street Block Party with Taqueria Nacional, Colada Shop and Ice Cream Jubilee 

The Art League’s first Art on the Vine fundraiser kicks-off with a 10-day online art auction that culminates in a festive, global wine tasting party on Friday, June 9, 7:30-10:30 pm in the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

The Art on the Vine wine tasting party on June 9 will feature 12 different wines from around the world. Tickets are $55 per person, and each ticket holder will receive a tasting glass, eight tastings, and one full pour. Well Crafted Wine & Beverage Co. curated the selection of wines, and the tasting is designed to take the palette on a journey from light to bold. Chadwicks in Old Town will provide light hors d’oeuvres.
The online auction begins at 12:00 noon on May 30, featuring a variety of artwork from our esteemed faculty of artists as well as date night packages from local Alexandria businesses, including the new Hotel Indigo. The final round of bidding will occur during the event on June 9 as a silent auction.

All proceeds go to benefit The Art League and its educational programs.

When: Friday, June 9, 7:30–10:30 pm
Where: The Art League, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

Tickets: $55 per person. Must be 21+ to attend.

Purchase tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-on-the-vine-tickets-33830317390

Online auction site: https://www.32auctions.com/ArtOnTheVine
Artwork continues to be added to the site!

General questions: 703-683-1780

Christian Heurich’s granddaughter, Jan Evans, will host a special History & Hops at the Heurich

House Museum on July 20 th from 6:30-8:30pm. Mrs. Evans was very close to her grandparents,

Christian and Amelia Heurich, and lived with them for a time in their Dupont Circle mansion. She

will discuss her time in Washington, D.C. as well as her family’s history and legacy. Guests will

be able to speak directly with Mrs. Evans as well as enjoy beer, snacks, and tours of the historic

Heurich House Museum.

Born in Hawaii, Mrs. Evans has lived in Japan, Cuba, Florida, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. A

local business-woman, she is a current board member of the Association of Oldest Inhabitants

of Washington, D.C. and Director of the Friends of the National World War II Memorial. Mrs.

Evans was also instrumental in establishing her grandparents’ home as a museum. Together

with her cousin Gary Heurich, she created the Heurich House Foundation and helped the

organization purchase the Heurich mansion in 2003, from the Historical Society of Washington,

D.C. The Heurich House museum would not exist today, in its intact form, without her

intervention.

Guests at History & Hops will have the chance to meet and speak with Mrs. Evans as she

recounts her time spent in Washington, D.C. with her grandparents between 1930 and 1956.

The museum will also feature a variety of drinks to celebrate Mrs. Evans’ time spent traveling

the world.

Tickets for History & Hops hosted by Jan Evans are $30 per person and include tastings,

snacks, and tours of the Heurich House Museum. For more information and to purchase tickets,

please visit http://bit.ly/HHJuly2017. Guests must be 21 or older.

All proceeds benefit the preservation and growth of the Heurich House Museum.

On Sunday, August 6^th from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, Bastille, located at 606 N. Fayette Street in Old Town Alexandria, opens its patio up to our furry friends.  Paws on the Patio is a family and pet-friendly Sunday afternoon Happy Hour on Bastille’s expansive private patio just a block from the Braddock Metro.

As special guests, Bastille welcomes adoptable doggies from Operation Paws for Homes, who rescue dogs of all breeds and ages from high-kill shelters reducing the numbers being euthanized. Most of their dogs come from rural shelters in South and North Carolina, as well as Virginia. They also partner with local shelters as needed. The organization provides pet adoption services to families located in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Southern Pennsylvania and neighboring states.  A portion of the proceeds of Paws on the Patio will be donated to Operation Paws for Homes.  It’s the perfect opportunity to give a forever home to a deserving pet and make a difference to the life of an animal in need.www.ophrescue.org

Bastille’s special menu features $2 off the Happy Hour small plates menu and will include warm marinated olives; house-made hummus and crispy flatbread;           falafel with harissa yogurt; shrimp beignets with spicy guacamole; artisanal cheese or charcuteries board; Galette (Flat bread) BLT; confit tomatoes with bacon, cheddar, fresh basil and shredded lettuce; Virginia grass fed beef *burger on brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, crispy onions.

Happy Hour “Coq-Tails”, wines and beers will also be available.

WHAT:  Plate of the Union Tap Takeover

WHEN:  1:00 p.m., Sunday, August 20, 2017

WHERE: Atlas Brew Works

2052 West Virginia Ave NE #102

Washington, DC 20002

Ocean Conservancy is organizing an Anacostia River cleanup as the flagship event of its 32^nd International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), the world’s largest single-day volunteer effort to remove trash from our beaches, waterways, lakes, rivers and parks. Last year, 330 volunteers recovered more than 2,500 pounds of trash from the Anacostia River, and this year is slated to be even bigger.The DC event, supported by Patagonia, will feature food, live music, and giveaways. Register to volunteer at www.DCCoastalCleanup.org.

For the second year in a row, volunteers will use the Clean Swell app (free for download on the App Store and Google Play) to contribute their citizen science data on the collected trash in real time to one of the world’s largest databases on ocean trash.

WHEN:Saturday, September 16, 2017

9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

WHERE:Kingman Island

Entrance at RFK Stadium Lot 6

A free shuttle service is available from the Stadium-Armory Station, accessible from the Orange, Blue, and Silver metro lines.

BACKGROUND:Trash is one of the most visible and most prolific threats facing our ocean today; it’s also one of the most preventable. Every year, an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste flows into the ocean, entangling wildlife, polluting beaches, and costing coastal municipalities hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Since the first ICC 32 years ago, over 12 million volunteers have removed more than 220 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways..

What: UnaBASHed Weirdos: A Pointless Dance Party & Benefit Featuring a puppet jukebox, tasty hors d’oeuvres, and an open bar with beer and wine. There will be a silent auction, a live DJ and food by local celebrity chef Matt Baker. Chef Baker is opening his first restaurant, Gravitas, an innovative Modern American restaurant, and will be plating food personally at the event. The event will also feature a legendary line-up of Pointless entertainment, and plenty of opportunities to get crazy on the dance floor.

Where: Alley DC, 2055 L Street, NW; Washington, DC 20036

When: Friday, September 22, 2017; 7 – 10:00 p.m.

Tickets: Tickets to UnaBASHed Weirdos start at $50. Honorary Weirdo-level tickets, which include recognition at the event are $100. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit PointlessTheatre.com/Parties.

Social Media: Twitter: @PointlessTheatreCo

  Facebook: @PointlessTheatre

  Instagram: @PointlessThetCo

  Hashtag: #unabashedweirdos and/or #pointlessparties